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1. Analyzing Literature
2. Structure, Content & Style
3. Approaching Texts All texts share three common elements:
Structure Content Style
4. Structure Structure is how a text is built Think of the
structure of a text like the frame of a house Structure can include
sections, chapters, order of ideas, line breaks (poetry), acts and
scenes (drama) A texts outline reveals its structure
5. Content Content is the ideas and information in the text
Think of content as what is in the house (e.g. furniture) Content
can include things like plot, character, main ideas, theme,
dialogue A summary of the text reveals its content
6. Style Style is the unique way the author has presented the
ideas in the text Think of style as how the contents of the house
are decorated Style can include things like word choice, use of
language, syntax, sentence structure, imagery Identifying what
makes one author/text different from another reveals style
7. Structure, Content & Style Any text can be analyzed
using these concepts short stories, novels, plays, poems, essays,
non- fiction texts, letters Structure, content, and style work
together and often overlap
8. Critical Approaches to Literature
9. Critical Approaches to Literature The same text can be
looked at through more than one lens These lenses are known as
critical approaches Critical approaches to literature are developed
by readers who look for different meanings in a text Critical
approaches are created in different time periods and generally
reflect cultural changes that are happening at that time
10. Common Critical Approaches Formalist Criticism Biographical
Criticism Historical Criticism Psychological Criticism Mythological
Criticism Cultural Criticism Reader Response Criticism
11. Formalist Criticism Literature is a form of knowledge with
intrinsic elements style, structure, imagery, tone, and genre What
gives a literary work status as a great work of art is how all of
its elements work together to create the readers experience
Appreciating a text requires close reading a careful, step- by-step
analysis and explication of the text Style and theme influence each
other and cant be separated if meaning is to be retained
12. Formalist Criticism "Extracting" elements in isolation
(theme, character, plot, setting, etc.) may destroy a readers
aesthetic experience of the whole Formalist critics dont deny the
historical or political situation of a work, they just believe
works of art have the power to transcend them Formalist criticism
is evaluative in that it differentiates great works of art from
poor works of art Formalist criticism is a "scientific" approach to
literary analysis, focusing on "facts amenable to "verification"
(evidence in the text)
13. Biographical Criticism Real life experience can help shape
(either directly or indirectly) an authors work Understanding an
authors life can help us better understand the work The focus is
always on the literary work under investigation
14. Historical Criticism Investigates the social, cultural, and
intellectual context that produced it This investigation includes
the authors biography and their culture Seeks to understand the
impact of a work in its day and how meanings change over time
Explores how time and place of creation affect meaning in the
work
15. Psychological Criticism Great literature truthfully
reflects life and is a realistic representation of human motivation
and behavior May choose to focus on the creative process of the
artist, the artists motivation or behavior, or analyze fictional
characters motivations and behaviors
16. Mythological Criticism Mythological criticism studies
recurrent universal patterns underlying most literary works
Combines a variety of academic disciplines anthropology,
psychology, history, comparative religion Demonstrates how the
individual imagination shares a common humanity by identifying
common symbols, images, plots, etc. Identifies "archetypes symbols,
characters, situations, or images evoking a universal response
17. Common Archetypes: Characters The hero - The courageous
figure who runs in and saves the day The outcast - he or she has
been cast out of society or has left it on a voluntary basis; the
outcast figure can oftentimes also be considered as a Christ figure
The scapegoat - gets blamed for everything, regardless of whether
he or she is actually at fault The star-crossed lovers - the young
couple joined by love but unexpectedly parted by fate The shrew -
nagging, bothersome wife always battering her husband with verbal
abuse
18. Common Archetypes: Situations/Symbols The task - a
character, or group of characters, is driven to complete some duty
of monstrous proportion The quest - the characters are searching
for something, whether consciously or unconsciously; their actions,
thoughts, and feelings center around the goal of completing this
quest The loss of innocence - a loss of innocence through sexual
experience, violence, or any other means The initiation - process
by which a character is brought into another sphere of influence,
frequently (in literature) into adulthood Water - a symbol of life,
cleansing, and rebirth; it is a strong life force and is often
depicted as a living, reasoning force
19. Cultural Criticism Examines literature in its cultural,
economic, and political context Explores the relationship between
the artist and the society Focuses on the social content of
literary works
20. Reader-Response Criticism Attempts to describe the internal
workings of the readers mental processes Recognizes reading as a
creative act or process No text is self-contained, independent of a
readers interpretive design The plurality of readings possible is
all explored critics study how different readers see the same text
differently, and how religious, cultural, and social values affect
readings Instead of focusing only on the values embedded in the
text, this type of criticism studies the values embedded in the
reader
21. The Literary Canon
22. The Literary Canon What is a cannon? What is a canon? An
authoritative list, as of the works of an author" and "a basis for
judgment; standard; criterion." Belonging to the canon confers
social, political, economic, and aesthetic status Belonging to the
canon is a guarantee of quality
23. The Literary Canon What is the role of the canon in
literature? What is the impact of the canon on literature? What are
the drawbacks of the literary canon?
24. Questions?
25. Works CitedEsch, Stacy. Critical Approaches to Literature.
2002. 4 Aug. 2008 .PageWise. Understanding Literary Archetypes.
2002. 4 Aug. 2008 .University Scholars Programme Project. The
Concept of Literary Canon: An Overview. The Victorian Web. 1989. 4
Aug. 2008 .