Literary Theory

Tyson, L. Critical Theory Today: A user Friendly

Guide. New York:Routledge,2006.
Bertens, H. Literary Theory: The Basics. New
York:Routledge, 2001
Culler, J. Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.
 Questions which usually arise:
Why should we immerse ourselves in
learning about literary theories?

What is literary theory all about ???

 Reasons behind reluctance:
Fear of failure (as anything which is
connected with the term literary theory)
suggests a complicated field of study),
hence the possibility of not being able
to excel in the subject matter
Fear of losing the intimate, exciting,
magical connection with literature that is
our reason for reading it in the first place.
 Common fears
Theoretical writing is filled with technical
terms and theoretical concepts that
assume a level of familiarity that a
newcomer doesnt have.
This type of writing seems disconnected
with our ordinary love for literature and
even so our everyday life.
At most times it seems that the theories
take us into some abstract, intellectual
realm in which is full theoretical jargons
and unfamiliar names (especially that of
literary theorists)
 What is literary theory?

Thesystematic study of nature of literature

and of the methods of analyzing literature

This is in the context of literature

 So how can we benefit from an
understanding of literary theory?
Literarytheory help us to see ourselves
and our world in valuable new ways, ways
that can influence how we educate our
children, both as parents and teachers;
how we view the things we see on tv, how
we react to other with whom we do not
agree on social, religious and political
issues; and how we recognize and deal
with our own motives, fears and desires
 Does literary theory only apply to
literature?
Not
It also can be applied to other human
productions such as film, music, arts,
science, technology and even architecture.
These are all outgrowths of human
experience and therefore reflect human
desire, conflict and potential, then we can
learn to interpret those productions in
order to learn something important about
ourselves.
 What does literary theory do?
It shows us our world and ourselves
through new and valuable lenses
It also strengthens our ability to think
logically, creatively and to act with a great
deal of insight about certain issues
 Examples

Biographical theory/ criticism

Feminist theory/criticism
New Historical and Cultural theory/criticism
Lesbian, gay and queer theory/criticism
African-American theory/criticism
Postcolonial theory/criticism
Psychological / Psychoanalytic theory/ criticism
New Criticism
Reader-response theory/criticism
 What do you get from
understanding the theories?
Think of each theory as a new pair of
eyeglasses through which certain
elements of our world are brought into
focus, while others fade in the
background.
Each literary theory has a significant
impact on the practice of literary criticism
today and attempts to show the world
through the lens of the theory.
 Take for example
Psychological / Psychoanalytic / theory
criticism
-stems from the study of the unconscious
(the human mind)
-core issues include (a)human defenses (a
process by which the contents of our
unconscious are kept in the unconscious
in order to avoid what we cant handle
knowing)
 Human defenses
Selective perception (hearing and seeing
only what we feel we can handle)
Denial (believing that a problem never
exist or something bad never happened)
Avoidance (staying away from people or
situations )
Displacement (taking it out on someone
or something else less threatening than
the person who caused the hurt or anger).
 Human anxiety
(b) human anxiety when our defenses
momentarily break down
- fear of intimacy
- fear of abandonment
- fear of betrayal
- low self-esteem
- Oedipal fixation (oedipal complex)- a
dysfunctional bond with a parent of the opposite
sex that we dont outgrow in adulthood and that
doesnt allow us to mature relationships with our
peers
 Other issues in the study of the
human mind

Dreams and dream symbols

The meaning of death
The meaning of sexuality and many more
 Example of model question that
makes use of psycho-analytic
criticism
How might an understanding of denial and
displacement (in this case, displacement
of negative feelings for ones husband
onto ones child) help us to analyze the
narrators relationship to her troubled
daughter in Tillie Olsons I stand here
Ironing (1956)?
 How would it be different
Suicide note Feminist vs.
Psychological/Psychoanalytic criticism
Andrews Mother - Lesbian/ Gay/Queer
Criticism vs Reader Response Criticism
Hills Like White Elephants?
 Feminist Critical Questions
1. To what extent does the representation of
women (and men) in the work reflect the
place and time in which the work is
written?
2. How are the relations between men and
women, or those between members of
the same sex, presented in the work?
What roles do men and women assume
and perform and with what
consequences?
 Feminist Critical Questions
3. Does the author present the work from
within a predominantly male or female
sensibility? Why might this have been
done and what are the effects?
 Feminist criticism
How can this be applied in the reading of
the short story I Stand Here
Understanding ?
 Psychological Critical Question
1. How does your understanding of the
characters, their relationships, their
actions, and their motivations in a literary
work help you to better understand the
mental and imaginative life, or the actions
and motivations, of the author?
 How do you now feel about literary
theories ??