Literary Theory Videos

Literary Theory

Offers different ways to read a text in order to understand what ideologies are being upheld or challenged

Ideologies

A body of ideas or belief system

Formalist Criticism

Aesthetic Choices of Author

Deconstructionist Criticism 

Conflicting Binaries 

Reader Response

Opinions

Biographical Criticism

Informing the reader of the inner life of the author

Ethical Criticism 

ethics (queer, race, feminist) MORALS

Queer Theory

How gender + sexuality is represented 

Critical Race Theory

How identities are portrayed

Marxist Theory

Upholds and challenges a capitalist ideology

New Historical Criticsm

Evaluating the way history is written

Postcolonial Criticism

Analyzes the effects of colonialism 

Psychoanalytic Criticism

Tools of psychology to help us understand the motivations of characters in fiction S

Sigmund Freud

Father psychology

Repression 

The act of hiding fears and desires, often by directing them elsewhere

Id

Driven by desire

Ego

The balance (Defense Mechanism)

Superego

Contains all the voices of the voices of authority + shapes our sense of morality

Denial 

A refusal to accept reality or face a negative behavior

Reaction Formation

Taking denial on step further by acting the opposite of your true feelings

Compensation

When feelings of insecurity are covered up by exaggerating in other ways

Projection 

When you accuse others of your own repressed desires or unacceptable behaviors

Displacement

When you take out your repressed feelings on the wrong person

Rationalization

Using excuses or some form of logic to justify one’s mistake or undesirable behavior

Regression

Acting younger to feel betterSub

Sublimation

Channeling negative energy into positive behaviors