I.

Lesson Title: Critical Approaches in Literature

Learning Outcomes:

1. Discuss how different contexts enhance the text’s meaning and enrich
the reader’s understanding
2. Produce a creative representation of a literary text by applying
multimedia and ICT skills
3. Writing a close analysis and critical interpretation of literary texts,
applying a reading approach, and doing an adaptation of these, require
from the learner the ability to identify: representative texts and authors
from Asia, North America, Europe, Latin America, and Africa

INTRODUCTION

How do viewpoint and bias affect our perception of reality?

There’s this idiom “put (oneself) in (someone's) shoes”, it means to imagine oneself in the situation
or circumstances of another person, so as to understand or empathize with their perspective, opinion, or
point of view. Every individual has their own viewpoints and biases which is unique to themselves. While all
is true, it also affects their perception of reality. Due to the differences of perceptions creates different
comprehension of the reality. In connection to literary texts, readers create their own interpretation with
their own reality. For readers to eliminate biases in reading a literary work, critical approaches are used
to reveal its implications.

A. MODELING

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
5. Biographical Criticism
6. Historical Criticism
7. Mythological Criticism
8. Deconstructionist Criticism

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 These approaches will aid us to finding the implications of each texts. In this lesson, not only you
would learn how to define these approaches but also how to use them by writing a critic paper. .
INPUT
These are questions to ponder for each critical approach.
1. What are the benefits of each form of criticism?
2. How can we determine if it is the correct form for a text?
3. Does the mode of criticism affects the meaning of a text?
4. How can we use the approach?

B. GUIDED PRACTICE
These are some guide questions to pin-point how to use each approach.

A. Formalistic Approach. This approach focuses the form. The analysis examines the
elements of form, style, structure, tone, imagery, symbols, etc. A primary goal for formalist critics is
to determine how such elements work together with the text’s content to shape its effects upon
readers.
i. How is the work’s structure unified?
ii. How do various elements if the work reinforce its meaning?
iii. What recurring patterns (related words, images, etc.) can you find? How does it affect
the text?
iv. How does the writer’s diction reveal or reflect the work’s meaning?
v. What figures of speech were used?
vi. Does the use of the elements (theme, symbol, plot, characterization, and style of
narration) affect the story?
vii. How does the author create the tone and mood? What is the relationship between the
two that affects the story?
viii. How does the various elements interact to create a unified story?

B. Biographical Approach. This approach focuses on connection of work to author’s

personal experiences. It begins with the simple but central insight that actual people write literature
and that understanding an author’s life can help readers more thoroughly comprehend the work.
i. What aspects of the author’s personal life are relevant to this story?
ii. Which of the author’s beliefs are reflected in the text?
iii. Do any of the events happened in the story correspond to events
occurred/experienced by the author?
iv. Does the characters in the story corresponds to real people?
C. Philosophical Approach. This approach focuses on themes, view of the word, moral
statements, author’s psychology, etc.
i. What view of life does the text presents? Which character articulates this viewpoint?
ii. According to this work’s view of life, what is mankind’s relationship to the universe?
iii. What moral statement does this story make?
iv. What is the story talk about the nature of good and evil?
v. What does the story say about the human nature?
vi. What is the author’s influence in terms of motivations and behaviors?

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 D. Historical Approach. This approach seeks to understand a literary work by investigating
the social cultural, and intellectual context that produced it-a context that necessarily includes the
artist’s biography and milieu. A key goal for historical critics is to understand the effect of literary
work upon its original readers. It focuses on connection of work in the historical period in which it
was written.
i. How does it reflect the time in which it was written?
ii. How accurate does the story depicts the time it reflects?
iii. How the story reflects the attitudes and beliefs of the time in which it was written?
iv. What other literary work might have influenced the writer?
v. What historical events or movements might have influenced the writer?
vi. How important is the historical context (the work’s and the reader’s) to interpreting
the work?
E. Psychological Approach. This approach focuses on the psychology of the characters. It
reflects that modern psychology has had upon both literature and literary criticism.
i. What are the character’s motivation?
ii. Which of the behaviors of the characters are conscious ones? Which are unconscious
ones?
iii. Given the background, how plausible is the character’s behavior?
iv. Does Freud’s theories or other theories in psychology applicable in this work? Why?
v. Do any of the characters correspond to Freud’s Personality theory of the psyche (ID,
EGO, and SUPEREGO)?
vi. How does the text reflect to the writer’s personal psychology?
vii. How does the author reflect psychological disorders on the characters?
F. Sociological Approach. This approach focuses on man’s relationship to others in society,
politics, religion, and business.
i. What is the relationship between the characters and their society?
ii. Does the story address societal issues such as race, gender, socioeconomics and
politics?
iii. How does the story reflect the rural or suburban values?
iv. Does the text challenge or affirm the social order it depicts?

G. Feminist Criticism. This criticism examines images of women and concepts of the
feminists. It often focuses on female characters who have been neglected in previous criticism.
Feminists’ critics’ goal is to supplement what they regard as a predominantly male-dominated
critical perspectives.
i. How are women portrayed in the text?
ii. Is the form and content of the work influenced by the writer’s gender?
iii. How does the female characters relate to one another? Do these relationships have
conflicts? Are the conflicts resolved?
iv. Does the work challenge or affirm the traditional views of women?
v. Does women in the work have character development?
vi. What are behavioral patterns of women are depicted in the story?

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 I. Mythological Criticism. This approach emphasizes the current universal patterns
underlying most literary works. Combining 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.” One key concept
here is the Archetype. “a symbol, character, situation, or image that evokes a deep universal
response, which entered literary criticism from psychologist Carl Jung. According to him, all
individuals share a “collective unconscious” often deriving from primordial phenomena such as the
sun, moon, fire, night, and blood, archetypes to Jung is “trigger the collective unconscious.”
i. How were the symbols used in the story?
ii. What is the relationship of the symbols to the content of the story?
iii. How does using symbols affect the entire narrative?
iv. Are the situations relevant to our reality? How did the author depict it?
J. Reader-response Criticism. This approach attempts to describe what happens in the
reader’s mind while interpreting a text” and reflects that reading like writing, is a creative process.
It takes as a fundamental tenant that literature exists not as an artifact upon a printed page but as
transaction between the physical text and the mind of a reader.
i. How does the story relate to reader’s reality?
ii. How does the reader comprehend the story?
iii. Does the reader have a different interpretation of the text to the writer?
iv. How many interpretation could be created after reading the text?
K. Deconstructionist Criticism. This approach rejects the traditional assumption that
language can accurately represent reality. Deconstructionist critics regard language as a
fundamentally unstable medium—the words “tree” or “dog”, for instance, undoubtedly conjure up
different mental images for different people - and therefore, because literature is made up of words,
it possesses no fixed, single meaning.
i. Does the writer have control of the meaning of their texts?
ii. Focusing on how language is used to achieve power, as when they try to understand
how some interpretations of a literary work come to be regarded as “truth”.
iii. How is the language used in the text?
iv. How can the work be broken down into mutually irreconcilable positions.

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 RUBRICS Exemplary
Essay shows evidence of
strong skills of analysis,
Critical synthesis, and evaluation.
Thinking Logic is virtually flawless.
Essay reflects mastery of
the literary perspective
applied. The writer is fluent
Application of in the language and theory
Critical behind the perspective.
Technique & Analysis and conclusions
Perspective drawn are virtually
incontrovertible.
Essay remains focused on
a clear thesis with every
Essay Focus
support powerfully
connected to the thesis.
Powerfully chosen textual
proof supports each point.
Quality of The textual proof is
Support thoroughly examined,
explained, and clearly
relevant to the thesis.
Essay is strikingly
Essay organized with a keen
Organization & sensitivity to building an
Transitions argument. Transitions are
sophisticated and varied.
Paragraphs flow well
Internal internally with each
Paragraph sentence building and
Coherence flowing into the next.
Essay is flawlessly written
with a flair for academic
Mechanics and
style. Excellent word
Style
choice and sentence
variety.
http://maitespace.com/english/ScoringGuides/writingaboutlitrubric.htm
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Accomplished
Essay shows evidence of
application of skills of
analysis, synthesis, and
evaluation. Logic is nearly
flawless.
Essay reflects a solid
understanding of the literary
perspective applied. The
writer is using much of the
language and theory behind
the perspective. Analysis
and conclusions drawn are
strong with minor "errors."
Essay remains focused on a
clear thesis with every
support clearly connected to
the thesis.
Well-chosen textual proof
supports each point. The
textual proof is adequately
examined, explained, and
relevant to the thesis.
Essay is well organized with
a logical approach to
building an argument.
Transitions are solid and
varied.
Paragraphs flow well
internally with each
sentence building into the
next.
Essay is well written with a
solid academic style. Some
strong word choice and
sentence variety.
Developing
Essay shows inconsistent
application of skills of
analysis, synthesis, and
evaluation. Logic may be
flawed.
Essay reflects some
understanding of the literary
perspective applied. The
writer struggles to use the
language and theory behind
the perspective. Analysis
and conclusions drawn are
somewhat questionable with
a few obvious "errors."
Essay remains focused on a
thesis with most supports
adequately connected to the
thesis.
Acceptably chosen textual
proof supports most points.
The textual proof may be
inconsistently examined,
explained, and relevant to
the thesis.
Essay is competently
organized with a logical if
uninspired approach to
building an argument.
Transitions are ordinary but
sufficient.
Paragraphs are choppy
internally with sometimes
confusing jumps between
ideas.
Essay is acceptably written
with some academic style.
Word choice and sentence
variety are ordinary.
Limited
Essay shows inconsistent
application of skills of
analysis, synthesis, and
evaluation. Logic may be
flawed.
Essay reflects little
understanding of the
literary perspective
applied. The writer barely
uses the language and
theory behind the
perspective. Analysis and
conclusions drawn are
questionable with obvious
"errors."
Essay may lose focus on
or lack a clear thesis; some
supports are not connected
to the thesis.
Questionably chosen
textual proof supports a
few points. The textual
proof is likely insufficiently
examined, explained, or
relevant to the thesis.
Essay is inconsistently
organized with a
haphazard approach to
building an argument.
Transitions are choppy or
lacking.
Paragraphs are choppy
internally with confusing
jumps and between ideas.
Essay is poorly written with
a little academic style.
Word choice and sentence
variety are below
expectations.
atj2020