Critical Approaches to Literary Analysis

Flashcards cover key concepts and terminology related to critical approaches in literary analysis.

Formal Critical Approaches

Literary analysis that focuses on a text’s internal elements, such as structure, language, and style, without considering external contexts like history or politics.

Formalism

A type of Formal Critical Approach that emphasizes different aspects of a text's internal elements.

New Criticism

A type of Formal Critical Approach that examines a text's formal elements without considering external factors.

Contextual Critical Approaches

Approaches that analyze texts in relation to their historical, social, and political backgrounds.

Old Historicism

Views literature as a reflection of its historical context, emphasizing the background and author’s intention.

Jakobson’s communication model

It corresponds with the poetic function of language, focusing on literary form and style.

Reader-Response Criticism

An approach that emphasizes the reader’s role in interpreting meaning based on personal experiences.

Poststructuralism

It challenges stable meaning and emphasizes language’s instability.

Philology

The study of language in historical texts, including textual criticism, etymology, and linguistic development.

literary Canon

A body of literary works considered significant or authoritative, often criticized for its exclusionary nature.

Environmental Determinism

The idea that literature is shaped by physical and social environments, influencing themes and styles.

Deviation Principle

The theory that literature creates artistic effects by deviating from ordinary language.

Close Reading

A method of literary analysis focusing on detailed examination of a text’s language, tone, and meaning.

Defamiliarization

A technique to present familiar things in an unfamiliar way to influence reader perception.

Repertoire

The set of conventions and expectations that a reader brings to a text, influencing interpretation.

Semiotics

The study of signs and symbols in literature and how they create meaning.

Symbol

A literary device where an object, person, or event represents a larger idea or meaning.

Allegory

A narrative in which characters, events, and details symbolize broader concepts, often moral or political.

Ambiguity

When a word, phrase, or text has multiple possible meanings, leading to varied interpretations.

Split Subject theory

A psychoanalytic theory suggesting that identity is divided and influenced by unconscious desires.

Condensation

The compression of multiple ideas or images into a single symbol.

Displacement

The transfer of meaning or significance from one object or idea to another.

Repression

The unconscious suppression of desires or thoughts that can surface in literature through subtext or symbolism.

Drama

A form designed for performance, often consisting of dialogue and stage directions.

Poetry

A literary genre that uses rhythm, sound, and figurative language to create meaning.

Prose

Ordinary spoken or written language without metrical structure, as opposed to poetry.

Sex

Biological differences.

Gender

Socially and culturally constructed roles.

Canon Revision

The process of reassessing and expanding the literary canon to include marginalized voices.