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Literary Theory
The various schools of thought developed by literary scholars by which we approach
literature. Think of these forms of literary criticism as tools for reading and writing
about literature.
Contemporary literary theories include:
Deconstruction
Poststructuralism
New Historicism
Formalist
Feminist
Marxist
Reader-Response
Psychoanalytic
Formalist Criticism
Formalist criticism focuses primarily on the text alone; it places the text under a
microscope. External matters (biography, history, politics) are secondary.
1. How do various elements of the work (plot, character, point of view, diction,
irony, symbol, etc.) create and reinforce its meanings?
2. What is the work’s major organizing principle?
3. What issues are raised by the work? How does the work’s structure resolve or
complicate those issues?
Sociological Criticism
Looks at social groups, relationships, and values. It sees a work as a reflection of
social conditions or as a product of social conditions. These schools of criticism have
an overtly political agenda. Two popular sociological approaches are Marxist and
feminist criticism.
Marxist Criticism
This critical approach grounds its theory and practice on the economic and cultural
theory of Karl Marx (1818-1883).
1. How are class differences presented in the work? Are the characters aware or
unaware of the economic and social forces that affect their lives?
2. How do economic conditions determine the characters’ lives?
3. Does the work criticize class structures?
4. What ideological values are explicit or implicit? (Ideology = a person’s beliefs,
values, and ways of thinking. Marx believed that in any historical era, the
dominant ideology embodies and serves to legitimate and perpetuate the
interests of the dominant economic and social class.)
Feminist Criticism
Feminist critics see their work as a way to address predominant cultural perspectives
which are male dominated and patriarchal.
1. How are women’s lives portrayed in the work? Do the women in the work
accept or reject these roles?
2. Are the form and content of the work influenced by the author’s gender?
3. What are the relationships between men and women? Are these relationships
sources of conflict? Do they provide resolutions to conflicts?
Historical Criticism
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Historical critics use history as a way of understanding literature. They look closely
at the culture (social, religious, political) in which the author composed the work.
How does the work reflect the period in which it was written?
How does the work reflect the period it represents?
What historical influences helped to shape the form and content of the work?
How important is the historical context (both the work’s and your own) to
interpreting the work?
Psychological Criticism
Using psychoanalytical theories, the critic analyzes the characters of a literary text as
well as the symbolic meanings of objects, events, and language. They also examine
the motivation of the writer.
1. How does the work reflect the author’s personal psychology?
2. What do the characters’ emotions and behavior reveal about their
psychological states? What types of personalities are they?
3. Does the author present psychological matters such as repression, dreams,
and desire, either consciously or unconsciously.
Reader-Response Criticism
The focus is on the reader rather than the work. Reader-response criticism focuses
on what texts do to – or in – the mind of the reader. It explores the reader’s
experience of a work; it considers the ideas the reader brought to the text.
1. How do you respond to the work?
2. How do your experiences and expectations affect your reading and
interpretation?
3. Who is the work’s original intended audience? To what extent are you similar
or dissimilar to that audience?
