Critical Theory

1. Critical Theory Strategies for reading

2. What is Critical Theory? • Different ways of looking at text (think new lenses) • None is “more right” than another • Some stories can be viewed through many perspectives – even at the same time! • Multiple perspectives allow us to see things in new light and think about these things in different ways

3. Formalist Criticism • Formal elements of a work – language, structure, and tone • How do the parts connect to the whole • Modern Formalists – New Critics • “Just the facts ma’am” • Poetry lends itself nicely to this lens

4. Biographical Criticism • Author’s background aids in enriching themes, ideas, topics, etc. developed in a text • May not always reflect the author’s life, but it may give clarity or add richness to our reading of it

5. Psychoanalytical Criticism • Sigmund Freud – psychoanalytic theory (unconscious mind) • Id – basic desires (repressed) • Superego – morals, codes, guilt • Ego – the arbitrator (how far should I go?) • Oedipus/Electra Complex – competition with the father/mother (respectively) to take their place. • Uncover the author’s unconscious meaning behind a text (or the reader’s)

6. Historical Criticism • Four main types • Literary History • Marxist • New Historicist • Cultural

7. Literary History • Examine the “life and times” of the society in which it was written • Look for social currents/trends • Examine multiple perspectives of people during this time on this topic

8. Marxist • Proletariat vs. Bourgeoisie • Struggles with: • Culture • Race • Class • Power

9. New Historicist • History read in a modern context • Examine all facets of history – economical, sociological, anthropological, political

10. Cultural • Popular cultural influences • A combination of new historicism, psychology, gender, and deconstructionism • Looks at comics, TV shows, commercials, radio shows, etc.

11. Gender Criticism • Focus on how men and women are socially constructed in text • Includes: • Gay/Lesbian Criticism • Feminist Criticism

12. Feminism • Places literature in a social context • Looks at the representation of women through what has been a traditionally male-dominated society

13. Gay and Lesbian • Focuses on how homosexuals are represented in text • Looks at how sexuality and gender are constructed in society

14. Mythological Criticism • Archetypal critiques examine the hopes, fears, and expectations of cultures • Look for common human concerns in text • Archetypes – universal symbols that embody the basic human experience

15. Reader Response Criticism • Focuses on, you guessed it, the reader • Bring our own assumptions and expectations to a work – so what do we see?

16. Deconstructionist Criticism • Literary works do not yield fixed, single meanings • Language is too easily interpreted in various ways – therefore no right answer can be found • Find the ways to destabilize meanings