Literary

Criticism
All you need to know
Literature
- compilation of works (Rexroth, 2020)
- From the Latin word "literature" which
means writing formed with letters
(Lombardi, 2020)
Literary Theory
- A form of analysis to critique the
principle of a literary piece
(MasterClass Staff, 2021)
- Offer different lenses for critics to
analyze a text (New, 2021)
Literary Criticism
- It is an analysis of a work supported by evidences, theme, or context
(Waidner-Spahr Library, 2021)
- It is an act of interpreting and studying literature (Byke, 2021)
Classical Literary Theory
- Plato's mimesis: Two world - Phenomenon: world of sense-
perceptions, Noumenon: world of Ideals - Super form - Bad
mimesis should be censored
(My Exam Solution, 2018)
Aristotle - Realism - Any form is considered as expression of
reality
Horace - Classic is something good and useful
(Litcritguide, 2015)
Longinus - Sublimity (Litcritguide, 2015)
Historical-Biographical
- Reflects the author's life and timeline
- Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
 Moral-
Philosophical
An important source of moral
guidance and spiritual
inspiration
Formalist Approach
- Interpretation of the text is found within
the text itself (Matterson, 1990)
I-sms
- study based on Social Institutions
Psychology, Mythology, and
Archetypes, Structuralism,
Feminism
- Psychology used to interpret unconscious meaning
in works (Willhardt, 2021)
- Mythological- Archetypal means that literature is viewed to have
recurring themes (Brunel, 1992)
- Structuralism view literature as something build with structures
(Structure of work, structure of reader's mind, structure of the world)
(e.g. Campbell's monomyth or Propps' morphology of Folktale)
- Feminist consider the roles of sexuality, the gender of the characters
in a story.
 Modernism and
Postmodernism
- Modernism is the rejection of the traditional forms.
- Post-modernism celebrate new forms of Fragmentation.
- Both approaches shed light to the insecurities, fragmentation and
disorientation of the modern world (Mambrol, 2020)
References
Byke, S. (2021). Subject and Course Guides:
Literary Criticism: Introduction. University of
Texas.
https://libguides.uta.edu/literarycriticism
Lombardi, E. (2020). What Literature Can
Teach Us. ThoughtCo.
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-
literature-740531
References
litcritguide. (2015, November 15). Classical
Literary Critics and Theorists. Literary Theory
and Criticism.
https://litcritguide.tumblr.com/post/133230
069312/classical-literary-critics-and-
theorists#:%7E:text=Classical%20Literary%20
Theory%20and%20Critcism&text=The%20be
ginning%20of%20Classical%20Theory,to%20r
epresent%20the%20natural%20world.
Mambrol, N. (2020, July 15). Postmodernism.
Literary Theory and Criticism.
https://literariness.org/2016/03/31/postmo
dernism/
MasterClass Staff. (2021). Literary Theory:
Understanding 15 Types of Literary Criticism.
Www.Masterclass.Com.
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/litera
ry-theory-explained#what-is-literary-theory
References
Matterson, S. (1990). The Formalist Approach.
SpringerLink.
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/9
78-1-349-20768-8_2?
error=cookies_not_supported&code=0c7d9
da2-e260-4668-840e-
f47600479165#:%7E:text=Formalism%20may
%20be%20defined%20as,of%20the%20work
%20in%20question.
My Exam Solution. (2018). Classical Literary
Criticism.
https://www.myexamsolution.com/2018/06
/classical-literary-criticism.html
New, K. (2021). Research Guides: Literary
Theory: What is Literary Theory? Mississippi
State University.
https://guides.library.msstate.edu/literaryth
eory
References
Rexroth, K. (2020). literature | Definition,
Characteristics, Genres, Types, & Facts.
Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/art/literature
Waidner-Spahr Library. (2021). Research
Guides: Criticism: Literature, Film & Drama:
Literature Criticism. Dickinson.
https://libguides.dickinson.edu/criticism
Willhardt, M. (2017, May 1). Psychological
Criticism. Knowing Haroun.
https://knowingharoun.wordpress.com/psyc
hological-
criticism/#:%7E:text=Psychological%20Critic
ism%2C%20also%20known%20as,the%20bac
kground%20of%20the%20author.