Literary Analysis
& Criticism
A text begins with an author
I know the
meaning...
The author creates the text
with ideas, personality,
experiences, literary
identity, a message, etc...
The author leaves the TEXT
for readers to explore
The TEXT provides:
a Stimulus
a Blueprint
Language
Cues/Clues
Critical input
the Author’s ideas
The READER encounters the text
What does
Readers bring their...
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•
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•
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Personality
Language
Culture
Values
Family structure
Experiences
Education
Gender
to the text.
this mean?
Clearly, this
means the
economic
system is
collapsing!
The meaning is
that the poor can
overcome
oppression!
Readers in general have the same question:
What does this
[poem, story, novel]
mean?
Meaning
Meaning = Text + Reader
Wait! How can any interpretation be correct?
What if the reader has the
wrong meaning?
Reader-Response Criticism
Text<-------------------------------Meaning<------------------------Reader
Meaning can only exist when
the reader and text interact.
The text alone does not have
meaning.
Each reader constructs his/her own meaning for a text.
All interpretations are valid as long as the reader can provide
textual evidence for support. However, a few RULES apply...
RULES
of Reader Response Criticism
Rule #1: Do not ADD anything to the text.
Rule #2: Do not IGNORE parts of the text.
Rule #3: Do not CHANGE parts of the text.
As long as readers do not manipulate the text
to “fit” a contrived interpretation, and as long
as readers can provide textual evidence, then
any interpretation can be “valid” or “correct.”
Rule #1: Do not ADD anything to the text.
Let’s say that you like happy endings.
You want each story to end harmoniously, and you feel that one can find the
positive in any situation.
If you interpret the ending of “Cinderella” as a statement about how gay
marriage should be tolerated, since everyone cannot marry a prince, and
the wicked stepsisters should become lesbians,
are you breaking one of the reader response rules?
or is your interpretation valid?
YES...
you are breaking one of the reader
response rules.
NO...
your interpretation is not valid.
Nothing in the text points to gay
marriage, lesbians, or societal
tolerance of homosexuality.
Regardless of how much you want to see
To say that the
prince’s rejection
is the catalyst for the
cannot
ADD WHAT IS NOT THERE
the wicked stepsisters as lesbians, you
stepsisters’ exploration
of lesbianism and
ultimately gay marriage
to the text in order to fit what you
is
You also cannot support a farfetched thesis statement by
adding your own ideas to the
story. You must use only what
ADDING
to the text.
want to see.
is in the text.
Rule #2: Do not IGNORE parts of the text.
Using the same “Cinderella” example,
suppose you say:
#1: The ending of “Cinderella” clearly demonstrates how beauty,
rather than intelligence or wealth, is the most valued asset in
romantic relationships.
-OR-
#2: “The
ending of “Cinderella” shows how a woman can
manipulate a man into marriage through the façade of
beauty and wealth.”
Would either one be a valid
interpretation?
#1: This interpretation shows promise, as
Cinderella has little more than her
appearance to offer the prince. It does not
break the rules of reader-response.
#2:
This interpretation does point to Cinderella’s
beauty as her sole asset upon meeting the prince;
however, saying that Cinderella is manipulative may be
adding to the story. Most of the text would point to a
more innocent Cinderella, one who merely wanted to
experience the fancy party her step-sisters enjoyed.
Reader-Response
is one type of
Literary Criticism
that helps readers
make sense of the text.
What is Literary Criticism?
Literary Criticism is a term applied since the
seventeenth century to the scientific investigation
of literary documents regarding origin, text,
composition, and/or history.
What purpose does literary criticism serve?
Literary criticism attempts to serve the following purposes:
• Explain a work and its underlying principles to readers
who may not fully understand the text
• Interpret works to readers who might otherwise fail to
understand or appreciate them
• Discover and apply principles that describe the
foundations of “good literature”
• Justify imaginative literature in a world that finds its
value questionable
• Judge works by clearly defined standards of evaluation
• Demonstrate how specific factors such as culture,
politics, gender, popular ideologies, history,
psychology, author’s life (among others) affect how the
literature is interpreted
Besides Reader Response,
what other types of literary criticism can be
applied to texts?
Formalist / or “New” Criticism
The formalist critic would approach the text by:
• Closely reading the words in the
text
• Examining the text only, not allowing any influences
outside the text influence interpretation
• Applying traditional literary conventions of plot,
character, setting, point of view etc...
Feminist Criticism
A Feminist Critic would approach the text by assuming :
 that all literature reflects or promotes
patriarchy
 that the text reflects society’s view of women
as outsiders or inferiors in terms of their
place with men
 that women are sociologically underrepresented
Feminist critics may argue
that gender determines everything,
or just the opposite:
that all gender differences are imposed by society, and gender
determines nothing.
Feminist Criticism (cont’d)
• reinforces the idea that literature
is a profound element in the
maintenance of male power and
privilege.
• provides a new perspective on literature and the canon from the point
of view of an oppressed, excluded minority
• has expanded the canon to include
many previously excluded women
authors and challenged and
politicized criteria for evaluating
literary merit.
Marxist Criticism
Marxist literary critics explore ways in which the text
reveals:
• economic issues
• plight of working class
• capitalist control
• ideological oppression of a
dominant economic (wealthy) class
over subordinate (poorer) classes
Historical Criticism
Historical critics believe it is necessary to know
about the political, economical, and sociological
context of the stories in order to truly understand
the meaning.
They examine actual historical setting context.
Historical critics see works as the reflection of the characters'
life and times.
Psychoanalytic Criticism
Psychological critics view works through the
lens of psychology.
• workings of the human mind applied to
characters
• often Freudian
• psychological motivations of characters
• do not diagnose, but make predictions based
upon patterns of psychology
Authorial Criticism
Authorial critics see works as the reflection of the author's life and times (or
of the characters' life and times). They believe it is necessary to know about
the author and the political, economical, and sociological context of his
times in order to truly understand his works.
Authorial critics study the biography of
the author and...
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

Relate author’s life to the text for meaning
Examine the author’s acquaintances, friends, and relatives for character origins
Examine the author’s environment for setting origins
Attempt to determine what facts from the author’s life appear in the text
In summary...
Literary criticism attempts to explain and evaluate literature.
Critics attempt to create meaning by examining many factors.
In this class, we will be practicing Reader-Response criticism.
Reader-Response criticism = Meaning is created via a conversation
between reader and text. (No meaning without both elements.)
No adding, ignoring, or changing the text.
Other forms of Literary Criticism include:
 Formalist/New Criticism
 Feminist Criticism
 Marxist Criticism
 Historical Criticism
 Psychoanalytic Criticism
 Authorial Criticism
For more information:
The Internet Public Library (IPL) Online Literary Criticism Guide
http://www.ipl.org/div/litcrit/guide.html
Remember that texts can have more
than one meaning.
End of presentation.