Literary theory is a description of the underlying principles, one might say the tools, by which we attempt to understand literature. All literary interpretation draws on a basis in theory but can serve as a justification for very different kinds of critical activity.
What is literary theory, anyway, and why is it important?
We also recommend the following secondary sources for study of literary theory:
- The Critical Tradition: Classical Texts and Contemporary Trends, 1998, edited by David H. Richter
- Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide, 1999, by Lois Tyson
- Beginning Theory, 2002, by Peter Barry
What are the four types of literary theories?
What are the four types of literary theories?
- What Is Literary Theory?
- Traditional Literary Criticism.
- Formalism and New Criticism.
- Marxism and Critical Theory.
- Structuralism and Poststructuralism.
- New Historicism and Cultural Materialism.
- Ethnic Studies and Postcolonial Criticism.
- Gender Studies and Queer Theory.
What are the 11 literary theories?
Schools
- Aestheticism – associated with Romanticism, a philosophy defining aesthetic value as the primary goal in understanding literature. ...
- African-American literary theory
- American pragmatism and other American approaches Harold Bloom, Stanley Fish, Richard Rorty
What are the theories of literature?
- The when and why of the ‘Conspiracy theory’ research agenda. The attention to the spread of conspiracy theories increased significantly in Western countries since 2016, on the occasion of the ...
- Definitions and concept stretching. ...
- The life cycle of conspiracy theories. ...
- Data and variables. ...
What is introduction to literary theory?
A very basic way of thinking about literary theory is that these ideas act as different lenses critics use to view and talk about art, literature, and even culture. These different lenses allow critics to consider works of art based on certain assumptions within that school of theory.
What is literary theory and why is it important?
Literary theory consists of various principles, beliefs and underlying ideas that are used to understand and analyze different pieces of texts in literature. An interesting way to view literary theory is by considering theories as tools.
What is meant by literary theory and criticism?
What Is Literary Criticism? Literary theory is a way of interpreting a work of art. When readers and scholars engage in literary criticism, which is the practice of evaluating literature, they often use literary theories to inform their ideas and opinions about a text.
What is literary theory Wikipedia?
Literary theory is the systematic study of the nature of literature and of the methods for literary analysis.
What are the characteristics of literary theory?
- concerned with structure in the text, emphasis on meaning, & grammatical structure. -unity, bi-nary dydads, arbitrary, relational, and constitutive.
How do you apply a literary theory?
The term theory may sound rarified or abstract, but in reality a theory is simply an argument that attempts to explain something. Anytime you go to analyze literature—as you attempt to explain its meanings—you are applying theory, whether you recognize its exact dimensions or not.
What is the difference between literature and literary theory?
Definition. Literary Criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Literary Theory is the different frameworks used to evaluate and interpret a particular work.
How do you write a literary theory essay?
Step 1: Reading the text and identifying literary devices. The first step is to carefully read the text(s) and take initial notes. ... Step 2: Coming up with a thesis. ... Step 3: Writing a title and introduction. ... Step 4: Writing the body of the essay. ... Step 5: Writing a conclusion.
Why do we need literary theory and literary criticism?
Researching, reading, and writing works of literary criticism will help you to make better sense of the work, form judgments about literature, study ideas from different points of view, and determine on an individual level whether a literary work is worth reading.
Who wrote theory of literature?
René WellekTheory of Literature / AuthorRené Wellek was a Czech-American comparative literary critic. Like Erich Auerbach, Wellek was an eminent product of the Central European philological tradition and was known as a vastly erudite and "fair-minded critic of critics." Wikipedia
What is the meaning of literary history?
Literary history is the narrative of intelligible, significant connections between literary works, related to their composition. It includes the generic or thematic conventions or chains of signs that writers in that language create or borrow from other mediums of expression, earlier times or other languages.
What is literary theory slide share?
• Literary theory is the study of the principles which inform how critics make sense of literary works. 10. • There are many different approaches we can take to critical analysis • Literary theories provide a framework for our discussion of a text 11.
How important is literary theory to a literature teacher?
Teaching literary theories explicitly allows students to take a more active role in their own literary interpretation. Literary theories allow students the chance to bring their own understanding to the texts they read, giving them a way to talk about what they read and how they interpret what they read.
Why is literary theory and criticism important?
Researching, reading, and writing works of literary criticism will help you to make better sense of the work, form judgments about literature, study ideas from different points of view, and determine on an individual level whether a literary work is worth reading.
Which is the most important part of literary theory and criticism?
The most important part of literary theory and criticism is poetics, the study of the structure of individual works and groups of works, for example, all the works of a particular writer or the works of a literary school or epoch. Poetics may be related to each of the major areas of literary theory and criticism.
Why theories are important in analyzing a literary piece?
Theories are useful because they explain systematically premises, terms and research questions and because they develop clear hypotheses about the effects and functions of texts. Thus, theories also help us analyse texts and communicate our findings to others.
What is literary theory?
Literary theory is the theoretical part and literary criticism is the practical part of the same larger idea that concerns with the analysis of a literary text. Like I shared above, I will also be writing an entirely different piece on this subject.
What is the relationship between literary theory and literary criticism?
Both theory and criticism have literary as the prefix. Therefore, it is natural that there must be something common between them in the context of their concern with literature. A work of literature or a literary text becomes the playground where a literary critic comes up with a literary theory after an extensive analysis of the given text. Once the theory is established and becomes popular, other concerned people with literature learn about that particular literary theory and subsequently use that theory when they study any literary text in the direction specified in that particular theory. So, in short, the literary text is the basis of this relationship at the outset. This may have become an elaborated background but it was necessary for the beginners to understand the connection in the context of origins of literary theory and literary criticism.
What is the act of critically interpreting any literary text with a certain literary theory in mind called?
The act of critically interpreting any literary text with a certain literary theory in mind is called literary criticism and the person involved in this intellectual (rarely emotional) exercise is called a literary critic.
What is the difference between literary theory and criticism?
So, the basic and the fundamental difference between literary theory and criticism is that one is theoretical and another is practical. Literary theory is the theoretical part and literary criticism is the practical part ...
Why is literature considered an element?
It concerns with human evolution, psychology, philosophy, sociology and language and many other elements (with wide ramifications of this term – elements). The obvious reason is that literature itself is not limited to written works by authors. Literature is an ever-expanding idea and if not ever-expanding, literary theory is also an occasionally ...
What is the playground of literature?
A work of literature or a literary text becomes the playground where a literary critic comes up with a literary theory after an extensive analysis of the given text. Once the theory is established and becomes popular, other concerned people with literature learn about that particular literary theory and subsequently use ...
What is the idea of "the reader"?
In simple terms, the very idea of it concerns with literary interpretations, studies, assumptions and conclusions. It impacts the mindset of a reader during the reading of any literary work as well as during critically approaching any literary work.
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What is literary theory?
Literary theory examines a cross section of literature from a specific era, geographic location, or from writers of specific backgrounds or identities to draw conclusions about the similarities and differences in similar kinds of literary works.
Why is reading literature through the lens of literary theory important?
Reading a text through the lens of literary theory provides a new perspective to better understand literature, learn more about different authors' intentions, and generally improve the quality of literature for both authors and readers. Literary theory can also influence literature, challenging texts to evolve into new territory.
What is the purpose of formalism in literature?
Formalism: Formalism compels readers to judge the artistic merit of literature by examining its formal elements, like language and technical skill. Formalism favors a literary canon of works that exemplify the highest standards of literature, as determined by formalist critics. Reader-response: Reader-response criticism is rooted in the belief ...
What is postmodernism literary criticism?
Post-modernism: Post-modernist literary criticism emerged in the middle of the twentieth century to reflect the fractured and dissonant experience of twentieth-century life. While there are many competing definitions of postmodernism, it is most commonly understood as rejecting modernist ideas of unified narrative.
Which theory challenges the dominance of Western thought in literature, examining the impacts of colonialism in critical theory?
Postcolonial theory: Postcolonial theory challenges the dominance of Western thought in literature, examining the impacts of colonialism in critical theory.
Which theory of literature examines literature along the lines of class relations and socialist ideals?
Marxist theory: Socialist thinker Karl Marx established this branch of literary theory alongside Marxism, his political and sociological ideology. Marxist theory examines literature along the lines of class relations and socialist ideals . Post-modernism: Post-modernist literary criticism emerged in the middle of the twentieth century to reflect ...
What is the reader response?
Reader-response: Reader-response criticism is rooted in the belief that a reader's reaction to or interpretation of a text is as valuable a source of critical study as the text itself. The new criticism: New critics focused on examining the formal and structural elements of literature, as opposed to the emotional or moral elements.
What does it mean to read a literary text?
To read a literary text, to think about it and perhaps to write about it is to make an interpretation. ‘Doing English’ means, perhaps more than anything else, making interpretations.
What does the arrow between the reader and the text represent?
The arrows between the reader and the text represent the (near-infinite) different ways of interpreting texts, and different understandings of those texts that these produce . The arrow that points to all the other arrows represents hermeneutics, comparing the different ways of interpreting and their presuppositions.
Traditional Literary Criticism
- Academic literary criticism prior to the rise of “New Criticism” in the United States tended to practice traditional literary history: tracking influence, establishing the canon of major writers in the literary periods, and clarifying historical context and allusions within the text. Literary biogra…
Formalism and New Criticism
- “Formalism” is, as the name implies, an interpretive approach that emphasizes literary form and the study of literary devices within the text. The work of the Formalists had a general impact on later developments in “Structuralism” and other theories of narrative. “Formalism,” like “Structuralism,” sought to place the study of literature on a scientific basis through objective ana…
Marxism and Critical Theory
- Marxist literary theories tend to focus on the representation of class conflict as well as the reinforcement of class distinctions through the medium of literature. Marxist theorists use traditional techniques of literary analysis but subordinate aesthetic concerns to the final social and political meanings of literature. Marxist theorist often champion authors sympathetic to the …
Structuralism and Poststructuralism
- Like the “New Criticism,” “Structuralism” sought to bring to literary studies a set of objective criteria for analysis and a new intellectual rigor. “Structuralism” can be viewed as an extension of “Formalism” in that that both “Structuralism” and “Formalism” devoted their attention to matters of literary form (i.e. structure) rather than social or historical content; and that both bodies of thoug…
New Historicism and Cultural Materialism
- “New Historicism,” a term coined by Stephen Greenblatt, designates a body of theoretical and interpretive practices that began largely with the study of early modern literature in the United States. “New Historicism” in America had been somewhat anticipated by the theorists of “Cultural Materialism” in Britain, which, in the words of their leading advocate, Raymond Williams describe…
Ethnic Studies and Postcolonial Criticism
- “Ethnic Studies,” sometimes referred to as “Minority Studies,” has an obvious historical relationship with “Postcolonial Criticism” in that Euro-American imperialism and colonization in the last four centuries, whether external (empire) or internal (slavery) has been directed at recognizable ethnic groups: African and African-American, Chinese, the subaltern peoples of Ind…
Gender Studies and Queer Theory
- Gender theory came to the forefront of the theoretical scene first as feminist theory but has subsequently come to include the investigation of all gender and sexual categories and identities. Feminist gender theory followed slightly behind the reemergence of political feminism in the United States and Western Europe during the 1960s. Political feminism of the so-called “second …
Cultural Studies
- Much of the intellectual legacy of “New Historicism” and “Cultural Materialism” can now be felt in the “Cultural Studies” movement in departments of literature, a movement not identifiable in terms of a single theoretical school, but one that embraces a wide array of perspectives—media studies, social criticism, anthropology, and literary theory—as they apply to the general study of culture. “…
References and Further Reading
- a. General Works on Theory
1. Culler, Jonathan. Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. 2. During, Simon. Ed. The Cultural Studies Reader. London: Routledge, 1999. 3. Eagleton, Terry. Literary Theory. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 1996. 4. Lentricchia, Fra… - b. Literary and Cultural Theory
1. Adorno, Theodor. The Culture Industry: Selected Essays on Mass Culture. Ed. J. M. Bernstein. London: Routledge, 2001. 2. Althusser, Louis. Lenin and Philosophy: And Other Essays.Trans. Ben Brewster. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1971. 3. Auerbach, Erich. Mimesis: The Representati…