Literary Criticism Coursepack on Lit 311

Prepared and Written by: CNL Lanes
Institute of Teacher Education

Davao del Norte State College
Coursepack on Lit 311: Literary Criticism

Coursepack Creator: CNL LANES, Institute of Teacher Education, Davao del Norte
State College

Course Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to:
1. Articulate and mark the differences between literary theories and their pragmatic use
in commenting on literature;
2. Explicate works of literature to uncover their functions and meaning to the reader;
3. Foster a critical but objective stance to products popularized or dictated by the media,
the government, the academe, and other entities that encompass and influence
human behavior; and
4. Develop an open mind to the opinions of others in class discussions.

Coursepack Introduction

Maayong adlaw!

Literature is a gift that keeps on giving. It encapsulates worldviews of a particular generation
and the ethos of a time. It can also take the role of a heedful observer of occurrences and
events that drive the course of history. It vividly captures culture and traditions of
communities. In a closer, more personal take, it can show individual perceptions and human
life as it is lived and experienced. If the text is impactful enough, it can influence our “agency”
and how we build our ideas of “the self”. It sets us up to get to know worlds after worlds, only
to be drawn back again to a journey inward, where we play with our thought processes and
how we make sense of what we read.

How do we try to not waste Literature and its gifts? We expose ourselves to as much literary
texts as we can. Then we go another mile by developing a habit of enjoying or savoring it. But
to find this joy, we must nurture a sense of appreciation first, and to foster this appreciation,
we must have the capacity to understand. This is what Literary Criticism offers – a chance to
understand literature better, a gallery of methods to analyze texts, and an incredible amount
of opportunities to see the world in various lenses. Literary Criticism does not antagonize a
text, although its very nature is to dismember and peel it off to its core. It helps it by bringing
out the critical to understand the creative in all of us. Every time we read a literary text, we
breathe life into it. Every time we read a literary text using the tools of literary criticism, we
do more than just resurrect it, we keep it alive. For this course, our objectives ultimately lead
to an underlying goal that is to keep literary texts alive. Let’s get started!

Lesson 1: Overview of Literary Criticism

Desired Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
A. Define Literary Criticism, Literary Theory, and Literary Texts

B. Trace the development of Literary Criticism through time
C. Identify the major concepts of selected Literary Theories

Lesson Introduction

To begin this course, let’s agree to have unified definitions of key terms that we will use
throughout this class. It is important to note that other sources and books may have a re-
interpretation or rephrasing of these definitions. For the sake of common understanding,
let’s adopt the following definitions:

A. Literary Criticism – The comparison, analysis, interpretation, or evaluation of literary
outputs. It involves the formation of carefully thought-out opinion, supported by
evidence, relating to theme, style, setting, historical, political, psychological,
economical, and other contexts. (Dickinson College)
B. Literary Theory – Ideas that are used by critics to view a piece of art, including
literature, as well as culture. Assumptions are made and studies are produced to
support a school of literary theory. (Purdue University)
C. Literature or Literary Texts – A body of written works and can be classified according
to a variety of systems, such as, national origin, language, period of production, genre,
subject matter, etc. (Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.)

For a long time, literary criticism seems to be exclusive for a very few individuals. But just
like literature, it has evolved and is still evolving. Students, teachers, writers, book lovers, art
enthusiasts, and other groups have begun to appreciate literary criticism and the craft of
writing. Many theorists have also published their works widely and education curriculum,
especially for programs under the fields of language and literature, include literary criticism
as their core subjects.

Activity

Prepare a sheet of paper and set your alarm clock for five minutes. In the middle part, put
the words; “literary criticism”. Create a spider web and attach as many words, phrases,
definitions, and descriptions as you can to the main concept; literary criticism.

Analysis

Find out the writer or critic who said (verbatim or non-verbatim or translated) the following
statements:
A. All artistic creation is a form of imitation.
B. Tragedy is a katharsis or catharsis, a cleansing of feeling.
C. We may seek a dominant not only in the poetic work of an individual artist and not
only in the poetic canon, the set of norms of a given poetic school, but also in the art
of a given epoch, viewed as a particular whole.
D. The mind is in constant state of conflict with itself.
E. Who shall measure the heat and violence of a poet’s heart when caught and tangled
in a woman’s money?

Abstraction

The first question that needs answering for this course is how does Literary Criticism affect
our experience and understanding of reading and writing?
1. To demystify the practice of reading as an innocent activity
2. To avoid the sterile effect of reading literature and revitalize engagement with texts
3. To encourage adventurous and exploratory way of reading literature

To simplify an ever-evolving field of study, M.H. Abrams in his article in Poetry, Theories of,
he proposed a categorization of theories under literature:
A. Representational
Literary productions can be conceived, and evaluated, in terms of the world or reality
they presuppose, represent, or construct.
B. Expressive
Literary productions can be conceived, and evaluated, in terms of expression of the
identity, personality, or state of mind of the author.
C. Formal
Literary productions can be conceived and judged in terms of form or style.
D. Pragmatic
Literary productions can be conceived and judged in terms of their effects (emotional,
educational, social, etc.) on readers or audience.

Roman Jakobson, a Russian formalist theorist, attempted to explain the classification of
theories through a series of diagrams. He first used an illustration of a linguistic
communication process, then carefully related the element to the functions of literary
theories.

Illustration of the connection of literary theories based on the questions they raise
from a linguistic communication framework (Roman Jakobson):

CONTEXT
ADDRESSER MESSAGE ADDRESSEE
CONTACT
CODE

In a simplified (not dynamic) diagram of a linguistic communication process, there is an
addresser who serves as the source of the message or information. There is a message that
is being transferred from the source to the recipient (addressee). The message has a context
or “referent”, that pertains to the circumstances that revolve around the message or the
actual communication process. The contact is the channel, which we may omit from our
discussion of literature. The code is the language used, or in a more theoretical sense, the
symbols or signifiers used to represent the idea or the signified.

Restating the diagram and connecting it to the printed world (except in drama):

CONTEXT
WRITER WRITING READER
CODE

Imagine the addresser or the source of information is now the writer. The writer is the
creator of worlds and the producer of ideas. He or she produces a written output, and the
reader absorbs it. There is still a message context and language as the code.

Attachment of each element in the diagram to a linguistic function:

REFERENTIAL
EMOTIVE POETIC CONNOTATIVE
METALINGUISTIC

In this part, we will transform the roles to functions. Use the point of view of the writer. He
or she uses language in an emotive function because there is a certain kind of release and
projection. The focus on writing and the attempt to elevate the crafts take on the poetic
function. The referential function provides further information beside that of from the text
itself. The metalinguistic function is the use of words to study words.

Comparison of the functions to some of the literary theories that we will discuss:

MARXIST
ROMANTIC FORMALISTIC READER-ORIENTED
STRUCTURALIST

If we relate the functions to our preliminary understanding of the theories, we can somehow
deduce several concepts. Romantic theories have an emphasis on the writer’s mind and
experience. Marxism has high regards on social and historical contexts, while Formalistic
ideas give emphasis on the form and the existing elements within the text our literary output.
Structuralism draws attention to language as a code and how formulates meaning.
Phenomenological criticism or the reader-oriented is concerned on the readers’ experience
and reaction.

These illustrations do not cover all theories and schools of thought, especially more
contemporary theories, such as, Post-colonialism, Feminism, and Queer Theory.

Historical Development (Early Years)

1. Ancient Criticism
- The physical world is an imperfect copy of transcendent ideas and poetry as the
mere copy of the copy.
- Poet has a divine inspiration.
- Literature misleads the seeker of truth.
- Poets were banished from the hypothetical The Republic.

- Aristotle, through his Poetics, counter argued Plato and talked about the practical
and normal usefulness of the Arts.
- Imitation is a universal human need, which those who try to attempt it is on a
noble pursuit.
- Tragedy arouses emotions of pity and terror to its audience, but emotions are
purged in the process. This is a literary concept called katharsis or catharsis.
- Horace in his epistle, The Art of Poetry, supports Aristotle’s idea that art has a
decorum.
- Longinus in his On the Sublime, reacts toward Horace’s idea, and argues that art
attains its full being when decorum loses its way. It elevates the readers into an
arousing and ecstatic state.

2. Medieval Period
- Some ancient criticism publications were burned because of the anti-pagan
distrust to literary imagination.
- Most literary pieces were in theology allegorized form, while the emerging form
was chivalric romance.
- Dante Alighieri wrote his Divide Comedy in vernacular and this work encouraged
an interpretation according to the rules of scriptural exegesis.

3. The Renaissance
- This was the time when classical texts and works of literature were recovered.
- Sir Philip Sidney’s statements, in his Defense of Poesie, stated that the poet was
more superior than the philosopher and the historian because the poet “doth not
only show the way, but giveth so sweet a prospect into the way, as will entice any
man to enter into it.”
- The decline of the neoclassic theories during the Renaissance was cemented with
the rise of the new literary genre – the Novel. Its audience was readers were
mainly bourgeoisie.

4. Romanticism
- An amorous movement
- Romantics regarded the writing of poetry as a transcendental activity.
- There is a recognition of artistic creation. Literature had its own virtue, the works
had coherence and intensity.

5. Russian Formalism
- Rejected the limp spirituality of Romanticism and favored a more details and
empirical approach to reading literature
- They aimed in outlining models and hypotheses to explain how aesthetic effects
were produced by literary devices.

6. Marxism
- Karl Marx’s statements, “It is not the consciousness of men that determines their
being, but, on the contrary, their social being that determines their consciousness.
- Discussions on the Superstructure and the Base

- Rise of the Bourgeois writers who were not just vocal in their class origins or
political commitment, but by the extent to which their writings reveal insights into
social developments of their time.

7. Structuralism
- The author is dead.
- Writers have the power to mix already existing writings to reassemble or
redeploy them. Writers don’t just express themselves through literature, they
draw upon the immense dictionary of language and culture which is “always
already written (Barthes).”
- There is a focus on finding out the relationship between signifier and signified and
their arbitrariness.

Application

Traditional or Digital Poster: Make your own timeline of the historical development of
Literature. Provide at least two (2) new inputs per period. Include at least two (2)
contemporary theories (Post-structuralism, Post-colonial, Feminism, Queer) after
Structuralism. Rubrics for creative outputs should be followed.

Assessment

In a sheet of paper, construct an argumentative essay stating what school of thought you
think is the most important. Cite your reasons and compare it with the other literary
theories. The essay is expected to have not less than 500 words. Rubrics for essays should
be followed.

End of Lesson

Thank you for your participation and willingness to learn. For the next lessons, we will visit
each period and have an in-depth discussion on the development and other highlighted ideas
of the theories. I am excited and I hope you are, too!

Rubric for the Digital/ Traditional Poster (Application Task):

CATEGOR 4 3 2 1
Y
Required The poster All required All but 1 of the Several required
Elements includes all elements are required elements were
required included on the elements are missing.
elements as well poster. included on the
as additional poster.
information.
Labels All items of Almost all items Many items of Labels are too
importance on of importance on importance on small to view OR
the poster are the poster are the poster are no important
clearly labeled clearly labeled clearly labeled items were
with labels that with labels that with labels that labeled.
can be read from can be read from can be read from
at least 3 feet at least 3 feet at least 3 feet
away. away. away.
Graphics - All graphics are All graphics are All graphics Graphics do not
Relevanc related to the related to the relate to the relate to the
e topic and make it topic and most topic. One or two topic OR several
easier to make it easier to borrowed borrowed
understand. All understand. graphics have a graphics do not
borrowed Some borrowed source citation. have a source
graphics have a graphics have a citation.
source citation. source citation.
Attractive The poster is The poster is The poster is The poster is
ness exceptionally attractive in acceptably distractingly
attractive in terms of design, attractive though messy or very
terms of design, layout, and it may be a bit poorly designed.
layout, and neatness. messy. It is not
neatness. attractive.
Grammar There are no There are 1-2 There are 3-4 There are more
grammatical/me grammatical/me grammatical/me than 4
chanical chanical chanical grammatical/me
mistakes on the mistakes on the mistakes on the chanical
poster. poster. poster. mistakes on the
poster

Rubric for the Essay (Assessment Task):

4 points (Very 3 points (Good) 2 points (Fair) 1 point (Needs
Good) Improvement)
Creativity Writing is Writing is Writing Writing
extremely somewhat contains a few contains many
creative. Ideas creative. Some creative ideas, cliche ideas and
and style are new and but style is an uninspired
refreshing and imaginative mostly style.
imaginative. ideas. Good uninspired.
Talented writing.
writing.
Fluidity There is a There is a An obvious No attempt to

strong rhythm rhythm and attempt to create a rhythm.
and flow of flow of create a rhythm Sentence
language. language. and flow. structure not
Sentence Sentence Sentence varied.
structure is structure is structure not
varied often varied. varied.
throughout
piece.
Organization Organization A minor lack of Lack of Work is
and and use of supporting supporting unorganized
Development supporting details. details. and incoherent.
details evident
in the work.
Conventions Proper use of There are a few Poor spelling There are so
(Spelling, spelling and spelling and and grammar many spelling
Grammar, grammar is grammatical muddle the and grammar
Vocabulary) employed glitches, overall errors that it is
consistently however it does effectiveness of difficult to
throughout the not take away this piece. comprehend
writing from the overall the meaning.
assignment. quality of the Some strong
writing words and Poor word
Strong, vivid assignment. descriptions. choice and
words and Some above descriptions
descriptions Strong words average word throughout.
throughout. and choices Elementary
Words are descriptions however, many word choices
above average throughout. words are used and many
and used Many words are inappropriately. words misused.
appropriately above average
throughout the and used
work. appropriately
throughout the
work.

Lesson 2: Ancient Literary Criticism


A. Read the four primary texts (translated) selected for the Ancient Theories
discussion and other supplementary texts
B. Construct a summary of important points per reading
Hypothesize on the impacts of these theories in the overall development of literary
criticism and the understanding of literature in the ancient times

Lesson Introduction

Malipayong adlaw!

A healthy balance between the understanding of the past and the reading of up-to-date
sources are vital in Literary Criticism. According to J.W.H Watkins, there is value in antiquity,
as he refers ancient texts. He cited two main reasons:

A. Historical Value
“Coming first as they did in the order of time, they represent the earliest application
of critical spirit in literary matters; and what is more they constitute the first inquiry
into that Graeco-Roman tradition in art upon which most of the modern literatures
are ultimately based.”

If not for the first critics who were not afraid to ask difficult questions, the literary
criticism, and other fields, would not have the chance to flourish. It’s also important
to know the initial points and ideas to understand the field’s development.

B. Intrinsic Value
“In their pages were first brought to light certain literary principles of enduring value.
They were, for instance, the first to set forth certain profound views as to the nature
and art of poetry, as well as some of the laws that govern good writing in prose, while
they also led the way in the discussion of literary values, and in the formation of
aesthetic judgements.”

There are a lot of ancient principles that are still relevant to the study of art today.
These enduring ideas have survived the test of time. For example, Aristotle first
floated the idea of an arc as a plot of a tragic drama. Gustav Freytag further enhanced
it and produced the widely accepted Freytag’s Triangle as an archetypal formula for
a plot with the following elements: Beginning, Rising Complications/ Action, Peak,
Falling Action, Denouement. Many writers still use this formula for their stories’ plot
today.

There are a lot to learn from both the far and near past to help us improve the craft at present.
Before we proceed to discussing some of the ancient philosophers who first criticized
literary art, we have to note that the ideas are products of translation. The translated texts
contain the translators’ interpretation of primary texts, so no ideas were absolute
derivations of the original.

Activity

Let’s do a competitive yet productive informal debate. The class will be divided into two. The
point in contention will be: What is more essential in completing a study, finding and
studying old or new resources? One group will support the idea that new resources should
be prioritized over the old ones and other will argue for the opposite. The groups will toss a
coin to decide which side will go first.

There will be three rounds and for each round, the group will have a minimum of three
minutes and a maximum of five to build their statements. The first group will begin the
debate through their opening statement. Round one will be completed by a reaction of the
second group toward the first group’s opening statement. For the second round, the second
group will go first and deliver their opening statement. The second group will give their
reaction afterwards. For the final round, the first group will have to rebut the second group’s
raised points and deliver their closing statement. This will be followed by the second group’s
rebuttals and closing statement.

Rubrics for informal debates will be used (see attached rubrics in the last part of this lesson).

Analysis

Answer the following questions in full sentences. Your answers per item should be a
minimum of three sentences and a maximum of five sentences.
1. Describe inspiration. Do not use a dictionary, just imagine how do you get inspired.
2. What are the things that inspire you?
3. Do you need an inspiration to write? If yes, what kind of inspiration? If no, why not?
4. When you hear the word sublime, what are the first things that come into your mind?
5. Have you ever read a book that you can’t forget even after months of reading it? If yes,
what is it and why? If no, why do you think books do not have that kind of last effect
on you?

Abstraction

It is challenging to locate the starting point of Literary Criticism. However, we can review the
first published texts which questioned the creative process of writers and how literature was
made to have a better understanding of the foundation of the line of queries covered by
literary theories. One of the earliest concepts of literary production is the Poetic Inspiration,
which was prevalent in Greece. This content abstraction will highlight the Graeco-Roman
concepts that answer the following questions; Where did literature come from? How was it
made? What were the effects of Literature to its readers?

Researchers found Poetic Inspiration as a concept that was used by early critics to explain
the artistic production of writers. They also used the concept in trying the explation where
literature came from.

What is Poetic Inspiration?
A. Plato’s enthousiasmos or mania
There is an assumption that inspiration for poets (writers) has something to do with
ecstasy or possession. In this case, the poet has no control over the composition
process and becomes a passive instrument of an external force. This force is
overwhelming that it takes over the consciousness of the writer. The writer fails to
explain the source of his or her literary output because he or she was a vessel.

Some early philosophers described this as furor poeticus or ecstatic madness. This
traditional Greek notion was explained by contemporary researchers to be,
“according to which the inspired poet loses himself and is overcome by divine
enthusiasm (E. Barmeyer),” or by M. Fuhrmann, “typically Greek concept of poetic
creativity as madness, transport or intoxication, as the poet being out of his mind
(ecstasy) or being filled with the gods (enthusiasm).”

This state is however temporary. When this kind of poetic inspiration ceases, the
feeling of awe will engulf the writer and the composition will be attribute to a higher
power. The disadvantage of this is the level of dependency on an external force, rather
than focusing on the writer’s ability to produce art.

B. Poetic Inspiration versus Poetic Genius
While Poetic Inspiration from Plato’s concept can be described as a temporary
impulse, Poetic Genius, however, refers to the inherent qualities of writers that enable
them to produce art. The common idea between the two was that the poetic process
came from an inexplicable source.

C. The Muses as symbols for Poetic Inspiration
The Muses can be found in various Greek and Roman mythology stories. In the myths,
Muses have functions and origins. However, for this discussion, we will connect the
essence of the Muses to our understanding of Poetic Inspiration. According to
Penelope Murray, the Muses are the symbols of the writer’s feeling of dependence on
the external, “they are the personification of his inspiration.” This description was
explained by enumerating the two ways that the Muses inspire the writer to produce
art:

1. They give the writer Permanent Poetic Ability, in the previous part, what we had
referred to as Poetic Genius.
2. They give the writer a Temporary Aid in Composition, in the previous part, what
we had referred to as Poetic Inspiration.

Literature was also discussed by ancient philosophers, such as Plato, Aristotle, Longinus, and
others. They tried to explain what literature was all about and tried to study the artistic
influence and production that went with it. These are some of the concepts from these
ancient theorists that have helped critics through time:

A. Plato’s Theory of Imitation in his Republic
One of Plato’s widely known dialogues was the Republic that featured Socrates as the
main character. This text covered topics of justice, happiness, unjust elements in the
society, and more. However, because our course is Literary Criticism, we will take the
notions from the text that are applicable to our discussion. One of which was Plato’s
Theory of Imitation.

The definition of imitation is inconsistent in the passages. The most comprehensive
definitions of imitation (to mimeisthai) are:
1. ‘Is it not true that to make oneself similar to someone else in sound or in shape is
to imitate that person to whom one makes oneself similar?’

The making of art is compared to the act of imitation. The imitation being
described here is not just mere copying but to make something similar to the
original, including the sound and shape. Later on, this would be used as one of
characterization strategies, that the reader should be able to hear the character’s
voice from the words on paper. So, the voices that we hear from people in the real
world should be captured by the character’s voice in a story. Copying is not the
ultimate goal but to achieve a degree of likeness is.

2. The imitator of images also becomes the maker of images. This line describes the
birth of the author. The original materials are what we see and experience. The
author will try to capture this reality and reproduce it through literature. The
output is not an absolute copy but a reinterpretation of reality by the author. So,
the literary product or text now becomes an imitation and a creation of the author.

3. For the imitation to be mistaken as the original is a positive sign. If the authors
succeed in presenting reality through their works that the readers can’t
distinguish if it’s a work of art or not or if they find the work of art more
pleasurable than reality, then the impact of the text is more intense. Fast forward
to our time, established writers aim for a literary concept called Suspension of
Disbelief. The concept explains that the best literary works suspend the disbelief
of the readers. The readers know that they are just reading but the writing is so
good that they forget that they are just simply reading.

B. Platonic Moralism and Aristotelian Formalism
Plato and Aristotle are two pillars of Western philosophy. Aristotle was a student of
Plato and later became his colleague. Although Aristotle respected his teacher, he
pursued studies that were not considered or were deemed insignificant by Plato.
Many of Aristotle’s notions would oppose Plato’s, but that was how philosophy and
other fields developed – by constant arguing and counter-arguing.
Plato criticized literature, the dramatic output that is tragedy to be specific, by

subjecting into an epistemological and ethical standard. He compared it with the
other fields of studies and found flaws on its production based on how it was deemed
necessary in the society. On the other hand. Aristotle suggested that literature should
be judged according to its own premise. He stated, “correctness in poetry is not the
same as correctness in politics or any other art.”

Plato was concerned on finding literature’s function in the society and how it either
elevates or disintegrates the moral ascendancy of people. Aristotle dissected
literature by looking at its composition and form.

C. Aristotle on the Cathartic Effect of Tragedy
To understand literature, Aristotle studied one of the most common literary forms
during his time and that was drama. The Greeks had stages and coliseums
everywhere that would feature dramatic stories written by tragic and comedic
authors. Aristotle focused on the production of tragedy. He described its effects to the
viewers or readers as katarthic or cathartic, which introduced the idea of catharsis in
literature.

Katharsis is a Greek word that means ‘purification’. This was commonly used in
Greek’s religious halls and rituals. Purity is an idea that we can heavily relate to
religion until today. But the scholars insisted that Aristotle wasn’t just referring to
this definition when he wrote about a literary text’s cathartic effect. They argued that
it was more connected on its definition under the field of medicine.

Catharsis, in medicine, means an ‘operation of purgation’ using a laxative or emetic.
The illustration bellow sums up Aristotle’s interpretation of the effect of tragedy to
its audience:

Spectator of Witnesses and Attaches Feels Extreme Purgation or
Tragedy to the Concepts of Emotions such Emotional
Fear and Pity from the Play Pity and Fear Outflow

This understanding of literature focuses on the receiver of the artistic output. There
are theories that will evolve from this thought which we will later discuss under the
reader-oriented theories.

D. Longinus’s On the Sublime
According to Longinus, the ultimate authorial goal is the sublime. He described this
as the “echo of a noble mind,” and in some source, it was phrased as, “the echo of
greatness of spirit.” Literature reflects a noble spirit or mind. There are five sources
of the sublime, these are:
1. Noeseis (Great Conceptions or Grandeur of Thoughts)
2. Enthousiastikon Pathos (Strong Emotion or Intense Passion)
3. Schemata (Figures of Speech)
4. Phrasis (Noble Diction)
5. Synthesis (Dignified Composition)

The first two are the most essential to achieve sublimity according to Longinus. These
two are somehow natural for the authors and can be found within them. The other
three are skills that need to be polished and mastered.

Literature is a product of the mind. Authors need to listen to their minds and find
great ideas. The ability of the mind to generate special works of art should be paired
with passion. The Greeks value the presence of emotions in characters and stories,
and the process of eliciting emotions from the readers. In order to attain this, the
author must first be passionate or must feel very strongly about his or her work.
Figures of Speech should also be used and deployed appropriately. They should help
elevate the language. The noble diction refers to capturing lofty and light thoughts
using “beautiful” words. The dignified composition pertains to the harmonious
stringing of words and parts of the story. It can be a great source of pleasure, and
persuasion, and many strong emotions translated from the author to the text, to the
reader.

Application

It’s time for a Meme!

In a sheet of paper (blank coupon bond, A4) or in a digital application (if digital painting or
editing tools are available), formulate a meme featuring an ancient critic and a concept that
he or she introduced or explained. Remember that memes should appeal to the public and
are either humorous or sarcastic. The main challenge for you is to simplify a concept or a
thought from one of the ancient critics we discussed using a meme. You can use individual
elements that can be found in famous memes from the internet, however you have to come
up with a new arrangement to complete your meme poster from these elements. Cite the
sources of your elements in the lower portion of your output. For those who have no stable
internet connection, you may opt to draw your meme.

We will use this rubric for grading this task:

5 4 3 2
Visual Impact Advanced Proficient Approaching Needs
Proficiency Improvement
The unique The organization
Overall Quality composition of the of the elements The organization The organization
elements and and content create of the elements of the elements
content create a a cohesive work and content are and content are
striking and that can HOLD THE incompletely not addressed and
memorable work VIEWERS addressed and has has NO IMPACT on
with that WOW ATTENTION LITTLE IMPACT on the viewer
FACTOR for the the viewer
viewer
Interpretation Advanced Proficient Approaching Needs

The final project The project shows The project The student
Creativity shows INVENTIVE CLEAR requirements are showed NO
INTERPRETATION UNDERSTANDING FULFILLED, but EVIDENCE OF
of the assignment of assignment give no evidence of THOUGHT
and was continued effort for
until it was interpretation
complete as
possible
Work Effort Advanced Proficient Approaching Needs
Student worked Student showed
Project Completion EFFECTIVELY AND some Student NEEDED Student DID NOT
CONSISTENTLY ENTHUSIASM AND CONSTANT COMPLETE project
toward project EFFORT towards PROMPTS from or show any effort
goal completion of teacher to work
project towards
completion

Assessment

Find a poem or a story or a book that you think best represents the idea of The Sublime. In a
three-paragraph essay, explain why you think that book or poem or story is sublime. Use the
first paragraph to introduce your chosen literary text and its summary. The second
paragraph should feature your reasons why the text is sublime, cite parts of the texts that
can support your point. The third paragraph should contain your closing statement on what
is sublimity and your reflection on the concept and your chosen text. Each paragraph should
contain at least five sentences.

The rubric for this activity is the essay rubric in the previous lesson.

End of Lesson

We have a Filipino saying that goes, “Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay
hindi makakarating sa paroroonan.” It is embedded in our culture to not abandon our roots,
or if we have been uprooted, to get to know our own roots. I encourage that we apply this
concept in understanding literary criticism. We have to give equal importance to the study
of the foundation of theories, in order to understand their development. So, this lesson is a
fitting springboard to our discussions for the rest of the theories. Let’s move on and learn
more!

References:
Main Source - Oxford Readings in Classical Studies, Ancient Literary Criticism
Supplementary Sources - https://iep.utm.edu/republic/,
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/theory-of-the-sublime-from-longinus-to-
kant/longinuss-five-sources-of-sublimity/0655B68CC1C65AF8F85582BF3630A5C4

Lesson 3: Russian Formalism


A. Identify the historical development of Formalism
B. Discuss salient points on the published works of Russian formalists
C. Critique a short story using the lens of Russian Formalism

Lesson Introduction

Malipayong adlaw!

The emergence of formalist theories was observed before the 1917 Russian Revolution,
mainly due to the founding of the Moscow Linguistic Circle in 1915 and the Opojaz (The
Society for the Study of Poetic Language) in 1916. A notable figure of this school of thought
was Roman Jakobson, who helped the establishment of the Prague Linguistic Circle in 1926,
which produced Viktor Shklovsky and Boris Eikenbaum.

This emergence was part of an ideological movement that rejected the emphasis on
spirituality on texts which was popularized by Romanticism. Russian Formalists are more
interested on the following things:
A. The Method of the Production of Text
They believe in the methodological understanding of literature which welcomes
scientific bases for literary theories and a scientific process of developing ideas.
B. Literary Devices
Russian Formalists identify literary devices that are present in the text, instead of
asking questions regarding the content (ideas, emotions, and featured realities) of the
text. They categorized it as part of aesthetic effects, as mere products of more
important elements, such as the literary devices. They are more concerned on how
language is used to produce the ideas or thoughts. According to Raman Selden, “While
the New Critics regarded literature as a form of human understanding, the Formalists
thought of it as a special use of language.” There are a lot of literary devices, and these
refer to almost everything an author does with language or to elevate a language. The
good thing is the explanation and definitions of these devices are available online.

In this lesson, we will be learning how Russian Formalists make sense of literary texts
using their theories. We will generate questions according to this school of thought and
find the answers from the text. Good luck and enjoy! Хорошо вам повеселиться (Have Fun
in Russian)!

Activity

Research or read about the following Literary Devices. Put a definition beside the literary
devices and cite the source/s of the definition.
1. Allegory
2. Allusion
3. Epiphany
4. Foreshadowing
5. Imagery
6. Juxtaposition
7. Satire
8. Stream of Consciousness
9. Tone
10. Understatement

Analysis

Answer the following questions in full sentences. Your answers per item should be a
minimum of three sentences and a maximum of five sentences.
1. Is science related to arts? If yes, explain how or why. If no, explain why not.
2. What is a scientific method of discovery or understanding of things?
3. Is this method applicable to understanding literature? If yes, why? If no, why not?

Abstraction

Literary theories do not just randomly sprout out from a forest. Its development can be
traced as a supporting argument, a counter-argument or an emergent of other theories. This
is the same with Russian Formalism. Before it became an established school of thought, it
had the following influences:
A. early Futurists’ notion against bourgeois culture and the “soul-searching” approach
to the arts of the Symbolists
B. the Futurists emphasis on the artist’s role as proletarian or producer of crafted
objects
C. Dmitriev idea of the artist as a constructor and technician, a leader and foreman
D. The Constructivists’ extreme interpretation of the Futurists’ ideas and entered
actual factories to put into practice their theories of the production of art

These influences helped establish the Formalists’ theories that is to look at the writer’s Technical
Prowess and Craft Skill. Viktor Shklovsky defined literature as, “the sum total of all stylistic
devices employed in it.” The next part of this content abstraction are the concepts highlighted by
Russian Formalists.

A. Difference between Practical and Poetic (Literary) Language
Russian Formalists give importance to the study of language to understand a literary
text. They differentiated Practical Language from Literary Language. Practical
language is the language everyone uses in daily acts of communication. Literary
Language, however, fulfills no practical function. One of its functions is to present a
thing in a different manner.

B. The Constructed Quality
There are many critics that were still confused with the difference between practical
and literary or poetic language. Yury Tynyanov introduced a definition that will really
separate the literary from practical. He suggested that the biggest differentiating
factor is the Constructed Quality. The quintessential (most ideal) form of literary
language is poetry. In poems, one can observe that practical language is controlled
using rhythm and rhyming. This sense of control and deformation of language compel
the readers’ attention and signal the readers that there is a construction of language,
a control over language that is happening.

C. Defamiliarization or Ostranenie
Ostranenie literally means ‘making strange’. This literary concept was used by Viktor
Shklovsky to expound that there is no freshness of perceptions of objects if there is
no arts. We do, see, smell, touch, and feel things every day that we forget their value.
Shklovsky proposed, “It is the special task of art to give us back the awareness of
things which have become habitual object of our everyday awareness. The purpose
of art is to impart the sensation of things as they perceived and not as they known.”
The technique of art is transforming familiar things into unfamiliar.

D. Distinction between Plot (sjuzet) and Story (fabula)
Formalists are more interested in the sjuzet or plot compared to fabula or story. The
distinction between the two is emphasized in the Theory of Narrative. The story is
everywhere, they are the raw materials that around us – a father’s death, a mother’s
sin, a sister’s love, a neighbor’s murder, and almost everything. However good the
story is, art is not yet there. The artistic process begins when the author crafts the
plot and arranges the narrative. In understanding stories using the Russian
Formalists’ lens, it is important to dissect the plot and the elements that are present
in each part.

E. Bound and Free Motifs
In connection to the previous discussion, Boris Tomashevsky coined the smallest unit
of plot as a ‘motif’. This may entail a single statement or an action. There are two kinds
of motifs; the bound and the free.
1. Bound Motif is required in a story. For example, one of the character’s classmate
dies because of tuberculosis. It is a statement, an occurrence, from a story.
2. Free Motif is not required but the focus of art in the story. For example, on a rainy
evening, Jason called Chris to give him the bad news that one of their best friends
in class, George has died of tuberculosis. The story makes sense even without the
description of the weather. However, it acts as a foreshadowing, a literary device
that sets up a mood and warns the readers of an impending point in a story. The
rainy evening sets up a dark and gloomy mood which intensifies the news of
George’s death. This is an example of a free motif.

APPLICATION

Make three Venn diagrams in any sheet of paper and illustrate the following concepts;
Romanticism and Russian Formalism, Practical and Poetic Language, and Bound and Free
Motifs. There are no maximum or minimum number of students. Put as many information or
ideas discussed in the abstraction part as you can. This is the breakdown of points for this
task:

5 points – More than three (3) ideas are appropriate and correct in the illustration.
4 points – At least two (2) ideas are appropriate and correct in the illustration.
3 points – At least one (1) idea is appropriate and correct in the illustration
2 points – There are ideas but they are incorrect.
1 point – There are ideas but they are incorrect and incomprehensible.

ASSESSMENT

In any sheet of paper, analyze a poem using the Russian Formalist lens. Read the rubric to
see the parts to be graded.

Forgetfulness
By Billy Collins
The name of the author is the first to go
followed obediently by the title, the plot,
the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel
which suddenly becomes one you have never read, never even heard of,

as if, one by one, the memories you used to harbor
decided to retire to the southern hemisphere of the brain,
to a little fishing village where there are no phones.

Long ago you kissed the names of the nine muses goodbye
and watched the quadratic equation pack its bag,
and even now as you memorize the order of the planets,

something else is slipping away, a state flower perhaps,
the address of an uncle, the capital of Paraguay.

Whatever it is you are struggling to remember,
it is not poised on the tip of your tongue
or even lurking in some obscure corner of your spleen.

It has floated away down a dark mythological river
whose name begins with an L as far as you can recall

well on your own way to oblivion where you will join those
who have even forgotten how to swim and how to ride a bicycle.

No wonder you rise in the middle of the night
to look up the date of a famous battle in a book on war.
No wonder the moon in the window seems to have drifted
out of a love poem that you used to know by heart.

Criterion Level A Level B Level C Level D Level E
Excellent (9 – 10 Very Good (7 – 8 Good (5 – 6 points) Fair (3 – 4 points) Needs
points) points) Improvement (1 –
2 points)
Summary (20%) Clearly presents Presents author’s Presents author’s Insufficient No explanation of
How well does the author’s thesis and thesis and thesis but may not explanation of author’s thesis,
student summarize describes his/ her describes his/her provide sufficient author’s thesis, and/or no
the text? strategies for strategies for description of and/or insufficient description of
supporting it. supporting it. strategies for description of strategies for
supporting it. strategies for supporting thesis.
Clearly and Describes supporting thesis.
succinctly organization and Describes Poor or no
describes presentation of organization and Insufficient description of
organization and text. presentation of description of text’s organization
presentation of text, but may need text’s organization and presentation.
text. more details and presentation.

Overall Quality of Exhibits clarity, Exhibits clarity, Exhibits some Exhibit some faulty Exhibit little or no
Analysis (20%) complexity, and some depth clarity, though only logic, and/or evidence of
How well does the perceptiveness, about the topic, but minimal depth of stereotypical or effective thinking
student analyze the originality, and lacks the qualities thought about the superficial thinking about the topic
text? depth of thought of complexity, topic. about the topic. (please note that
about the topic. perceptiveness, there may be
and originality Makes some Insufficient effective thinking
Provides excellent exhibited in level A. attempt to present attempt to present in the composition,
evaluation of text’s the weaknesses or the weaknesses or but not about the
weaknesses or Provides clear strengths of the strengths of the topic).
strengths; evaluation of text’s text; evaluative text; evaluative
evaluative criteria weaknesses or criteria are used. criteria are unclear. Poor to no attempt
are unique and strengths; to present the
interesting. evaluative criteria Places text in Insufficient weaknesses or
are unique and context. attempt to put text strengths of the
Uses creativity to interesting. in context text; no obvious
interpret text (e.g., criteria for
places it in Puts text in evaluation.
interesting context meaningful context
or compares / when interpreting Poor to no attempt
contrasts with it. to put text in
other relevant context.
texts).

Support of Analysis Exhibits command Exhibits control of Exhibits some Exhibit insufficient Exhibit a
(20%) of focus, coherent focus, organization, control of focus, control of focus, basic/elementary
How well does the organization, and and development organization organization (way sense of
student select, interesting (all of the subject (structure may be ramble, be organization (may
summarize and/or development (with matter is relevant formulaic or be repetitious, or be purely
paraphrase carefully chosen, to the topic, but is organized loosely locked into a descriptive or
supporting insightful details, not as insightfully around the topic), formula), and/or strictly formulaic),
evidence from the examples, selected as a and development development (it but ideas about the
text to arguments, etc.) of response at level (may contain some may be mostly topic are generally
demonstrate and the topic. A) of the topic. poorly chosen descriptive or lack undeveloped,
support analysis? information, but adequate support) illogical, irrelevant,
major ideas are of the topic. or inconsistent.
adequately
supported).

Organization & Review is very well Review is well Review has Distinction General structure
Content (20%) organized, organized, separate between of review is
containing an containing an introduction, body introduction, body difficult to follow,
introduction, body introduction, body paragraphs, and paragraphs, and and/or student
paragraphs, and paragraphs, and conclusion, but conclusion is failed to follow the
conclusion. conclusion. connections among unclear. prescribed format.
these could be
Paragraphs contain All paragraphs improved. Paragraph Paragraphs are
clear topic contain topic structure needs unfocused,
sentences, focus on sentences, focus on Most paragraphs improvement incoherent or
a single issue, are a single issue and focus on a single (some may be
coherent, and are coherently topic and are incomplete, or require

organized structured. coherently focus on too many restructuring.
according to an structured. issues, or be
obvious pattern of Some use of incoherent). Topic sentences
argument. transitional Topic sentences are absent or
expressions and signal structure of Topic sentences do unconnected to the
Effective use of other signposts argument but may not effectively paragraphs that
transitional that make the require more focus. signal structure of follow.
expressions and structure of the argument or lack
other signposts document clear. Transitions are focus / clarity. Transitions are
that make the present and help More transitions absent or used
structure of the Student’s tone and connect parts of are needed to incorrectly.
document clear. diction are argument. develop argument.
appropriate for the Student’s tone and
Student’s tone and argument being Student’s tone and Student’s tone and diction are
diction enhance the made about the diction are diction are inappropriate.
argument being text under review. occasionally marginal. Paper is Paper is
made about the inappropriate for much longer or unreasonably too
text under review. the target shorter than the long or too short.
audience. assignment
requirement.

Grammar & Clear, concise Mostly clear, Adequate sentence Poor sentence Very poor sentence
Mechanics (20%) sentences. concise sentences. structure but may structure. structure, and/or
require editing for Uses inappropriate
No grammatical May have some clarity/wordiness. Writing may be language or
errors. minor grammatical wordy or difficult language that is too
errors. Some grammatical to follow in places. informal.
Citations are errors, but these do
included in the Citations are not impede Many grammatical Significant
correct prescribed included in the understanding errors. Citations grammatical
format. correct prescribed are included but errors, and/or
format; may have Citations are not in the Contains errors
minor errors. included with some prescribed format. that are identified
issues in prescribed by MS Word
formatting. software but were
not corrected.

Citations are
missing.
Criterion Level A Level B Level C Level D Level E
Excellent (9 – 10 Very Good (7 – 8 Good (5 – 6 points) Fair (3 – 4 points) Needs
points) points) Improvement (1 – 2
points)

End of Lesson

These are just some of the concepts under Russian Formalism. There are still a lot to learn,
such as, the importance of motivation and the concept of The Dominant. However, we only
take what we can carry with our given time. I hope that you read more about this theory in
your spare time. For the next lesson, we will discuss concepts that bridge Formalism to
Marxism and begin our discussion on Marxist Theories. I bet you you’ve hear about a famous
man named Karl Marx, you’ll get to know him more and his colleagues in the next lessons.
Thank you and on to the next one!

Main Resource Text: A Reader’s Guide to Contemporary Literary Theory by Raman Selden

Literary Criticism Coursepack on Lit 311

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Prepared and Written by: CNL Lanes

Institute of Teacher Education

Coursepack on Lit 311: Literary Criticism

A. Define Literary Criticism, Literary Theory, and Literary Texts

- Poets were banished from the hypothetical The Republic.

- Discussions on the Superstructure and the Base

Fluidity There is a There is a An obvious No attempt to

Lesson 2: Ancient Literary Criticism

Plato criticized literature, the dramatic output that is tragedy to be specific, by

5. Synthesis (Dignified Composition)

Lesson 3: Russian Formalism

coherent, and are coherently topic and are incomplete, or require

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