Literary Theory - Approaches to Understanding Literature
1. Reader Response Theory
The reaction of the reader helps to determine the meaning of a book.
The reader’s ideas, thoughts, background, purpose for reading and the reader’s
knowledge of the world is important in making meaning. The reader's interaction
with the book is significant. The reader is an active participant in making the meaning
of a book.
a) Some think the book is more central to the real meaning of a story.
b) Others think the reader and the book are EQUAL in creating meaning.
c) Still others believe that the reader is more important for creating meaning.
2. Feminist Approach
Men, consciously or unconsciously, have oppressed women, allowing them little or no
voice in the political, social, or economic issues of their society. By not giving voice
and value to women’s opinions, responses, and writings, men have suppressed
women, defined what it means to be feminine, and thereby de-voiced, devalued and
trivialized what it means to be a woman. Men, in effect, have made women a
non-significant other. This theoretical approach also addresses how women are
portrayed in literature, and explores the attention on male dominated – patriarchal
societies.
3. Psychoanalytic Approach
1. Psychobiography – biographies, letters, lectures, added to a writer’s works should
give the reader the ability to understand the author. Some of these theorists
believe that everything in a book represents the hidden wishes of the author.
2. Some psychoanalytic critics attempt to uncover how a book symbolically
represents the real world and the imaginary world. Once the symbols are
identified, these people examine them to determine the nature of human beings
which is always fragmented.
3. Some of these critics believe they can understand a book’s meaning
through a study of archetypes.
4. Marxist Approach
Books do not exist in isolation. An understanding of the author’s social/historical
context is necessary to understand the meaning of a book. These critics are not
concerned with theme, style and characterization. Rather, by understanding the book’s
historical context and the writer’s world view, they examine how the reader’s views of
life interact with the those of the writer. This political examination usually uncovers a
clash between the rich and the poor – a class conflict.
5. “New” Historical Approach
An important connection exists between the book and the historical, social times
in which it was written. A book cannot be interpreted separately from its historical,
social context. People must know the societal concerns of the author, and the
historical context. Therefore, these critics find meaning through understanding the
concerns of the writer. The time period of the story’s setting is important, but they
also want to know what was happening at the time the story was written to discover
what was on the author’s mind, and possible reasons behind the writing.
6. New Criticism
This theory is NOT concerned with background information of the author
or any details about his/her current cultural/economic situation. These critics
believe that a book - in and of itself - must be examined and understood. They
emphasize that no outside information is necessary. Therefore, these critics are
interested in how the structure of the book, and the language itself adds to the
meaning. These people are also interested in irony to a very large extent. They
believe that a reader can comprehend the deep meaning of a book through a good
understanding of the irony in the story.