Theories of Literary Criticism

Literary criticism is a view or opinion on what a particular piece of literature means. It is and attempt to evaluate and
understand the creative writing of an author. Literary criticism is a description, analysis, evaluation, or interpretation of a
particular literary work or an authors writings as a whole. It is usually expressed in the form of a critical essay, although indepth book review are also sometimes viewed as literary criticism.
Literary criticism has three primary purposes:
1. to help the reader resolve difficulties in understanding the text.
2. to help the reader choose the better of two or more conflicting interpretations.
3. to help the reader form judgments about literature.
What follows is a list of the most common schools of literary criticism as well as some guiding questions.
Formalism / New Criticism (CLOSE READING matters)

How does the authors use of irony, paradox, imagery, diction, tone, or metaphor (or any figurative language)
contribute to the meaning of the work?
How does the authors use of setting, characters, symbols, motifs, allusions, and point of view contribute to the
meaning of the work?

Reader Response Criticism (the READER matters)

What characteristics of your personal life are relevant to your interpretation of literature?
What characteristics of the text do you find most relevant to your interpretation?
Where is there the greatest intersection between your life and the text?
Feminist / Gender Criticism (GENDER matters)
How does patriarchal ideology influence character and thematic development?
What is the relation between the sexes?
What are the roles of men and women?
Marxist Criticism (MONEY and POWER matter)
How is each characters socioeconomic status and cultural background relevant?
Who has more power and why?
Why are characters oppressed? How do characters overcome oppression?
Mimetic Criticism (REAL LIFE matters)
How well does the text align with the real world?
How accurately does the text portray real life?
Is the text a true imitation, reflection, or representation of the reality of the world and of human life and character?
Psychoanalytical Criticism (the UNCONSCIOUS matters)
How does the characters psychology contribute to the meaning of the text?
What appears to be motivating the character? Are the motivating factors obvious, repressed, or both?
How is the ego influenced by the superego and the id?
What are the conscious and unconscious personality traits that affect each characters development?
Do any characters undergo psychological shifts? Why?
Historical Criticism (REAL-WORLD CONTEXT matters)
What is the relationship between the historical period in which the author lived and his/her text?
How does the authors political, economical, and sociological context of his/her times contribute to the meaning of the work?
Is the author part of a dominant culture, or a colonial culture, or a post colonial culture, and how does that status affect the
work?
Biographical (the AUTHOR matters)
What characteristics of the authors life are most relevant to the text?
Deconstruction (INCONSISTENCIES matter)
What inconsistencies or contradictions can you find in language/perceptions?
What inconsistencies or contradictions can you find in the philosophies or societal commentary?
Do any passages in the text have an unintended meaning that weakens or undermines the intended meaning?

Mythological / Archetypal (UNIVERSAL SYMBOLS AND EXPERIENCES matter)

How is the texts meaning shaped by common cultural and psychological myths?
How does the text use archetypal themes such as the heroic quest, the heavenly ascent, the journey underground, the search
for the father, the paradise image, etc. to create meaning?

How does the text use recognizable character types or symbols?

Adapted from www.mrbye.com Lenses of Interpretation: Literary Theories; www.literatureclassics.com Literary Criticism: An
Overview of Approaches; and Texts and Contexts: Writing About Literature with Critical Theory, 4th ed., by Steven Lynn.
Rev. 6/2008