EAPP Week 5 Notes: Approaches to Writing a Critique Paper

Formalist Criticism

Formalist Criticism views literature as a unique form of knowledge that should be examined on its own terms. All elements for understanding the work are within the work itself. The elements of form, such as style, structure, tone, and imagery, are the main interests of a formalist critique. The ultimate goal is to identify how these elements combine to shape the text's effects on the readers.

Example:

The nursery rhyme "Mary had a little lamb" can be interpreted as a metaphor for Christianity. The lamb represents Jesus as the Lamb of God, and Mary symbolizes the Mother of God. The lamb’s fleece, described as “white as snow,” represents the purity of Jesus Christ's soul. The line “Everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go” is a metaphor for the constant presence of Jesus in the lives of those who follow Christianity.

Biographical or Historical Criticism

Biographical or Historical Criticism begins with the understanding that literature is written by real people. Understanding an author’s life can help readers comprehend the work more thoroughly. This approach aims to understand a literary work by examining the social, cultural, political, and intellectual context in which it was produced, including the author’s biography and environment.

The reader can better understand the material by considering the biographical facts of the writer. The biographical critic explains the literary work using insights derived from the author’s background.

The biographical information should strengthen the meaning of the text, avoiding the drowning of criticism with insignificant material. Biographical criticism views literary study as art, not science. The meaning of a literary text can change when viewed through the lens of the author’s life.

Example:

Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice, published in 1813, reflects elements and experiences from her own life. The novel is a mixture of Austen's imagination, commentary on society, and her life experiences up to that point. Connections can be made between the novel and Austen’s own life. Her family, life, and circumstances served as influences, shaping her novels.

Gender Criticism

Gender Criticism examines how sexual identity influences the creation of a literary text. It is an extension of feminist literary criticism, focusing on the construction of gender and sexuality, including LGBTQ issues, which gives rise to queer theory. Gender criticism suggests that power is multifaceted and not just top-down or patriarchal.

  • Masculinist Approach: Advocated by poet Robert Bly, focuses on men’s issues and the belief that feminism does not align with the facts.

  • Feminist Approach: Attempts to correct the imbalance of sexes by analyzing and combating patriarchal attitudes.

Example:

The Wife of Bath in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales:

The Wife of Bath is portrayed with extensive life experience, including travels around the world and five husbands. Her worldliness is evident in her experiences with love and sex. Her rich and tasteful clothing indicates her wealth, with costly scarlet stockings and fine leather shoes. Her clothing reflects her talent as a seamstress and the importance of Bath as a cloth-making town. Although argumentative, she is intelligent in a commonsense way. She has learned to provide for herself in a world where women had little independence or power by controlling her body as a bargaining tool, withholding sexual pleasure from her husbands until her demands are met.

Psychological Criticism

Psychological Criticism is influenced by psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud, whose theories changed our understanding of human behavior, allowing authors to explore areas like wish fulfillment, sexuality, the unconscious, and repression. Carl Jung’s theories about the unconscious are the foundation of Mythological Criticism.

Psychological criticism employs one or more of the following approaches:

  • Probing the creative process of the artist: Examining the nature of literary genius and its relation to normal mental functions.

  • Psychological study of a particular artist: Scrutinizing how the author’s biographical circumstances influence their motivation or behavior in writing the text.

  • Analysis of fictional characters: Using the language and methods of psychology.

Marxist Criticism

Marxist criticism is a sociological criticism that highlights the economic and political elements of art, focusing on the ideological content of literature. It believes that all art is political, either challenging or endorsing the status quo, and is evaluative and judgmental.

Moral/Philosophical Approach

Using this approach, consider the following questions:

  • What view of life does the story present? Who articulates this viewpoint?

  • What is mankind’s relationship to God/the universe?

  • What moral statement does the story make (explicitly or implicitly)?

  • What is the author’s attitude toward their world, fate, and God?

  • What is the author’s conception of good and evil?

  • What does the work say about the nature of good or evil, and human nature?

Mythological Criticism

Mythological Criticism emphasizes the recurrent universal patterns underlying most literary works. It combines insights from anthropology, psychology, history, and comparative religion. It explores the artist’s common humanity by tracing how the individual imagination uses myths and symbols common to different cultures and epochs. A key concept is the archetype: a symbol, character, situation, or image that evokes a deep universal response.

Steps in writing a Critique Paper

  1. Read the literary piece or text to understand it.

  2. Re-read the text to deepen understanding.

  3. Determine the author’s purpose by identifying the thesis statement or theme.

  4. Analyze each segment or section, summarizing when needed.

  5. Decide which literary criticism approach to use.

  6. Focus on specific elements or features you want to discuss.

  7. Compose the introduction, body, and conclusion:

    • Introduction: Include the author’s name, book title, source, and thesis statement.

    • Body: Discuss the strong and weak points in a logical, clear manner. Review and evaluate the material, using literary approaches to explore elements for critique.