Lit Crit Table II

Literary
New
Afro
Historicism
Freudian Archetypal Biographical Feminist
Tradition
Historicism
Am.
Marxist Sociological
Approach
Literary
Tradition
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Historicism
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Literature is

its purpose

methodology

implications

grows out of Literature

Identify and
fits in with
previously
builds and
explain how a work historical, new
written forms improves on a uses traditional
historical,
and works,
great tradition. forms and materials reader-reponse,
especially in Reader
and how it departs genre criticism,
specific genre. appreciates
from them. View and others.
Ex. Some
literature in
the work in terms Opposes strictly
Shakespeare context of other of preceding and formalist
sonnets parody great works.
succeeding
analysis. Best
earlier
literature in similar used in
Petrarchan
style, genre and
conjunction
sonnets. See
theme.
with other
also Genre
approaches.
Criticism.
is not
Literature
Identify systems of is basic in
autonomous
provides
thought and large literary study-but is an
cultural and
historical forces
to see the work
expression of historical
that determine and in terms of
the powerful insight.
inform literary
historical
ideas and world
expression in an background.
view of the
era. Ex. great chain With the advent
author's culture
of being in the
of literary
and era.
Renaissance found theory, has
in many works.
given way to
the more
complex,
political New
Historicism.

New
Historicism
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Freudian

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exists in a
literature not Look at marginal criticized
complex
just aesthetic or texts as well as
historicism for
relation with simply
canonical:
using history
culture and is a reflective of
pamphlets,
only as a
communal
history and
magazines,
background for
product, a
ideas. Gives a newspapers, odd author's life and
"systematic
sense of how stories and
work. Brought
socio-cultural literature
anecdotes. Look at in "larger
act" (GLCR
functions
sex, gender, class, networks of
97). Works
within culture colonialism. Look meaning" to
"show
to support and at interconnections show how art
themselves to challenge its among author's life functions
be bound by culture.
and behavior,
within a
social codes
written texts, and culture. Ability
and
the belief systems of art to subvert
conventions,
of the culture.
dominant
while they
culture gives it
prove, in other
political
ways, to
significance.
subvert or
undercut the
dominant
beliefs of their
society"
(Barton and
Hudson, CGLT,
122).
is "a symbolic to reveal
Study the text as an suggests that
statement of unconscious
expression of the misreadings of
unconscious fantasies of the author's
a text are as or
fantasies that author, reader, unconscious
more
the artist [and critic, and even fantasies. Ex.
significant than
reader] could fictional
Analyzing the
an obviously
not otherwise characters.
Oedipal Complex correct one.
admit" (GLCR Value is in how as worked out in Works on the
108).
the reader can Hamlet can reveal assumption that
defend against how Shakespeare authors,
or come to
worked that out. characters, and
terms with a
Reader and
readers "may be
very disturbing audience response unaware of the
fantasy by
reveals how the
reasons for their

Archetypal
(Jung)
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displacing it
reader comes to
behavior"
into less
terms with it. Can (GLCR 106).
threatening
psychoanalyze
Suggests
symbolic terms. characters and
profoundly
Authors work especially readers personal
through
(see Reader
reasons for
unconscious
Response criticism) writing and
fantasies
reading
through
literature that
creating more
has
manageable
implications for
versions.
the
psychological
health of
writers and
readers.
is an expressionAnalysis of
Study patterns of universalizes
of universal
literature can myths, images,
literature.
experience
reveal
symbols, icons and Thought to be
across time and archetypes
other archetypes reductionist by
cultures found across cultures that appear in many some critics in
in consistent and help to
cultures. View each its use of a few
patterns, myths, discern their literary work as an patterns to
and symbols meaning.
individual
explain
called
Unites all
articulation of an literature. Has
archetypes.
people. Can
underlying
spiritual
Literature
dredge up
archetype. Ex.
implications in
reveals the
different qualityrebirth archetype in its metaphysical
"collective
of
the Bible (Jonah belief in the
unconscious," psychological and the Whale and collective
an inborn
depth not
in The Rime of the unconscious.
repository of plumbed by
Ancient Mariner.
universal
Freudian
images.
approaches.

to provide
Research author's can yield a
Biographical Meaning of
work is
insight into
life for connections greater
reflective of
author's lives and parallels in the understanding
To Top
experiences of and thought andwork.
of the work.
author.
the intent of the Psychobiography Reveals
Knowledge of work to better looks at author's perspectives on
author's life can understand both deep psychology the work that
key insights
and the work as
may not arise
into the work's
expression or
through other
purpose,
working out of
methods. But,
author's
deep-seated
Formalists
choices.
neuroses.
criticized the
'intentional
fallacy" of
biographical
criticism.
Bottom line:
many readers
are interested in
both the
author's life and
art.
mirrors, resists, can reveal
Analyze traditional reinforces the
Feminist
or reinforces sexist
canon of male
idea that
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patriarchal,
constructions of writers for sexist literature is a
male-centered women and
stereotyping (ex. profound
culture,
challenge their madonna/whore
element in the
stereotypes and inevitability. opposition); focus maintenance of
oppression of Can raise
on women writers, male power and
women.
consciousness especially those
privilege.
and promote ignored, on their Provides a new
change. Can
creative processes, perspective on
reveal strengths language freed
literature and
of women
from
the canon from
repressed under phallogocentrism. the point of
partriarchy.
view of an
oppressed,
excluded
minority (see
also A-A
Criticism). Has

expanded the
canon to
include many
previously
excluded
women authors
and challenged
and politicized
criteria for
evaluating
literary merit.
Uses many
approaches.
AfricanAmerican &
Ethnic
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includes
brings in
Look at tradition challenges
minority
alternative
in terms of stages. traditional
literatures
materials such Early stage is
modes of
excluded from as sermons,
assimilationist and evaluating great
the canon.
work songs,
attempts to gain
literature and
Establishes its slave
acceptance from opens a space
relation to that narratives, jazz, the majority
for specifically
tradition and its corridos, Aztec culture. Second
Black, Chicano,
difference from myths.
stage is politically etc. modes of
it; is a
Establishes
activist and
signification
celebration of minority
separatist. Third
and use of
difference from traditions and stage sees works in cultural
oppressive
builds pride in terms of specific materials. Uses
traditon.
their sources. cultural and literary many
Protests
tradition and
approaches but
oppression and theorizes about the focuses on a
reveals
ways that
specific set of
stereotyping. traditional works. texts and
Analyze how work cultures. Has
represents racial established the
relationships,
importance of
"doubleminority
consciousness,"
literature and
stereotypes.
challenged
racist
stereotypes and

critical
blindness.
Legitimizes
literature as
political action
for justice.

Sociological
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"a document of Literature

Read from society links
social
illuminates the into text or vice
individuals and
phenomena or astudy of social versa. Link
texts to
product of
phemonena and individual to
collective
those same
vice versa.
collective behavior, phenomena,
phemonena"
social groups,
like Feminist,
(GLCR 78).
institutions, and
Marxist, New
forces. Look at
Historicist, but
relationship
tries to be more
between authors "objective" in
and audiences (see its analysis.
also rhetorical
Does not apply
criticism); the
a strong version
effect of the
of social
organization of the structure, such
book trade; explicit as in Marxism.
and implicit
political ideas in
literary works.

Marxist
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reflects the
Literature has Analyze the ways In some cases,
material forces great moral
in which the human adheres to a
operative at a force,
subject is formed rigid version of
specific time especially
and socialized
society and
and promotes realist works through a
politics. Very
or impedes
that depict
manufactured view frank in its
progress
material
of reality and truth. political aims
towards
conditions. Can Analyze how
and a good
socialist utopia. raise
ideology is
antidote to
Literature
consciousness expressed and
formalist, antieither reveals about nature of demystified in a
political
or mystifies the capitalism and work. Analyse how criticism. Like
truth about
the plight of the a work reveals
Feminist,
class structure, workers.
class structure as a Sociological,
class struggle,
political construct. New Historical,
political
and Africaneconomy, and
American
ideology.
criticism, it
views literature
as part of the
material
conditions of
culture, not just
a reflection of
them.

Literary Criticism Table I