SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACHES
Sociological Criticism argues that social contexts (the social environment) must be considered when analyzing a text.
• Focuses on the values of a society and how those views are reflected in a text
• Emphasizes the economic, political, and cultural issues within literary texts
• Core Belief: Literature is a reflection of its society.
1. Marxist Criticism emphasizes economic and social conditions. It is based on the political theory of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, and it focuses on a text’s ideological content – its assumptions and values regarding issues like culture, race, class, and power. Marxist criticism…
• is concerned with understanding the role of power, politics, and money in culture as demonstrated through literary texts.
• examines literature to see how it reflects…
• the way in which dominant groups (typically, the majority) exploit the subordinate groups (typically, the minority).
• the way in which people become alienated from one another through power, money, and politics.
2. Gender Criticism explores how gender influences the creation and reception of literary works.
3. Feminist Criticism is concerned with the role, position, and influence of women in a literary text. Feminist criticism…
• asserts that most “literature” throughout time has been written by men, for men.
• examines the way that the female consciousness is depicted by both male and female writers.
• seeks to understand literary representations of women and the ways in which males and females write about each other.
Four Basic Principles of Feminist Criticism
• Western civilization is patriarchal.
• The concepts of gender are mainly cultural ideas created by patriarchal societies.
• Patriarchal ideals pervade literature.
• Most literature through time has been gender-biased.
PSYCHOLOGICAL/PSYCHOANALYTIC APPROACH
Psychological/Psychoanalytic Criticism views a text as a revelation of its author’s mind and personality. It is largely based on the work of Sigmund Freud.
• Also focuses on the hidden motivations of literary characters
• Looks at literary characters and texts as a reflection of the writer
Three Approaches to Psychological Criticism
1. Investigation of the creative process of the arts – What is the nature of literary genius, and how does it relate to normal mental functions? How does a particular work register its impact on the reader’s mental and sensory faculties?
2. Psychological study of the artist/writer
3. Analysis of fictional characters – the use of modern insights on human behavior to study how fictional people act. Ultimately, psychological criticism involves speculating on what lies underneath the text – the unspoken or perhaps unspeakable memories, motives, and fears that covertly shape the work, especially in fictional characterization.