TEXT, CONTEXT, SUBTEXT

Text

Medium: what it is made of

 medium of literature: words

o purpose of prose: info, narration, description

o purpose of poetry: express intense emotion into economical use of words

Form: outward shape

 subject matter or form of literature determines its genre (type or category)

 formal elements of composition

Content: the subject it describes

 in almost all modes of expression, form and content are often interrelated
(gestalt)
 literature, painting, & sculpture may imitate or describe nature

Context

Historical and cultural environment

 In what time and place did the work originate?

 What does it say about the place/society in which it was set?
 Is the purpose of the work simply to express imagination or artistry? to
entertain? to teach a lesson? to serve as propaganda??
 Does it serve religious or political needs (or both) of the community?

Subtext

Its secondary or implied meanings

 embraces the emotional or intellectual messages embedded in, or implied by, a

work of art or literary text

- Greek epic glorifies prowess and physical courage in battle (embody male
Virtues

- Louis XIV portrait imbued with power and absolute authority