LITERARY CRITICISM

It is a way of viewing or
interpreting literature by using
different lens (perspectives)
It is the name given to works
written by experts who critique—
analyze—an author’s work.
Criticism is often referred to as
a “secondary source”.
Literary criticism is used by people
who want to use an expert’s opinion to
support their own ideas.
Any piece of text can be read
with a number of different sets
of “glasses,”
Literary criticism helps readers
understand a text in relation to the
author, culture, and other texts.
Literary criticism is the study,
discussion, evaluation, and
interpretation of literature.
 WHY DO WE HAVE TO ANALYZE
EVERYTHING?
• Talking about experiences enhances our enjoyment of them
• Talking about experiences involves the search for meaning
which increases our understanding of them
• Because Socrates said so: "The life which is unexamined is not
worth living."
Literary criticism helps us to understand what
is important about the text

• its structure
• its context: social, economic, historical
• what is written
• how the text manipulates the reader
Literary criticism has two main functions:
1. To analyze, study, and evaluate works of
literature.
2. To form general principles for the examination
of works of literature.
 TYPES OF LITERARY
CRITICISM
• READER- RESPONSE CRITICISM
• FORMALISM CRITICISM
• BIOGRAPHICAL CRITICISM
• STRUCTURALIST CRITICISM
• FEMINIST CRITICISM
• MARXIST CRITICISM
• ARCHETYPAL CRITICISM
READER- RESPONSE CRITICISM
 READER- RESPONSE CRITICISM

Individual Response to Reading a text

 READER- RESPONSE CRITICISM

Interpretation of text relies only on the reader

 READER- RESPONSE CRITICISM

Sees the reader as essential to the interpretation of a

work.
 READER- RESPONSE CRITICISM

Analyzes the features of the text that shape and guide a

reader’s reading.
 READER- RESPONSE CRITICISM

Emphasizes recursive reading—rereading for

new interpretations.
FORMALISM
 FORMALISM

Attempts to discover meaning by

close reading of a work of literature.
 FORMALISM

Considers the work in isolation, disregarding

author’s intent, author’s background, context,
and anything else outside of the work itself.
STRUCTURALIST CRITICISM
Meaning resides in the structure of
language, not in art nor in the reader’s
mind
 STRUCTURALIST CRITICISM

Two levels of language

 STRUCTURALIST CRITICISM

Interpret a text or part of a text by taking

its language apart (study word derivations,
sentence syntax, etc.)
BIOGRAPHICAL
 BIOGRAPHICAL

•Biographical—author’s personal
experiences are central to understanding
the text.
 BIOGRAPHICAL

As the name suggests, this type of

criticism reads the text looking for the
author’s influence.
 BIOGRAPHICAL

By examining the author’s life, we

can have a deeper understanding of
his/her writing
FEMINIST CRITICISM
 FEMINIST CRITICISM

Cultural issues due to “patriarchal” society

(dominated by man)
FEMINIST APPROACH IN CINDERELLA
GIRL IS WAITING TO BE “RESCUED” FROM
HER HORRIBLE LIFE BY THE HANDSOME
PRINCE
“GOOD GIRL” IS BEAUTIFUL AND “WICKED GIRLS” ARE
UGLY
 AS A SINGLE, YOUNG WOMAN, CINDERELLA IS WITHOUT MEANS OR
OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE SHE IS UNATTACHED TO A FATHER OR A HUSBAND.
IT IS ONLY THROUGH THE MAGIC OF A FAIRY GODMOTHER THAT SHE CAN BE
MADE PRESENTABLE AND MEET THE PRINCE AND HE IS THE ONLY MEANS OF
HER ESCAPING HER PLIGHT.
WHAT SKILLS DOES SHE HAVE? SHE IS
BEAUTIFUL, CAN SING WELL, AND IS
KIND.
MARXIST CRITICISM
 MARXIST CRITICISM

Economic Power
 MARXIST CRITICISM

Class Conflict
 MARXIST CRITICISM

Explores the power struggles of those who

are minorities in dominant culture.
 MARXIST CRITICISM

Explores the power struggles of those who

are minorities in dominant culture.
Marxist Approach in Cinderella
Marxist Approach in Cinderella
Cinderella must do all chores and wait on
stepmother and stepsisters hand and foot
Cinderella desires to marry the prince and
live “happily ever after”
ARCHETYPAL CRITICISM
 ARCHETYPAL CRITICISM

Archetypes are universal (widely recognized)

symbols that are present in literature, myth,
songs and film
 ARCHETYPAL CRITICISM
• Archetypes are universal (widely recognized) symbols that are
present in literature, myth, songs and film
These include:
• Archetypal characters
• Archetypal symbols
• Archetypal situations
Archetypal Approach in Cinderella
The wicked step-mother and step-sisters
terrorize Cinderella
The handsome prince rescues Cinderella
by marrying her
Cinderella has to be rescued from her life
Sample Analysis
using an Orange
 Analysis - 30
Grammar and Structure - 10
Originality – 10
Total - 50