|Overview of Literary Theory|
Formalist Theory (also called New Criticism)
Analysis based on the idea that the form of a piece of literature will echo or somehow illuminate its content.
Analysis based on the idea that a person's life and times influence his or her work. When considering biographical theory, look at the following aspects of an author's identity: class, race, ethnicity, sex and/or gender, sexual orientation, family history, religious and/or political beliefs, education, nationality (this just for starters!) Historical theorists believe that w riters react to cultural, historical and intellectual trends, and work to either uphold or subvert those trends. A historical critic will often concern himself with the way a work or writer would have affected his or her original audience.
Analysis based on the idea that modern psychology has influenced how we interpret art and literature. In this sense, literature becomes a kind of dream, expressive of psychological concerns or development of either the author or the intended audience. As such, literature not only reflects the human psyche, it also provides clues for breaking the code enacted by the subconscious, thereby providing us greater insight into ourselves as humans.
Please note that the summaries here are brief and superficial, and not meant to be a comprehensive introduction to the theorists and their ideas. For more compolete analysis, it will be necessary to consult a host of soruces. I've provided a few links here to begin inquiry.
Sigmund Freud: theorized that dreams (and literature) are ways of acting out (or coping with) repressed desires. The subconscious creates narratives for acting out or attempting to resolve those desires which cannot be named or discussed in the waking world. Freud generally thought those desires were sexual in nature.
Resources for further study of Freud's ideas
Carl Jung: theorized that all humans participate in the collective unconscious, and share recognition of certain symbols, known as archtypes, in dreams, in art and literature.
Resources for further study of Carl Jung:
Resources for further study of archetypal theory
Resources for further study of Bettelheim's ideas:
Jacques Lacan: theorized that the subconscious is structured like language, and that language is a tool by which to shape reality, not reflect it. The child goes through a series of psychological stages - the Real, the Imaginary and the Symbolic Order. These phases reflect the influence of language in constructing or expressing a psychological state. His theory on the "mirror stage" discusses the way a child recognizes himself as a Self, signified by the word "I", based on the image presented to the outside world, or to himself in a mirror. Lacan thought this Self to be an illusion, because reflects only the surface of the child's "self" - not an integrated whole.
Resources for further study of Lacan's ideas:
Modules on Lacan
Analysis based on the idea that art and literature evoke deep and universal responses in readers, no matter what age or culture they are from. Human beings use mythology as a way of representing themselves and their experiences symbolically. The mythological critic considers literature to reveal human desires, fears and expectations, and will use a text as a lens through which to interpret how particular cultures, or human beings in general, view themselves and their place in the world.
Some Major theorists:
Joseph Campbell: mapped out a series of myths from different cultures and eras and sought to demonstrate the universal elements in these myths. He is most famous for his theory of the Hero Cycle, which identifies the essential elements of the Hero archetype.
Resources for further study of Campbell's ideas:
Northrop Frye: theorized that archtypes and mythology are literary creations, and that one must be familiar with these archetypes is necessary in order to be fully literate. He identified several recurring archetypes (which he called "modes") in literature, and theorized that we respond to and recognize these modes when we participate in the literary tradition.
Resources for further study of Frye's ideas:
Sociological or Cultural Theory
Analysis based on the idea that art is a way of making a political statement, and that examination of a text will reveal some of the social, economic and political structures of a particular culture.
Colonial Theory - concerns itself with power imbalances caused by one culture subverting or dominating another. Examines a text to reveal themes of culture clash, political power and cultural stereotypes, among others.
Reader Response Theory
Analysis based on the idea that reading is a creative act, just as much as writing is. In this theory, a reader's response is just as important, if not more important, than the text itself. A reader response theorist will examine not just how readers (or a particular reader, either hypothetical or actual) react to texts, but also how they intrepet or assign meaning to certain elements of a text. The process of making meaning from a text is the central concern of this kind of theorist.
Analysis based on the idea that there is no such thing as an intrinsic meaning in a text. Deconstruction theorists recognize the inherent instability of language, and its inablity to represent "truth" or "reality". Deconstructing a text consists of identifying the multiple and often contradictory meanings that can be extracted from a text, with the goal of demonstrating the impossibility of finding a single obejctive meaning in a text.