Ms. Marootian
RISE ENGLISH
Of Mice and Men Critical Lens Writing Assignment
40 Points
For this assignment, you will be challenged to examine John Steinbeck’s novella,
Of Mice and Men, through a critical lens. Your literary analysis will be in
response to one of the following prompts.
Requirements:
MLA Header
2-3 pages, 2x spaced
Authentic Title
At least 5 quotes
1. Historical: Historical theory says that you cannot understand a text until you
understand the period of history and the culture in which it was written.
Historicist Theory examines how a work of literature is influenced by the culture
of the time and place where it was written, and how it reflects the values of that
culture. In this way, you will examine Of Mice and Men through the historical
lens.
2. Feminist: The feminist lens asks a reader to closely consider gender when
analyzing a text. The feminist lens is based on the premise that our society is
widely patriarchal and this is reflected in literature. When analyzing a text using
the feminist lens you can consider how the women are portrayed and regarded.
In this way, you will examine Of Mice and Men through the feminist lens.
3. Psychoanalytical: Psychoanalytic literary critics apply the work or Sigmund
Freud and others to texts to ultimately analyze the author. This lens views texts
as the unconscious desires and conflicts of the author. Characters are also
analyzed through this lens but are also considered to be another part of the
author’s repressed inner conflicts (Brizee, Tompkins). Often the authors own
inner experiences are hidden in the text and are indirectly shown through various
symbols. The overall goal is to find unresolved conflicts and issues to understand
the text and the author better. In this way, you will examine Of Mice and Men
through the psychoanalytical lens.
Ms. Marootian
RISE ENGLISH
4. Marxist: A Marxist critic may begin such an analysis by showing how an
author’s text reflects his or her ideology through an examination of the fictional
world’s characters, settings, society, or any other aspect of the text. The critic
may then launch an investigation into the socio economic ideals that the novel
portrays. In this way, you will examine Of Mice and Men through the Marxist lens.