BSEE 38

• Literary theory


  The systematic study of the nature of literature and of the methods for literary analysis
• Formalism


  • Originated in Russia during the early 20th century
  • Spearheaded by scholars such as Roman Jakobson and Viktor Shklovsky
  • Gained prominence as a reaction against the prevailing literary theories of the time, particularly historical and biographical criticism
• Formalism


  • Emphasizes the structure, form, and technical aspects of literature over its historical or authorial context
  • Views the literary work as an autonomous entity, independent of external factors
• Structuralism


  An approach to studying literature that became popular in the 1960s, influenced by the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure's examination of language as a system of signs (semiology)
• Deconstruction


  A theory and practice of reading which questions and claims to "subvert" or "undermine" the assumption that the system of language provides grounds that are adequate to establish the boundaries, the coherence or unity, and the determinate meanings of the literary text
• Sign


  A linguistic experience consisting of a signifier (the word or group of words) and a signified (the concept or meaning associated with that signifier)
• Formalism


  • Has the advantage of forcing writers to evaluate a work on its own terms rather than to rely on "accepted" notions of the writer's work
  • Works best when applied to poetry and short fiction
  • Attempts to discover meaning by close reading of a work of literature
• Deconstruction

  According to Derrida, all texts, whether they are literary, philosophical, or scientific, are constructed out of language, and language is inherently unstable, and open to all multiple interpretations
• Structuralists


  • Believe that if readers do not understand the signs, they may misinterpret or misread a text
  • Do not focus on the overall meaning of a text, but rather on the linguistic structure of a text
• Focus of Formalism

  • Form, organization, and structure
  • Word choice and language
  • Multiple meanings
• Formalism


  An approach that analyses, interprets and evaluates the inherent features of a text, including grammar, syntax and literary devices, reducing the importance of a text's historical, biographical, and cultural context
• 
  

  Deconstruction is not a dismantling of the structure of a text, but a demonstration that it has already dismantled itself. Its apparently-solid ground is no rock, but thin air
• Structuralism attempts to classify all elements of the text at their different linguistic levels: phonemes, morphemes, lexical categories, noun phrases, verb phrases, and sentence types
• Formalism/New Criticism


  • Meaning resides in the text—not in reader, author, or world
  • Texts may contain numerous messages, but must have a unifying central theme created by the perfect union of all artistic elements
  • The methodology for finding meaning is clear-cut; the tools are unique to literary analysis. Close reading is the basis of new critical
• Literary criticism


  The study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of literature
• Deconstruction


  • Cannot be defined in particular terms
  • Breaking down the conventional obviousness of the structures
  • Contradiction in meaning
  • Readers psyche modifies the meaning
  • Not one meaning but many opposite meanings
  • The idea of a unified, singular, final meaning is a myth
• Structuralism recognises that the significance of each word within a text is determined by internal as well as external factors; i.e. historical, biographical and cultural contexts
• Literariness


  • Formalists assert that literature possesses unique qualities that distinguish it from other forms of discourse
  • They focus on what makes a text literary, such as language, style, and narrative techniques
• Deconstruction

  • No true meaning due to ambiguity of language
  • Meaning is based on a combination of intent and context
• Defamiliarization


  • A central concept in Formalism, refers to the process of making the familiar seem unfamiliar or strange
  • By disrupting habitual perception, literature enables readers to see the world in a new light
• Deconstruction


  Looks at the ambiguities in signifiers and states that there can be many different signified meanings for a single signifier
• Close Reading


  • Formalist analysis prioritizes close examination of the text itself, rather than extraneous information
  • It involves analyzing the linguistic, structural, and stylistic elements to uncover deeper meanings and patterns
• Deconstruction theory

  • Emphasizes binary oppositions or two concepts that are the antithesis of each other
  • We only know what hot is because we felt cold (and vice versa)
• Analytical Tools of Formalism

  • Literary Devices (imagery, metaphor, symbolism, irony)
  • Narrative Structure (plot, point of view, narrative voice)
  • Rhetorical Strategies (patterns of repetition, word choice, syntactical arrangement)
• How to deconstruct

  1. Select a text to be deconstructed

  2. Determine what the text says

  3. Identify the binary opposites that exist in the text

  4. Analyze why the text claims one opposite as superior to the other

  5. Derive a new meaning by flipping the binaries around
• Formalism's emphasis on the text's formal qualities has been both praised and criticized
• While Formalism offers valuable insights into the aesthetic dimension of literature, some critics argue that it neglects broader socio-political contexts and historical influences
• Literary criticism


  • Evaluation of literary works, including classification by genre, analysis of structure, and judgement of value
  • Asking what literature is, what it does, and what it is worth
  • The method used to interpret any given work of literature
• Critics also contend that Formalism can be overly reductive, focusing exclusively on the text's formal features while overlooking its cultural, ideological, and biographical dimensions
• 
  

  Deconstruction sets out to show that conflicting forces within the text itself serve to dissipate the seeming definiteness of its structure and meanings into an indefinite array of incompatible and undecidable possibilities
• Despite its critics, Formalism continues to influence literary criticism and theory today
• Strengths of deconstruction criticism

  • Ability to challenge dominant interpretations and reveal hidden or suppressed meanings in the text
  • Bringing light to other perspectives and meanings that may have been overlooked
  • Helps us realize that there is no "obvious" link between words and meaning
  • Brings what is normally marginalized to the forefront
• Formalist principles have been adapted and integrated into various interdisciplinary fields, including film studies, art criticism, and cultural analysis
• Weaknesses of deconstruction criticism

  • Undermines the assumed ability of people to communicate and understand each other effectively
  • It is way too hard, can be difficult to understand and apply
  • Though it does analyze language very closely, the results are rather openminded
• Formalism offers a valuable perspective on literature by foregrounding its formal properties and aesthetic dimensions
• By examining the text in isolation from external contexts, Formalism invites readers to engage deeply with the intricacies of language, structure, and style
• It is essential to recognize the limitations of Formalism and supplement it with other critical perspectives to gain a comprehensive understanding of literary works
• The different schools of literary criticism provide us with lenses which ultimately reveal important aspects of the literary work
• Psychoanalytic Criticism


  Literary criticism influenced by the tradition of psychoanalysis begun by Sigmund Freud
• Psychoanalytic literary criticism


  • Views works through the lens of psychology
  • Looks at psychological motivations of characters or authors