Today we discussed various "lenses" through which you may analyze literature. Here is a quick summary of the literary theories we will be studying:
New Criticism: careful scrutiny of the text alone
Look for literary techniques
What does the technique add to the overall meaning of the passage?
New Historicism and Cultural Materialism: analysis of embedded historical and cultural implications
Look for descriptions of economic and social realities, as well as ideologies of power and subversion
How does the description add to the overall meaning of the passage?
What does the description reveal about culture, power, and society?
Gender Studies: analysis of interventions and challenges to epistemological positions related to social order
Look for descriptions of stereotypical roles
What are the roles?
How are the different genders treated?
What do the actions of males and females reveal about social structures?
How do these descriptions impact the realities of the reader?
2 comments:
Mr. Donlon,
How do these literary theory concepts help illuminate such fascinating texts such as Joyce's 'Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man?' And when can Mr. Jaeger come back and give another fascinating, dynamic, relevant, insightful, and moving lecture on identity formation? Perhaps he could regale us again with stores of Mother Eire?
Through careful analysis of the text in areas such as word choice and personal experience, we have come to the conclusion that women hold a more dominant position on the household.
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