3rd Quarter Lessons:
Literary criticism
It is the evaluation and interpretation of any given work of literature. Various literary approaches or
lenses are used to reveal the important aspects of literary works
Why literary criticism?
It helps us understand the relationship between authors, readers, and texts for better appreciation of
the piece. Literary criticism ultimately enhances the enjoyment of our reading of the literary work.
Literary approaches or lenses
Literary Lenses Focus
Structuralism or Formalism  Form, organization, and structure
 Word choice and language
 Multiple meanings
 Disregards author’s intent, author’s
background, context, and anything
else outside of the work itself
Moralism  Asserts that the larger purpose of
literature is to teach morality and
to probe philosophical issues
 authors intend to instruct the
audience in some way
Marxism  Examines a piece of literature to
see how it reveals class conflict
and the differences between
economic groups.
Questions
1. What symbolisms are found in the
text?
2. How do various elements of the
work reinforce its meaning?
3. What figures of speech are used?
(metaphors, similes, etc.)
4. What tone and mood are created
at various parts of the work?
1. What view of life does the story
present? Which character best
articulates this viewpoint?
2. What moral statement, if any, does
this story/poem make?
3. What is the author’s attitude
toward his world? Toward fate?
Toward God?
3. What does the work say about the
nature of good or evil?
4. What does the work say about
human nature?
1. It asks questions like: Who has
power? Who lacks power?
2. How does power remain constant
or shift throughout a work of
literature?
3. Who is exploited by whom and
why?
Feminism  Critiques and seeks to correct 1. How are women’s lives portrayed
women’s subordination to men in in the work?
society.
2. How does the marital status of a
character affect her decisions or
happiness?

3. Does the work challenge or affirm

traditional views of women?

Historical  Connects the literary work to the 1. What literary or historical

historical period in which it was influences helped to shape the
written form and content of the work?
2. What historical events or
movements might have influenced
this writer?
3. How important is the historical
context to the interpretation of
the work?

Reader-response  The meaning of the literary text
ultimately resides in the reader’s
mind; the reader creates the
meaning.
 Leans toward the affective impact
of the text to the readers
1. In what ways is the text familiar to
your life? Think of events in the
story, the types of characters, or
the setting… Can you relate to it on
a personal level?
2. How did the text affect you?
3. . How has the text changed your
worldview?

Structuralism/Formalism, Moralism, Reader-Response

1. Structuralism/Formalism
 Views literature as having an underlying structure that is universal and unchanging
 Sees literature as being governed by rules and structure
 Focuses on how literature is done (techniques) rather than its contents
What should be analyzed using this lens?
 elements of poetry (rhyme, symbolism, figures of speech, stanza, line, tone, mood, imagery,
theme, etc.)
 elements of prose (setting, character, plot, conflict, point of view, theme)
 literary techniques (flashback, foreshadowing, in medias res, dialogue, etc.)
2. Moralism
 Attempts to look for moral, cultural, and social values in literary works
 Judges literature based on moral lessons and ethical teachings
 Often implies a Christian perspective
What should be analyzed using this lens?
 Analyzes the contents of the text and how they encourage virtue and morality
3. Reader-response
  Creates meaning out of a literary work based on the reader's experiences and ideas
 Reads a text for personal meaning
What should be analyzed using this lens?
 Analyzes the contents of the text and how they relate to the reader's mood, experiences, and
ideas.
Feminism, Historical, Marxism Literary Lenses
4. Feminism
 Studies experiences, images of women, imbalance of powers between sexes, and female writing
in literature.
 Assumes that our civilization is pervasively patriarchal.
What should be analyzed using this lens?
 female characters
 female roles
 female stereotype
 female power
 female experiences
5. Historical
 Investigates a literary piece based on the context in which it was written.
 Examines a text in relation to its historical or cultural backdrop.
What should be analyzed using this lens?
 The time when the author wrote the literary piece.
 The situation the author was in when he wrote the piece.
6. Marxism
 Focuses on power and money in works of literature.
 Examines the relation of the text to the social reality of its time and place.
 Looks at materialism as the ultimate driving force.
What should be analyzed using this lens?
 Contents of the text that reveals class conflict, the differences between economic groups, and
the difference between the material and spiritual.
Literary Analysis

Literary analysis is a detailed exploration of literary works that evaluates the parts of a text (literary
devices, theme, context, structure, etc.) and interpret the links between these parts to the main idea
being discussed.

Sonnet

Petrarchan Sonnet:

 also known as Italian Sonnet which is named after the Italian poet Francesco Petrarca
 consists of a total of fourteen hendecasyllabic lines in two parts:
 Octave = 8 lines (introduces the theme or the problem)
 Sestet = 6 lines (provides resolution for the poem)
Shakespearean Sonnet:

 Have fourteen lines

 Be written in iambic pentameter
 Have an ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme
  Have three quatrains followed by a couplet
 Have a volta between the second and third stanzas

Examples of Rhyme Scheme: