Critical Theories

Historical

analyzing a text by looking at the time it was written, current world significance to the story

Formalism

Focuses on aesthetics of a text, its value

Freudian/ Physcoanalytic

uncautious and cautious decisions made by characters

Physcoanalytic - ID

Impulsive, selfish decisions

Physcoanalytic - EGO

The between, reality principal

Physcoanalytic - SUPEREGO

Morals and societal standards

Structuralism

Structure of text, how it is written, the tone and type of language used

Jungian/ Archetypal

the connection to the mythological/ the total dream of humankind

Existentialism

What does it mean to exist, what do the choices tell us about human nature

Marxism

Focuses on money and economic structure

Marxism - Landowners

Private ownership

Marxism - Bourgeoisie

own the means of production

Marxism - Proletariat

The working class

Marxism - Lumpenproletariat

Low level proletariat

Feminism

Focuses on the understanding that western society is ruled by men

Gender Studies

Focuses on the social and cultural construct of masculinity and femininity

Post Structuralism/ Deconstruction

Focuses on the meaning of the text as multiple and open to interpretation

Post - Colonialism

The influence of the colonizer upon the colonized, what sort of cultural loss

Critical Race Theory

The appearance of race and racism across dominant modes of expression

Cultural Materialism / New Historicism

Reflects current economical and political events and power struggles

Ecocriticism

How human culture is linked to the natural world, connection between humans and their environment