CRITICAL APPROACHES
READER-RESPONSE CRITICISM
• IT IS CONCERNED WITH HOW THE WORK IS VIEWED BY THE
AUDIENCE. IN THIS APPROACH, THE READER CREATES
MEANING, NOT THE AUTHOR OR THE WORK. ONCE THE WORK
IS PUBLISHED, THE AUTHOR IS NO LONGER RELEVANT.
MYTHOLOGICAL CRITICISM
• IT UNCOVERS OR IDENTIFIES MANIFESTATION OF
MYTHOLOGY IN A LITERARY WORK- WHETHER AS THE
CREATION
OF
AN
ORIGINAL
MYTH,
AS
THE
APPROPRIATION OF A TRADITIONAL MYTHOLOGICAL
FIGURE, STORY, OR PLACE, OR IN THE FORM OF ALLUSIONS
AND USES THESE MYTHOLOGICAL ELEMENTS TO AID
INTERPRETATION OF THE WORK.
INTER-TEXTUAL CRITICISM
• IT IS CONCERNED WITH COMPARING THE WORK IN QUESTION
TO OTHER LITERATURE, TO GET A BROADER PICTURE. ONE MAY
COMPARE A PIECE OF WORK TO ANOTHER OF THE SAME
AUTHOR, SAME LITERARY MOVEMENT OR SAME HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND.