Critical Approaches
to Literature
Critical Theory
Introduction
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Formed during the 20th century to develop the
study of literature as a discipline
All critical approaches ask some fundamental
questions:
What is literature? What does it do? What is
literature’s primary purpose? In addition to
expressing ideas, what else does literature do?
How does it contribute to artistic, political and
social thought and history?
Introduction
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None of these theories reflect “the way” to study
literature; they reflect major tendencies not
absolute straight-jacketing.
Some critics may consider themselves Feminist
Theorists but utilize strategies from New
Criticism.
In other words, literary criticism is pragmatic or
eclectic rather than rigid
Why study the theories?
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To help develop your
own capacities as a
reader and a writer
To expand the lens
you use to analyze
literature
Types Of Critical Approaches
Moral/Intellectual
Topical/Historical
New Critical/Formalist
Structuralism
Feminist Criticism/Gender Studies
Queer Theory
Marxist
Psychological/Psychoanalytical
Archetypical/Symbolic/Mythic
Deconstruction
New Historicism
Reader Response
Post-Colonialism
Race Theory
Topical/Historical
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Stresses the relationship between literature and its
historical period
Although great literature often applies to various time
periods, much of it also directly reflects the intellectual
and social worlds of their authors.
This approach investigates author’s biographies,
concepts and words that today’s reader may not
immediately understand.
This approach requires the theorist to utilize footnotes,
dictionaries, historical references, and other reference
materials.
Historical Cont
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A common criticism of the historical/topical
approach is that in the extreme, it deals with
background knowledge rather than the literature
itself.
New Historicism
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A reaction against Historical Criticism
The New Historicist justifies the parallel reading of both literary and
non literary works in other to form an informed understanding of the
context of the literary work.
This approach assumes that history is not a “fixed” essence but a
literary construction
Combining the history with literary understanding readers must
achieve a deeper understanding of the literature
Formalism/Structuralism
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Also known as New Criticism,
the Formalist focuses on
literary texts as formal works of
art.
The Formalist examines the
meanings of literature; asking
the questions: what does a
work say? And How well is it
said.
A major idea in this approach
is that all the contents of the
work, including its subtleties,
ideas, ambiguities and
contradictions were in the
conscious or subconscious of
the author. There are no
accidents.
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Finds relationships
between things that seem
to be separate and
unique
Enables critics to study
literature from a variety of
cultures and historical
periods
Focuses on a
comprehensiveness of
description
Best when utilized for
larger texts
Examples: “My Last
Duchess”
Formalism
The text is termed a dramatic monologue because
it contains three formal elements- an occasion a speaker
and a hearer.
 The inflexible format is deceptive creating the
contrast between
obsessive, psychological dysfunction and power.
The utilization of iambic pentameter and couplets
clarify
the Duke’s insanity in the face of frightening control.
Historical
Browning lived in
Italy thus creating a sense
of authenticity to the poem.
New Historicism
The use of the artists’ names and the
titles of the artwork add a sense of verisimilitude
(reality). Browning utilizes his knowledge of the
Renaissance to create a reality which emphasizes
The Duke’s insanity.
More Definitions
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Deconstruction
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Reader Response
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A strategy not an approach for reading
Developed by Jacques Derrida
These theorists assume the instability
of language
They criticize Western assumptions
that speech is a direct expression of
the speaker’s intention, a direct
correspondence to reality.
Standard deconstruction may begin
with a traditional reading/ interpretation
of the text and then rip it apart in order
to form a new understanding
Another deconstructionist approach is
to examine the text in light of gaps, or
missing elements or even words or
phrases with multiple interpretations
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Rooted in phenomenology; a
philosophy that is rooted in how things
appear
Thus the quest for truth in the world is
to be found not in the external world
but in our perception and interpretation
of the external signals
Reader Response theorists believe
that the text is not complete until
readers make a transaction with it by
assimilating it and intertwining with
their own knowledge and experience
This theory supports continual
learning-the more I learn about art,
politics, science, history, the more I will
bring to the text
Questions: What does this work mean
to me? How can the work widen my
insights? What knowledge do I need
to acquire to deepen my
understanding of the text?
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Examples Reader
Response/Deconstruction
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The use of false names for the artists, that
sound like actual Renaissance artists,
emphasizes the Duke’s arrogance and
reminds the reader of the large social gap
between the aristocracy and peasantry at this
time (Reader Response)
The reader assumes that the emissary is
shocked, appalled by the Duke’s “accidental”
confessions. But, what if the Duke actually
meant his confessions as a warning to his new
duchess and what if the emissary is not
shocked; instead expects this behavior..
(Deconstruction)
There is no emissary, this is not a dramatic
situation but rather a just the insane ramblings
of warped mind. (Deconstruction)
Developed in the 1920’s; known as an American movement
Advocates “close” reading of text instead of overwhelming
concern for context and history
Generally applied to poetry; encourages textual analysis
rather than an exploration of poet’s life or social implications
Example: The Duke repeatedly refers to the Count’s emissary
as “Sir” indicates the Duke’s belief that the envoy
understands, maybe even shares the Duke’s aberrant feelings.
Post Modernism
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Applies to several fields: philosophy, art,
literature, architecture, history, etc.
Skepticism to modern ideals
Communication shaped by cultural bias, myth,
etc.
Meaning and experience created by individual,
cannot be made objective by an author or
narrator
Methodologies
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Though postmodernism is “an attack
against theory and methodology”, it uses
two methods
Deconstruction
Intuitive Interpretation
Post Modernist Formula
developed by Chip Morningstar
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Select a work to be deconstructed
Decide what the text says
Identify within the reading a distinction
Convert into a hierarchical opposition
Derive another self-referential reading of
the text
Decide Meaning
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Example “Reading
Poems in Public” by
Maurice Kenney
Discusses the lack of an
audience for his reviving
of Indian heritage
Criticism of American
self-centeredness and
ignorance
Is a desperate plea and a
scathing assault
Identify a Distinction and
Hierarchical Opposition
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Distinction: “hear” versus “listen”
Not explicit, but can be implied
 Evident in the fact that an audience is
present, but questions are so inane
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Hierarchical opposition
Point out that one of the two terms is
inherently more revered or accepted
 “Listen” valued more than “hear”
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Interpretation (basic)
One cannot listen without being able to hear, thus
the arbitrary hierarchy established by the text is
invalid, and the actions of the audience in the
poem cannot be construed as reprehensible or
evil. Kenny would not have an audience at all
without these Americans, and thus cannot
criticize them. They are doing enough by
hearing his poems, regardless of their
interpretations.
Feminist Criticism
Gender Studies
Queer Theory
The
Examine
Examines
overarching purpose is to
question the traditional canon and
claim a place in it for neglected
women writers
To delineate the ways both male
and female characters are
portrayed in literature, looking at
how societal norms about sexual
differences are either enforced or
subverted in literature
Close examination of patriarchal
structures and institutions such as
marriage.
Explore issues of the “feminine
mystique” and traditional roles
assigned to women
the
social divide
between the
masculine and the
feminine
Explore
Patriarchal
structures and
representations
how
homosexuals
are portrayed in
literature
Examines
veiled
references to
homosexuality
in literature
Archetypical
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Archetypal Criticism is closely
related to Psychological Criticism
but focuses on the work of Jung
rather than Freud
Presupposes that human life is
built up of patterns or archetypes
that are similar throughout various
cultures and historical times.
The best literature is grounded in
archetypal patterns
?--How does this text fit into any
archetypal structure? How closely
does it fit the archetype/ What
variations exist? What meaning(s)
do the connections have?
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Examples: The creation; the
hero’s journey/quest, the hero’s
sacrifice Humanity’s search for
paradise or perfection
Many critics deride this approach
because of Jung’s belief in a
universal human consciousness,
(all humans retain in their inner
psyche a type of awareness for all
that has come before and will
come again) but they nevertheless
consider this criticism important
for comparisons and contrasts
Initiation, young man discovers
the power of literature, falling in
love despite a need for
independence are all patterns that
occur across cultures and
timelines
Psychological Theory
Focuses on Freud’s theories; utilizing his ideas
of human behavior caused by hidden human
motives
 Freud’s theories has had a profound impact on
all intellectual disciplines and all post-Freudian
literature
Example: An exploration of character; Hamlet
suffering an Oedipus complex. An exploration of
the author’s motivation; Coleridge’s neuroses
and its effect on “Kubla Khan”
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Questions
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What are the obvious and
hidden motives that cause a
character’s behavior?
How much background does
the author reveal about a
character? (repressed childhood
trauma, adolescent experiences and
memories)
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How much is important in the
analysis and understanding
of the character
Race Theory and PostColonial Theory