Focuses on form - style, structure, tone, imagery, etc. Objective rather than subjective
Biographical Criticism
Begins with the simple but central insight that literature is written by actual people and that understanding an author's life can help readers more thoroughly comprehend the work
Historical Criticism
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
Gender Criticism
Examines how sexual identity influences the creation and reception of literary works
Psychological Criticism
Analysis of fictional characters using the language and methods of psychology. Understanding of how "language and symbols operate by demonstrating their ability to reflect unconscious fears of desires"
Sociological Criticism
Examines literature in the cultural, economic and political context in which it is written or received. Explores the relationships between the artist and society. Examines the artist's society to better understand the author's literary works. May examine the representation of such societal elements within the literature itself
Philosophical Criticism
Focuses on themes, view of the world, moral statements, author's philosophy, etc
Mythological Criticism
Otherwise known as "archetypal". A symbol, character, situation, or image that evokes a deep universal response. Often deriving from primordial phenomena such as the sun, moon, fire, night, and blood
Reader-Response Criticism
Attempts "to describe what happens in the reader's mind while interpreting a text". Subjective rather objective
Deconstructionist Criticism
Tries to show how the text "deconstructs", "how it can be broken down ... into mutually irreconcilable positions"
