FORMALIST aPPROACH

1. FORMALIST aPPROACH By Garrett Duktig, April Heideloffand Cynthia Sprague

2. Etymologies: study of the origin of words and how their meanings have changed throughout history. • New Criticism: emphasized form and a close analysis of the text. • Organic form: structure of a work that has grown naturally from the author’s subject and materials. • Metaphysicalpoets: exaggerated grotesque themes with wit, subtle, argumentations or unusual similes or metaphors. • Fallacy: a mistake in logical reasoning. • Affective fallacy: error of judging a text on the basis of its emotional effects on the reader. Terms to know….

3. Naturalistic: characterized by the most accurate depiction of life as possible. Does not show artificial distortion of emotions, idealism, or literary convention. • Catharsis: release of emotions of pity and fear by the audience at the end of a tragedy. • Intentional fallacy: the idea that one can know exactly what the author intended. Terms to know….

4. Realism: a depiction of subjects as they appear in everyday life primarily middle class. • Romanticism:romantic style or movement in literature and art. • Foil: a character in a work whose behavior and values contrast sharply with those of another character, especially a protagonist. • Epistolary Novel: a novel made up of letters written by a character, without an omniscient narrative, allowing for multiple point of views. • Frame Story:narrative structure that provides a setting and exposition for the main narrative in a novel or short story. • Exponents:signs or symbols of patterns of meaning. Terms to Know…

5. Formalism disregards historical context of the novel and biographical details of the author. Focuses on the text as a discrete object. • Examines the work’s structure. • Looks for and analyzes many literary techniques including: Texture, image, symbol, fallacies, point of view, narrative voice, tension, irony, paradox, denotative and connotative language, ambiguity. • New Critics focused on what the text says and how it says it. What is The approach?

6. Readers are the central concern in finding the meaning of the work. • “A text does not even exist, in a sense, until it is read by some reader” The reader gives the text its meaning. • The reader interprets the piece of literature to fit their personality. • It also depends on how the text affected the reader emotionally. Reader-Response Theory

7. Thematic Reading • Is an epistolary novel made up of Captain Walton’s letters. • The point of views compete with one another leaving little to no difference between Walton’s and Frankenstein’s personalities. This allows the reader to ask questions. Example: Are the personalities merging? • The form is more abstract with two opposing concepts and exponents, together, making up the major theme of hoping to achieve a goal with the fear of failure throughout the quest that might end in a disaster. • The two opposing concepts are Walton’s and Frankenstein’s quests for greatness but both fail and Frankenstein was willing to sacrifice others lives while Walton was willing to endanger them. • The exponents are “hope” and “despair.” These words and their synonyms are seen throughout the novel and bring about the main idea again. Frankenstein

8. Presents a clear instance of how a particular set of images can open out in themes. • First line: “Had we but world enough and time” –introduces the space-time continuum motif. • The structure depends on the subjunctive concept, the condition contrary to fact, which gives the whole poem its meaning. • The motif of space-time shows this poem to be a philosophical consideration of time, of eternity, of pleasure (hedonism) and a salvation in an afterlife (traditional Christianity). • Finally, the formalist approach shows us how images and metaphors form and shape a consideration of philosophical themes which is if love and existence can extend beyond time and if they cannot, instant gratification is the best response to the question. To his coy mistress

9. Novel structured in a pattern of returns and departures. • Huck and Jim departed from land, onto the river, back and forth. • The point-of-view allows us to see Huck’s story through his eyes. Huck is honest, but unreliable to the reader. • Huck has ironic mode of speech • Elaborates on white lies, but understates important details. Huckleberry finn

10. Aimless plot sequence • New settings and new situations. Restatement of the same thing in a different way • Huck learns of the viciousness of society and the helplessness of the individual. • Each situation results in the same realization: “The mass of humanity is hopelessly depraved, and the genuinely honest individual is constantly being victimized, betrayed, and threatened.” • The framework suggests a journey from innocence to horrifying knowledge. Huckleberry Finn

11. The river is a symbol of refuge – the only place to be oneself and to escape from society. • Structure of the novel parallels the flow of the river. • Huck and Jim search for freedom but, ironically, they never achieve it. • Their adventures = variations of the quest for freedom. • Huck will continue to encounter social sins wherever he goes. Huckleberry Finn