Historicism or Historical

Approach
 What is Historicism?
• Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of
phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including
ideas and beliefs), by studying their history; that is, by studying the
process by which they came about.
• The historical approach asks “Where did this come from?” and
“What factors led up to its creation?”; that is, historical explanations
often place a greater emphasis on the role of process and
contingency.
• Historicism is a school of thought that proposes that all reality is
the product of the evolution of historical events.
 Historicism
• Historical approach establishes a bridge between
the reader and the world of the author.

• A reader/a critic studies the work in accordance with

the period in which the work is produced. Thus, the
values and perception of the reader’s own age are put
aside.
Approaches to Historicism
Approaches to Historicism
• Old Historicism
Old historicism, also known as traditional historicism, is an
approach to literary criticism that emerged in the late 19th
and early 20th centuries. It focuses on understanding
literary works by examining the historical context in which
they were produced.
It looks at how the author's life and historical
circumstances may have influenced the themes, ideas,
and style of work.
Approaches to Historicism
• New Historicism
The historical approach was somewhat abandoned in the
mid-twentieth century, in the wake of "New Criticism," a
school which disregards the author to focus on the work
itself.
New historicism is an approach to literary criticism that
emerged in the late 20th century as a reaction against the
limitations of traditional historicism. Unlike old historicism,
which placed emphasis on the author's life, new
historicism shifts the focus to the text itself.
How does Historicism work with
literature?
How does Historicism work with literature?
• Historicism in literature refers to an approach that
emphasizes the importance of historical context in
understanding and interpreting literary works. It recognizes
that literature is not created in a vacuum but is influenced by
the social, cultural, and political conditions of the time and
place in which it was written.
• Historicist literary analysis involves examining how historical
events, ideologies, and cultural movements shape the themes,
characters, settings, and narrative techniques of a work. It seeks
to understand how the author's worldview and experiences are
reflected in their writing and how the text engages with and
responds to the historical moment.
The Hunchback
of Notre Dame
by Victor Hugo
 Exposition

The beginning of the story is

when the setting and
characters are being
introduced one by one.
 Rising Action
The rising action of The Hunchback of Notre
Dame is when there was an attempt of
kidnapping punishment and Lore
Quasimodo has love for La Esmeralda. Later
in the story La Esmeralda was franed by
Frollo for the murder of Phoebus,
Quasimodo sared her and took her to the
sanctuary.
 Climax
The climax is when Esmeralda has
been wrongly accused of a crime and
is sentenced to death by hanging. As
she is being led to the gallows,
Quasimodo swings down from the bell
tower on a rope and carries her to the
cathedral, shouting "Sanctuary!"
 Falling Action
The falling action is when La
Esmeralda is left with this woman
that hates gypsies because she
thought gypsies killed her daughter,
but La Esmeralda was her daughter.
She tries to hide La Esmeralda, but
they find her, and she is hung.
 Resolution
The resolution occurs when Quasimodo, devastated
by Esmeralda's death, retreats into the cathedral and
eventually starves himself to death beside her corpse.
The novel concludes with the discovery of their
bodies years later, where it's revealed that their
skeletons have become intertwined, symbolizing their
eternal bond in death. This poignant ending
highlights the tragic nature of the story and the
enduring power of love and loyalty.
THANK YOU!