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LESSON 4

APPROACHES TO
LITERARY CRITICISM
MELCS:
 Uses appropriate critical writing a critique such as formalism, feminism, etc.
 Writes an objective/balanced review or critique of a work of art, an event or a
program

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Formalist criticism is placed at the

center because it deals primarily
with the text and not with any of the
outside considerations such as
author, the real world, audience, or
other literature. Meaning, formalists
argue, is inherent in the text.
Because meaning is determinant, all
other considerations are irrelevant.

FORMALIST CRITICISM

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Historical criticism relies heavily on the

author and his world. In the historical view,
it is important to understand the author and
his world in order to understand his intent
and to make sense of his work. In this view,
the work is informed by the author’s beliefs,
prejudices, time, and history, and to fully
understand the work, we must understand the
author and his age.

HISTORICAL CRITICISM

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Reader-response criticism is
concerned with how the work is viewed
by the audience. In this approach,
the reader creates meaning, not the
author or the work. Once the work is
published, the author is no longer
relevant.

READER-RESPONSE CRITICISM

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Marxist criticism concerns with the

analysis of the clash of opposing
social classes in society, namely;
the ruling class (bourgeoisie) and
the working class (proletariat) as it
shaped the events that transpired in
the story.

MARXIST CRITICISM

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Feminist criticism concerns with the

woman’s role in society as portrayed
through texts. It typically analyzes
the plight of woman as depicted in
the story. Generally, it criticizes
the notion of woman as a construct
through literature.

FEMINIST CRITICISM

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Deconstructionist criticism also

subject texts to careful, formal
analysis; however, they reach an
opposite conclusion: there is no
meaning in language. They believe that
a piece of writing does not have one
meaning and the meaning itself is
dependent on the reader.

DECONSTRUCTIONIST
CRITICISM

Archetypal criticism assumes that there is a

collection of symbols, images, characters, and
motifs (i.E., Archetypes) that evokes basically
the same response in all people which seem to
bind all people regardless of culture and race
worldwide. This can also be labelled as
mythological and symbolic criticisms. Their
critics identify these archetypal patterns and
discuss how they function in the works.

ARCHETYPAL CRITICISM

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William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is one of the most

famous examples of the Star-Crossed Lovers. In fact, the
prologue explicitly name them as Star-Crossed Lovers:

“A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life,

Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.”

Even though Romeo and Juliet love each other very much, their
outcome defines them as the tragic archetype. This archetype is
still common today, from movies like Titanic (1997) and Broadway
shows like West Side Story, which is a modern remake of Romeo
and Juliet.

Inter-textual criticism is concerned

with comparing the work in question
to other literature, to get a broader
picture. One may compare a piece of
work to another of the same author,
same literary movement or same
historical background.

INTER-TEXTUAL CRITICISM

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Psychological criticism attempts to explain the

behavioral underpinnings of the characters within
the selection, analyzing the actions and thoughts
committed fall under any of the identifiable
neuroses, whether a psychological disorder is
evident among them. Aside from the characters,
the author and even the reader may be criticized
as why they exhibit certain behavior during the
actual writing and reading experience.

PSYCHOLOGICAL CRITICISM

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Mimetic criticism seeks to see

how well a work accords with the
real world. How does a piece of
literature accurately portray the
truth is the main contention of
this literary approach.

MIMETIC CRITICISM

Sociological criticism places literature as a

product of social context. It draws the
reciprocal relationship between literature and
society. Sociological critics examine a literary
work to reveal some of the economic, social, and
political structures of a particular culture. The
critic might look at the culture of the society,
including standards of behavior, etiquette, the
relations between opposing groups (e.g., parents
and children, the rich, and the poor, men, and
women, religious beliefs, and moral values.)

SOCIOLOGICAL CRITICISM

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References
 Dobie, Ann B. (2009). Theory into Practice: An Intro
to Literary Criticism. Australia: Wadsworth Cengage
Learning.
 Fry, Paul H. (2013). Theory of Literature. New Haven:
Yale University Press.
 Habib, M. R. (2011). A History of Literary Criticism:
From Plato to Present. UK: Wiley-Blackwell
Publishing.

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