Critical Approaches to Literature – 26th Feb, 2023 – (Ms.

Naureen Yaqub)

Read, identify and match the characteristics with relevant critical approaches to literature:

1 A piece of work should be examined on its own. All a. Psychological Criticism

meanings are contained within the work.
Interrelationship of different blocks of a literary work,
structural arrangement, tone, imagery should be
focused as a stand-alone aspect.

2 Literature is written by actual people & b. Sociological/ Marxist

understanding their life can help comprehend their Criticism
work better.

3 To understand a literary work by examining social, c. Reader-response Criticism

cultural & intellectual context. To see the effect of
the work upon its original reader.

4 To understand how human psyche plays role in d. Gender Criticism/feminist

certain behaviors. To see language, symbols to reflect approach
unconscious fears and desires.

5 The texts do not have meanings but it is the readers e. Biographical Criticism
who give meaning to it and interpret it. It talks about
how readers interpret the same text with different
assumptions. Same reader may have different
interpretations in different time of reading the same
piece of work.

6 All art is political, either challenging or endorsing (by f. Formalist Criticism

silence) the status quo. It may reflect or reject or talk
about principles of class struggle. It focuses on
political and economic elements of art.

7 It emphasizes the recurrent universal patterns h. Mythological Criticism

underlying most literary works. It triggers the
collective unconscious and uses common myths and
symbols in different cultures.
8 it examines the role woman and man in the work i. Historical Criticism
produced. It questions the behavior of men and
women in society.
Critical Approaches to Literature – 26th Feb, 2023 – (Ms. Naureen Yaqub)

Source: X.J Kennedy and Dana Gioia’s “Literature: An introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama”, Six Edition
(New York: HarperCollins, 1995), pages 1790-1818