Critical Theory/Literary Theory Question Grid
Critical theories were developed as a means to understand the different ways people “read” the world, and literary theories grew out of critical
theory as a way of understanding how people read literature. This question grid is meant to help you use a few of the most common theories in
your own reading.
There is nothing to say that one is better than another, or that you should read texts (or the world) according to any of them, but it is
sometimes fun to “decide” to read a text with one in mind, because you often end up with a whole new perspective.
Critical Race Theory
Examines how people of different
races are portrayed.
Gender Studies
Feminist
Social Class
Examines how sexuality
(masculinity/femininity) and power Examines power, gender, and how they Examines power, social class, and money
are represented, and what cultural and
interact.
in order to show social injustice.
societal factors contribute to this
representation.
 Is this text good for people of color 
(not “colored people”)?
 How does the text or other media
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portray people of color?
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 What conclusions does it seem to be 
making about people of color?
 What intersectionalities (race +
gender, class, ethnicity, sexuality)
can you find and what do they
mean?
How are masculinity and femininity
portrayed?
How are male roles defined?
How are female roles defined?
Do any characters step outside of
what is expected of them, based on
what the text or other media says (or
shows) about their gender’s
expectations? What happens if they
do? Are they viewed differently
(positively/negatively)?
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How are women portrayed or
represented?
How are the relationships between men
and women shown?
What are the power relationships
between men and women- meaning,
which gender has the power, and what
do they do with it toward the other
gender?
How are female roles defined- for
example, what jobs do female
characters have?
How does the text define ‘femininity’?
How does each character embody or
not embody those traits?
Do female characters take on traits of
the opposite gender? If they do, does it
change what other characters think
about them?
What does the text show us about how
patriarchy works- socially, politically,
psychologically?
-----patriarchy- a male-centered, male
dominated society
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Who benefits if the text is accepted or
believed (those with money, those
without money?)
What is the social class of the author?
What social classes do the characters
represent?
Which class does the work say it
represents?
What values does the text support?
What values does the text criticize?
What conflicts are present between the
values the text supports, and the ones it
shows?
How do the characters from different
classes interact, communicate, or
conflict?
How do the more powerful characters
hold the other ones down?
Who is in charge? Who has the money?
Who doesn’t? What happens as a result?