literary theory final exam review

literary theory

ideas are developed and utilized to better understand a work of literature

literary criticism

reviews of literary works that are peer reviewed by experts (college profs/scholars)

literary lenses

the rules or perspectives that are applied to a text

text

a book or short story considered for analysis

formalist

considers fiction a world unto itself, no outside research needed

new criticism

form of criticism asserts that literary meaning is discovered through careful reading and not by examining external influences

biographical

considers that an authors life can give influence or insight on a work

gender

approaches sexual identity’s influence on literary works

feminist

believes the concerpt of gender is largely culturally aconstructed and considers the roles of gender and sexuality in written works, as well as gender stereotypes

LGBT

considers the sexuality of the author, the reader, and the characters as pivotal to understanding and interpreting literary texts

Marxist

considers the roles money play and class play in a text. Friedrich Engels influenced in addition to marx

psychological

views a text as an expression of the eprsonality nd yayaya if the autgor. applies theories about characters/situations

reader response

takes ownership and meaning away from author and gives it to the reader

deconstructionist

asserts that language is inherently unstable and seeks to find unity in texts, as well as understand how the evolving of language can change the meaning of a text

poststructuralist

says thsat human cukltre can be understood by studying structure, specifically in structure of the langugage

historical

seeks to better understand the effect of a literary work upon original readers in context of the past

sociological

examines literature considering cultural, economic, and political contexts in the time it was written

mythological

considers archetypes, or universally/recurrent patterns or symbols. roots lay in the work of psych Carl Jung