NEW

HISTORICISM
ENG207 – LITERARY CRITICISM
Ms. Ludielyn S. Mahinay
 01 ORIGIN

02 KEY FIGURES

TABLE OF 03 DEFINITION

CONTENTS 04 IMPORTANT
TERMINOLOGIES

05 CRITIQUE
 WHAT IS
NEW
HISTORICISM?
 01
ORIGIN
 NEW HISTORICISM

A literary Largely a reaction

movement or to text-only
theory which approach of
developed in the formalist New
1980s. Critics and those
who opposed them
in the 1970’s.
02
KEY FIGURES
STEPHEN
GREENBLATT
▪ American literary critic,
theorist, and scholar who
was credited with
establishing New Historicism
▪ his studies of the
Renaissance and analyses
of Shakespeare’s works were
well-known as major figures
associated with New
Historicism.
MICHEL
FOUCAULT
▪ French philosopher, historian
of ideas, social theorist, and
literary critic;
▪ his works, including his
studies of social attitudes,
were pivotal to New
Historicism
Other Important Critics
Louis Montrose-
Montrose was an early
member of the New
Historicism movement.
H. Aram Veeser-
Veeser edited a Alan Liu, Catherine Gallagher, and
collection of essays Clifford Geertz
called “New
Historicism”.
 03
DEFINITION
New Historicism
is a literary theory based on the idea that
literature should be studied and interpreted
with the context of both history of the
author and the history of the critic.

(Stephen Greenblatt and Michel Foucault)

New Historicism
is an approach to literary criticism and
literary theory based on the premise that a
literary work should be considered a
product of the time, place, and historical
circumstances of its composition rather
than as an isolated work of art or text.
 04
IMPORTANT
TERMINOLOGIES
 NEW HISTORICISM
HISTORY CULTURAL DISCOURSE SOCIETAL
Isn’t just a list POETICS STRUCTURES/
Is madeup of
of facts that Another text,
POWER
we compile name for New statements,
Society follows
Historicism or utterances
closely along
relating to a
with power.
specific
The concept of
ttopic or
ower is vital
theme
because it
controls
society and
structures
05
CRITIQUE
 How do you critique?
New Historicists recognize the importance of
separating the many elements that could affect
the critique of a work before evaluating it.

Being familiar with the history during the time the

literature was written

Outside factors include:

Social norms of the time it was written
The author's background
The critic's background
The context of the text

With all these factors considered, the critic can adequately examine the text
in the light of the time it was written, while also accounting for bias coming
from other factors.
 APPLYING TO A RAISIN
IN THE SUN
● A Raisin in the Sun was written in the
1950s which was a time in which racial
prejudice was still very relevant.

● Lorraine Hansberry was born in 1930 in

Chicago, Illinois. She was the first African
American woman to write a play to be
performed on Broadway.
 "And at the moment the
overwhelming majority of our people
out there feel that people get along
better, take more of a common
interest in the life of the community,
when they share a common
background" – Mr. Lindner
 A RAISIN IN THE SUN

A New Historicist would interpret this quote based on the Civil Rights
issues at this time. The "common background" that is referred to
here is race. In this story, Peter Lindner represents the racist mindset
that whites held at this time; blacks and whites are not equal and
do not belong together. Lindner is implying that blacks are below
whites and that they would not fit in a white community. This shows
the position of power that whites think they have over blacks.
 “The essential matter of
history is not what happened
but what people thought or
said about it.”
—FREDERIC W. MAITLAND,
ENGLISH WRITER ON LAW
REFERENCES:
Dobie, A. B. (2012). Theory into Practice: An Introduction to
Literary Criticism, Third Edition. Wadsworth Cengage Learning

Klein, M. (2016, February 3). Post Colonialism & New

Historicism.
Retrieved from https://prezi.com/bpz3deookcjx/post-colonialism-new-
historicism/

New Historicism. (2015, January 6). New World Encyclopedia.

Retrieved 09:19, May 19, 2022 from
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=New_Histori
cism&oldid=986196.
 THANK YOU
FOR LISTENING!