Concept of Literary theory and criticism enables the learner to understand the theory with more simplicity and lucid way. it helps the students as a concise study material to understand and learn the theory.

1. Concepts of Literary
Theory and Criticism
Dr Aareena Nazneen
Assistant Professor
Department of Languages
Integral University, Lucknow

2. Different angles and approaches of Literary Theory
1
Concept:3
It provides readers, critics,
and scholars with analytical
tools to explore the
complexities of literature
2
Concept 1
systematic study and
interpretation of literature.
3
Concept:4
encompass a wide range of
approaches, each offering distinct
perspectives on how literature
functions and how it should be
interpreted
4
Concept :2
aiming to uncover the
underlying principles,
structures, and meanings
that shape literary works

3. Author Oriented Approaches
Classicism and humanism of Various kinds
Different angles and approaches of Literary Theory
Approach:1
Classicism
Order and Structure
Balance and Harmony
Universal Themes
Clarity and Elegance
Limitation of
Expression
Moral Teachings
Humanism
Celebration of
Humanity
Individualism
Empathy and Emotion
Human Experience
Critique and Reflection
Rejection of Dogma

4. Reader Oriented Approaches
Reception Theory / Reader Response Theory
Different angles and approaches of Literary Theory
Approach:2
Reception Theory
Active Audience
Horizon of Expectations
Negotiation of Meaning
Multiplicity of Interpretations
Cultural and Social Context
Reader Response Theory
Active Reader
Subjective Interpretation
Text-Reader Relationship
Implied and Empirical Readers
Aesthetic and Efferent Reading
Multiple Readings

5. Context-Oriented Approaches
Psychological context:
Psychological criticism of various school
Context of gender:
Feminist/ Lesbian/ Gay Criticism
Historical context:
New Historicism/ Cultural materialism/
Colonial context:
Post/neocolonial criticism
Socio-Economic context:
Marxism of Various kinds
Socio-Cultural Context:
Myth Criticism / Dialogism
Different angles and approaches of Literary Theory
Approach:3

6. Text/ Language Oriented Approaches
Different angles and approaches of Literary Theory
Approach:4
Formalism
Practical/New Criticism
Structuralism and stylistics
Post-structuralism and
deconstruction

7. The Evolution of Literary Theory
1
Classical Criticism
Literature as art; focus on heroic
figures and great myths; purpose
was to instruct and to delight.
2
Romanticism
Reaction against Enlightenment;
subjectivity; focus on emotions
and imagination; nature as a
source of inspiration.
3
Formalism
Focuses on the form and structure
of the text; the text itself is the
object of study; meaning is created
by formal elements such as
syntax, meter and sound.
4
New Criticism
Sought to eliminate the historical
context and the author's intent
from interpretation; close reading
of the text; focus on paradox, irony
and ambiguity.

8. Key Concepts in Literary Theory
1 Intertextuality
The idea that a text is not a
self-contained entity, but is
always connected to other
texts and cultural discourses.
2 Representation
The idea that language
mediates our relationship to
reality; texts do not represent
the world directly, but construct
meaning through language.
3 Power
The idea that texts are not
neutral; they reflect and
reproduce power relations in
society.
4 Identity
The idea that texts construct
and reflect social identities
such as gender, race and
class.

9. The Many Faces of Literary Theory
Theories of Identity
How do literary texts contribute
to the construction of identities
such as race, gender and
sexuality?
Theories of Production
How are literary texts
produced, circulated and
consumed in society?
Theories of Absence
What do we make of what is
deliberately not said in a text,
what is omitted or
unrepresented?

10. The Postmodern Turn
Post-Structuralism
Challenges the notion of
language as a transparent
or stable system of
meaning; the meaning of a
text is always deferred and
postponed.
Deconstruction
Unravels the binary
oppositions in a text as a
way of questioning the
center/periphery structure
of Western thought.
Reader-Response
Theory
The meaning of a text is
not fixed, but is constantly
being renegotiated by the
reader's engagement with
the text.

11. Critiquing Literature through Literary
Theory
Cultural Materialism
Explores how economic and
political factors shape literary
productions and readings.
Postcolonial Theory
Analyzes the ways in which
power relations and cultural
identities are constructed
through colonial and
neocolonial processes.
Feminist Theory
Aims to expose and challenge
the ways in which gender is
constructed and represented in
literature and culture.

12. Critics Dissecting Literary Texts: A Case Study
The Text The Yellow Wallpaper by
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Formalist Criticism
Focuses on the language and
structure of the text; explores how the
use of first-person narration and the
evolving description of the yellow
wallpaper convey the protagonist's
descent into madness.
Postcolonial Criticism
Examines how the protagonist's
confinement and silencing reflect
the domestic and social
oppression of women in the early
20th century, as well as the larger
political and cultural context of
imperialism and racism.
Feminist Criticism Analyzes how the text critiques
the patriarchal medical
establishment and its treatment of
women's mental health as a
reflection of larger systemic
issues of gender and power.