MARYHILL COLLEGE

Higher Education Department

Purposive Communication (Finals)

WRITING A LITERARY CRITIQUE PAPER

CRITICAL APPROACHES TO LITERATURE

Critical Approaches are different perspectives we consider when looking at a piece of
literature.
They seek to give us answers to these questions, in addition to aiding us in interpreting
literature.
1. What do we read?
2. Why do we read?
3. How do we read?

CRITICAL APPROACHES TO CONSIDER

1. Reader-Response Criticism
2. Formalist Criticism
3. Psychological/Psychoanalytic Criticism
4. Sociological Criticism
A. Feminist/Gender Criticism
B. Marxist Criticism
1. Biographical Criticism
2. New Historicist Criticism

QUESTIONS TO PONDER FOR EACH THEORY/APPROACH

 What are the benefits of each form of criticism?
 What are potential problems with each form?
 Is there a “right” or a “wrong” form?
 Can the mode of criticism alter the entire meaning of a text?

1. THE READER-RESPONSE APPROACH

Reader-Response Criticism asserts that a great deal of meaning in a text lies with how
the reader responds to it.
  Focuses on the act of reading and how it affects our perception of
meaning in a text (how we feel at the beginning vs. the end)
 Deals more with the process of creating meaning and experiencing a text
as we read. A text is an experience, not an object.
 The text is a living thing that lives in the reader’s imagination.
READER + READING SITUATION + TEXT = MEANING
2 IMPORTANT IDEAS IN READER-RESPONSE
1. An individual reader’s interpretation usually changes over time.
2. Readers from different generations and different time periods interpret texts
differently.
Ultimately… How do YOU feel about what you have read? What do YOU think it
means?

2. THE FORMALIST APPROACH

Formalist Criticism emphasizes the form of a literary work to determine its meaning,
focusing on literary elements and how they work to create meaning.
 Examines a text as independent from its time period, social setting, and
author’s background. A text is an independent entity.
 Focuses on close readings of texts and analysis of the effects of literary
elements and techniques on the text.
TWO MAJOR PRINCIPLES OF FORMALISM
1. A literary text exists independent of any particular reader and, in a sense, has a
fixed meaning.
2. The greatest literary texts are “timeless” and “universal.”

3. THE PSYCHOLOGICAL/ PSYCHOANALYTIC APPROACH

Psychological Criticism views a text as a revelation of its author’s mind and personality.
It is based on the work of Sigmund Freud.
 Also focuses on the hidden motivations of literary characters
 Looks at literary characters as a reflection of the writer
4. THE SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACH
Sociological criticism argues that social contexts (the social environment) must be
considered when analyzing a text.
 Focuses on the values of a society and how those views are reflected in a
text
 Emphasizes the economic, political, and cultural issues within literary texts
 Core Belief: Literature is a reflection of its society.

4A. THE MARXIST APPROACH

Marxist Criticism emphasizes economic and social conditions. It is based on the
political theory of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
 Concerned with understanding the role of power, politics, and money in
literary texts
Marxist Criticism examines literature to see how it reflects
1. The way in which dominant groups (typically, the majority) exploit the
subordinate groups (typically, the minority)
2. The way in which people become alienated from one another through
power, money, and politics

4B. THE FEMINIST APPROACH

Feminist Criticism is concerned with the role, position, and influence of women in a
literary text.
 Asserts that most “literature” throughout time has been written by men, for
men.
 Examines the way that the female consciousness is depicted by both male
and female writers.
4 Basic Principles of Feminist Criticism
1. Western civilization is patriarchal.
2. The concepts of gender are mainly cultural ideas created by patriarchal societies.
3. Patriarchal ideals pervade “literature.”
4. Most “literature” through time has been gender-biased.
5. THE BIOGRAPHICAL APPROACH
Biographical Criticism argues that we must take an author’s life and background into
account when we study a text.
Three Benefits:
1. Facts about an author’s experience can help a reader decide how to interpret a
text.
2. A reader can better appreciate a text by knowing a writer’s struggles or difficulties
in creating that text.
3. A reader can understand a writer’s preoccupation by studying the way they apply
and modify their own life experiences in their works.

6. THE NEW HISTORICIST APPROACH

New Historicist Criticism argues that every literary work is a product of its time and
its world.
New Historicism:
1. Provides background information necessary to understand how literary texts
were perceived in their time.
2. Shows how literary texts reflect ideas and attitudes of the time in which they were
written.
 New historicist critics often compare the language in contemporary documents
and literary texts to reveal cultural assumptions and values in the text.

REMEMBER
 We will never look at a text STRICTLY from one standpoint or another, ignoring
all other views. That is antithetical to what we are trying to do.
 We should always keep our focus on the text and use these critical approaches
to clarify our understanding of a text and develop an interpretation of it.

ACTIVITY
Read the story “The Haunted Mind” and analyze it using TWO critical approaches to
Literature.
Sample Literary Critique (Formalism)
A Formalist Approach to Alexander Pope’s Essay on Man
Alexander Pope attempted to explain what it means to be human and how he
should behave. His writing was done in a grand scale, similar in extent to the works of
great writers who came before him. In order to correctly interpret and appreciate his
masterpiece it would be helpful to know more about the author and the historical context
of this particular work of literature.
In the beginning, the author clarified the purpose of his work. He wanted to
understand God, the world, and man. Thus, he said “through worlds not numbered
though the God be known, it is ours to trace him only in our own” (Pope, p.7). Thus, it
must also be pointed out that the author’s main tool is the power of observation.
It is important to highlight the fact that the author did not use prose to convey his
thoughts. It can be argued that he can write a treatise using prose because of his skill
as a writer, piece, however, he chose poetry. One can argue that the author finds this
method more effective and can provide a better platform for the expression of his ideas.
The theme that immediately jumps out of the pages is one of confusion but not of
despair. The author is hopeful that there is a solution to his dilemma. But before going
any further it is important to look at how the author uses words to prove his claim.
The first thing that has to be recognized is the mastery of the heroic couplet.
There can be a more technical explanation of how a heroic couplet should be used and
its intended effect. But in the case of Pope’s work, its main attribute is the capability to
deliver a message that is pleasant to the ear but at the same time helps the reader to
retain the essence of the message.
The other laudable feature of his poetry is the presence of rhyming words that
were placed there not only for the sake of creating a rhyme. These words were carefully
chosen not only to provide a beautiful external form for readers to enjoy, but also as a
way to enforce the message. It can be comparable to an architect who values both form
and function. One of the best examples can be seen in the second epistle where Pope
writes:
Know then thyself, presume not God to scan,, The proper study of mankind is
man., Placed on this isthmus of a middle state, A being darkly wise, and rudely great:,
With too much knowledge for the septic side, With too much weakness for the Stoic’s
pride (Pope, p.12).

Every couplet is an idea that can stand alone. Each couplet is like a cell that can
sustain itself. It was designed to impart certain knowledge and at the same time a
particular assertion regarding man, God or the world.
In this case the author succeeded in not only expressing what he believes are
God’s attributes and man’s behavior tendencies, but also in illustrating man’s mistaken
notion about God.
 But aside from the power of the verse that speaks about human nature, Pope’s
went to a step further. He connected both ideas and combined it into one coherent
message that understanding man is dependent on man alone.
Another interesting feature of the use of the heroic couplet is that the author was
able to use it without sacrificing unity. It is easier to use prose but he took the more
difficult path. Thus, the critique should appreciate how these couplets are woven
together into a single tapestry. For instance, in the second epistle, he began by saying
that it is not the responsibility of God to teach man how to understand himself. It is the
sole responsibility of man to study mankind and then he ended it by providing the
evidence.
He asserted that in an unconscious or conscious manner, human beings had
tried for ages to amass knowledge in order to gain understanding about life. The only
problem is that man has no way of organizing his thoughts. Although he has increased
his stockpile of knowledge he does not know how to use it effectively to provide a
solution to some of the most important problems in life.
It is interesting to note that although he used poetry and demonstrated his master
of the use of the heroic couplet, the power of the stanzas cannot be explained only
through these techniques. Pope also displayed his mastery of words, especially when it
comes to word associations. Consider the following example from the first epistle:
When the proud steed shall know why man restrains, His fiery course, or drives
him o’er the plains; When the dull ox, why now he breaks the clod, Is now a victim, and
now Egypt’s god (Pope, p.6)
The word associations were as sharp and accurate as the rhyming of the words.
The beauty in the composition is not only in the external form but the content. The ideas
are packed so closely because there is not a single word that was wasted or out of
place.
The use of metaphors are purposely ordered to create a specific effect and not
simply for the sake of decoration. When he wanted to express man’s wisdom and man’s
folly side-by-side he used word associations to force the mind to consider something
that is so obvious but escapes his notice.
He brought the reader’s attention to a fiery stallion. There is no better way to
express a fiery attitude, an explosive character that cannot be bent so easily.
Nevertheless, man was able to bend the will of a wild horse. His abilities and wisdom
has given him the power to tame a wild thing. Thus, he is able to force an animal many
times his strength to do his bidding.
However, the author immediately switches to another related aspect of man’s
nature. Although, there are numerous examples to his amazing capabilities there are
also examples to his folly.
In this regard Pope could never have used a better imagery in the same way that
he depicted the foolishness of worshipping worthless idols. He made his point much
clearer because he simply did not say that it is foolish to worship something that cannot
speak and move. He went even further by pointing to a dim-witted cow.
A cow was placed side-by-side with a fiery horse. The cow is easily controlled by
man. The cow cannot outrun man and therefore easily managed. After that Pope
brought in another image, that of a cow breaking clod. There is no better way to picture
slavery. The cow is a slave and not only that, the cow is made to do something that is
dirty. No human being would like to be caught breaking the hardened earth or forced
into servitude to do the works reserved for beasts of burden. But here the cow willingly
obeyed the master.
Pope changed gears once again to say that although this is the truth, there are
people who worship cows, turn them into deities and sacrifice other animals or even
fellow human beings to honor them.
The author’s use of poetry and heroic couplets provided him the means to deliver
a significant amount of information while at the same time demonstrate the efficient use
of limited space. However, his rhyming words are only part of the profound power and
beauty of his work. It is the clever use of word associations that enabled him to make
his mark as a powerful writer.
------------------------------------
Sample Literary Critique (Psychoanalytic/ Psychological Criticism)
Alice in the Wonderland: A Psychoanalytic Approach

Moving on from the classic fairy and folktales have been retold and morphed
through oral tradition and often have no fixed, identifiable author, Alice in the
Wonderland needs no introduction. It is a common knowledge that its author Lewis
Carroll, or Charles Dodgson, was a man of many complex layers, and his children’s
story is no exception. Due to its popularity, the story’s meaning has come into question
over the years and has been scrutinized by many scholars. Thus, this critique paper
tries to delve deeper into the psychological significances and implications of the story-
Alice in the Wonderland.

As we all know, the world of Wonderland and its many creatures are an inherent
part of Alice’s personality but little attention has been given to the psychological
implications of the representations of the Wonderland creatures.

This paper subscribes to the predominant notion that Alice unconsciously

devised Wonderland and its creatures to solve her identity crisis. Going by this, the
analysis revolves around the representations of important characters like the Cheshire
Cat, the Caterpillar, the Queen and Alice in her dream self. It will be seen that Carroll
cleverly characterized the creatures of Wonderland to symbolize the parts of the
structural mode of the psyche (in his own terms as Freud was yet to design the
structural mode of the psyche) and this representation is further enriched by Sir John
Tenniel’s illustrations. By examining these characters from a psychoanalytical
perspective and paying close attention to Tenniel’s illustrations, it can be inferred that
the creatures in her dream can be classified as the Id, ego or the superego.

This paper focuses on four main characters: Alice, The Queen of Hearts, the
Cheshire Cat, and the Caterpillar specifically as they influence Alice’s psyche more
strongly than the other creatures in Wonderland. In accordance to this, I assert that the
Queen is the supreme ruler in Wonderland and hence, can be compared to the Id. The
Cheshire Cat and the Caterpillar constantly remind Alice of her true self as the Cheshire
Cat provides her with a frame of reference to the real world, where she has a pet cat
Dinah and thus, creates a distinction between her unconscious mind and the reality.

As for the caterpillar, his hookah gives him an oriental motif, thus suggesting that
he did not belong to Wonderland. This is true of Alice as well. Symbolically, both the
caterpillar and the Cheshire Cat constantly remind Alice that she is the orchestrator of
the dream and not the dream itself. The Cheshire Cat and the Caterpillar then,
represent the superego. Finally, Alice in her dream self, acts as the ego by making
sense of a nonsensical world.

As mentioned previously, just as Alice confronts the Queen in her dream state,
she is fully aware of who she is. So in a sense, her identity crisis is solved here.
Nonetheless, she still ascribes to the rules of Wonderland and continues to attend the
trial scene. Yet, it will be noticed that she finds the incongruities of Wonderland to be
absurd after she meets the Queen and not before that.

That said, both the Ego Ideal and the Superego help her in finding her identity as
well. When Alice emerges from Wonderland we see that she is more in control of the
situation and her personality as well. Only by finding her identity could Alice reject the
world of Wonderland and she does so by recognizing the supreme rulers there to be a
mere pack of card.

This dire contrast in her personality is easily observed when we examine her
former self. In the beginning her character is rather complicated as she is at once, polite
and rude; gentle and cruel; intelligent and stupid. Her subconscious mind brings out a
volley of characters who are individually equipped with a distinctive quality at various
times. For instance, when Alice meets the Duchess in chapter 9, The Mock Turtle’s
Story, she is most affectionate and tells her, “You can’t think how glad I am to see you,
you dear old thing!” (Carrol 73) and walks with Alice, hand in hand. Likewise, her
dream-self constantly changes her personality as well. She is sometimes as timid and
anxious as the White Rabbit or alternatively displays the temerity of the Caterpillar. Her
character evolves with each creature she meets.

Thus the polite child, who is happy to keep her opinions to herself and finds the
need to curtsy even as she is falling down, which can be attributed to the strict
adherence to politeness, imposed by Victorian Society transforms into a balanced
young Woman who can destabilize an entire land by merely rising forth and swatting
away at the creatures there with her bare hands. Indeed, towards the end, Alice
reduces them to mere playing cards. By rejecting Wonderland, Alice solves her identity
crisis.

It is now evident that the roles of the Id, Ego and the Superego represented by
the Queen, Alice and the Cheshire Cat & Caterpillar respectively help Alice transform
her conflicted self into a collective whole.

Furthermore, it is seen that both Lewis Carroll’s characterizations and Tenniel’s

illustrations of the creatures in Wonderland bear a remarkable significance to the
tripartite role of the psyche.