1.What is literary theory?
“She remembered her mother’s death… her promise to keep the home
- Literary theory is the study of the methods and principles used together.”
to analyze, interpret and evaluate literature. → Her mother’s death and suffering are repressed but shape Eveline’s
2. Reading against the grain paralysis.
- It is a critical approach where the reader challenges or 2. Id – Desire for Escape and Love
questions the dominant or surface level interpretation of a text. “She must escape! Frank would save her.”
3.What is Marxism? → The id craves pleasure, freedom, and romance with Frank.
- Marxism is a social, political and economic theory developed 3. Superego – Moral Duty and Guilt
by Karl Marx and Fredrich Engels in the 19th century that “Her father was becoming old lately… he would miss her.”
criticises capitalism and argues that society is based on class → Superego instills guilt and fear about abandoning her father.
struggle. 4. Oedipal Conflict – Emotional Bond with Father
- Key ideas of marxism “Sometimes he could be very nice.”
1. Class struggle - bourgeoisie/proletariat → Despite past abuse, she clings to her father, showing unresolved,
Inequality leads to conflict unconscious attachment and dependency.
2. Capitalism is exploitative- rich control / poor work
3. False consciousness - use of media/ education/ A Rose for Emily – William Faulkner
culture to trick ppl 1. . Unconscious Mind – Repressed Grief and Fear of
4. Marxism and religion- Religion is the opium of the Abandonment
people. - “She told them her father was not dead.”→ Denial reflects
Action and Reaction - Marxist lens repressed trauma from losing her father.
1. Class divide - Bourgeoisie vs. proletariat 2. . Id – Desire to Possess Love Forever
Highlights the gap between rich & poor - “The body had apparently once lain in the attitude of an
“Kusuma was to come to her house as a servant” embrace.”→ Her id acts out a grotesque fantasy of eternal
2. Oppression of the working class - Alienation & exploitation love with Homer.
“Loku naenda wondered whether she should teach Kusuma to 3. . Superego – Control by Patriarchal Morality
read & write. She thought about it a bit. Then she told us to - “All the young men her father had driven away.”→ Superego,
teach Kusuma how to crochet would be far more useful” shaped by her father's dominance, blocks intimacy and
3. False consciousness - ideology autonomy.
“The girl must've done a lot of merit in her past lives. Just 4. Oedipal Conflict – Fixation on Father Figure
imagine! After living like an animal in that hut to come to a - Her father’s overbearing presence creates lifelong emotional
house like Akka’s ! Must be like heaven to her !” arrest; she replaces him with Homer, a substitute male figure.
4. Conflict between classes - class struggle
“ Kusuma wants to marry Piyadasa!” ..I’ve given Kusuma so The Yellow Wallpaper – Charlotte Perkins Gilman
much! I’ve been like a mother to her. Is it too much to ask for a 1. Unconscious Mind – Repressed Identity and Voice
little gratitude in return” - “I always fancy I see people walking in these numerous paths
4.Postcolonialism and arbors.”→ The unconscious mind surfaces through
- Postcolonial literature explores the impact of colonialism and hallucinations and obsession with the wallpaper.
the struggles of formerly colonised nations. It focuses on 2. . Id – Desire for Freedom and Creativity
identity, power, resistance and cultural conflict. - “I’ve got out at last... and I’ve pulled off most of the paper.”→
Key ideas Id breaks free by rejecting control and mental confinement.
1. Colonial oppression and its aftermath - explores colonial 3. Superego – Societal and Marital Expectations
powers exploited land/ people /resources. - “John says the very worst thing I can do is think about my
2. Identity crisis and hybridity- Native culture vs. colonizers condition.”→ Her husband represents the superego, silencing
influence (Bhabha) her mind and body.
3. Language as a tool of power
4. Representation and the other (Said) 4. Oedipal Conflict – Infantilization by Male Authority
The day they burnt the book Jean Rhys poco lens - “He said I was his darling and his comfort… I must take care
1. Colonial power and cultural dominance of myself for his sake.”→ She is treated like a child, reinforcing
Highlights British cultural hegemony dependency and unresolved father-daughter dynamics.
2. Resistance
Resistance by burning the books 6. Feminist literary criticism
3. Language as a tool of power - Feminist criticism is a critical approach to literature that seeks
4. Identity crisis to understand how gender and sexuality shape the meaning
5. Psychoanalytic and representation of literary texts.
- It’s a method or lens influenced by the tradition of - Has it’s roots in the 1800(first wave), Critical force in the early
psychoanalysis begun by Sigmund Freud. 1970 ( second wave)
- Helps us better understand human behavior. Key ideas
Key ideas 1. Patriarchy and Male Dominance
1. The unconscious mind - Literature often reflects and reinforces patriarchal structures
- storehouse of painful childhood memories that privilege men and marginalize women.
2. Id - ego- superego Freud’s model of the psyche 2. Representation of Women
- Id ( inherited part of the personality - Analyzes how women are portrayed in literature (e.g., passive,
- ego (who you are) irrational, domestic, objectified) and how these images uphold
- superego( governed by morals / societal scopes gender stereotypes.
3. The oedipal conflict 3. The Female Voice and Silence
- Child’s unconscious sexual for the opposite sex - Explores the absence or suppression of women’s voices and
parent and rivalry with the same sex parent perspectives; highlights efforts to reclaim and assert female
4. Defenses identity and expression.
- Process by which the contents of our unconscious 4. Gender as a Social Construct
are kept in the unconscious. - Challenges the idea that gender roles are natural, showing
- Selective perception/ selective memory/ denial/ how they are shaped by culture and society.
avoidance/ displacement/ projection
- A Work of Artifice – Marge Piercy
Eveline – James Joyce 1. Patriarchal Control
1. Unconscious Mind – Painful Childhood Memories
“It is the nature of women to be small and stay put.”→ Irony used to show 7. Reader response criticism
how patriarchy trains women to be submissive. - Modern reader response criticism began in the 1960’s and
2. Symbolism of Bonsai Tree 70’s in USA and germany by Norman Holland/ Stanley Fish,
“The bonsai tree... could have grown eighty feet tall.”→ The tree wolfgang iser, hans robert jaus Roland barthes
symbolizes women’s stunted potential under male dominance. Key ideas
3. Silencing Female Potential 1. Meaning depends on the reader, not just the text.
“With living wire, curled it gently.”→ Highlights systematic oppression - The text doesn’t have one fixed meaning; it gains
disguised as care. meaning through each reader’s interpretation.
4. Internalized Oppression→ The “gardener” shapes the tree — a 2. Each reader’s personal experience shapes their interpretation.
metaphor for how women are shaped by societal norms. - Readers bring their own background, feelings,
and beliefs, which influence how they understand
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers – Adrienne Rich a text.
1. Female Entrapment in Marriage 3. There is no single “correct” meaning—multiple valid readings
“The massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band / Sits heavily upon Aunt exist.
Jennifer’s hand.”→ Marriage is portrayed as restrictive, not freeing. - Different readers can interpret the same text in
2. Female Voice Through Art different but equally valid ways.
“Aunt Jennifer’s tigers prance across a screen.”→ Her embroidery 4. Reading is an active, creative process between reader and
becomes a silent but defiant expression of freedom. text.
3. Gendered Power Imbalance→ Aunt is submissive, but her tigers are - Readers don’t just passively absorb the text; they engage
“fearless,” reflecting repressed strength. with it, imagining and constructing meaning themselves.
4. Repression Even in Death
“When she is dead, her terrified hands will lie / Still ringed with ordeals she Old Man at the Bridge – Ernest Hemingway
was mastered by.”→ Even in death, patriarchal oppression lingers. 1. Emotional Sympathy for the Old Man
“He was sitting on the river bank, outside the gate, with his bags at his
Barbie Doll – Marge Piercy feet.”- Readers often feel compassion for his tired and helpless state.
1. Gender Stereotypes 2. Personal Reflection on War’s Impact
“She was advised to play coy, / exhorted to come on hearty.”→ Highlights “There were no boats to be had and the bridges were up.”
the conflicting and impossible expectations placed on girls. Readers may think about the disruption and fear caused by war.
2. Body Policing 3. Uncertain Fate Creates Unease
“Her good nature wore out / like a fan belt.” “He was too tired to go any farther.” - The open ending leaves readers
→ The emotional toll of being judged by appearance. anxious and pondering what happens next.
3. Objectification of Women 4. Symbolism of Care for Animals
“A turned-up putty nose, / dressed in a pink and white nightie.” “He had done nothing wrong and was unwilling to leave the animals
→ Death becomes the only way to finally meet beauty standards. behind.”- Readers empathize with his sense of responsibility and loss.
4. Tragic End of Social Conformity
“Consummation at last. / To every woman a happy ending.” Out, Out— – Robert Frost
→ Irony used to critique how society rewards female silence and 1. Shock at Sudden Tragedy
compliance. “The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard / And made dust and
dropped stove-length sticks of wood.”- Readers are jolted by the
Daystar – Rita Dove abruptness of the accident.
1. Domestic Oppression 2. Reflection on Fragility of Life
“She wanted a little room for thinking.”→ The speaker craves mental and “No one believed. They listened at his heart.”- The disbelief and denial
emotional space, denied by her role as wife/mother. evoke deep emotional responses about mortality.
2. Female Erasure 3. Detachment of Others
“She had an hour, at best, before the children woke.”→ Her identity is “And they, since they / Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs.”
reduced to caregiving duties. Readers may feel anger or sadness at human indifference to suffering.
3. Yearning for Autonomy 4. Childhood Lost to Harsh Reality
“She lugged a chair behind the garage / to sit out the children’s naps.”→ 5. “Little—less—nothing!—and that ended it.”- Readers mourn
Shows desperation for solitude and identity beyond housework. the boy’s life cut short and the loss of innocence.
4. Silent Resistance
→ Small acts like sitting outside become a form of resistance to gender
roles.
Sita Speaks - Bina Agarwal
1. Silencing of Women’s Voices
“Sita, speak your side of the story, / We know the other too well.”
→ Critiques how women’s perspectives are erased from dominant
(male-authored) narratives.
2. Patriarchal Expectations and Obedience
“Told you to be pliable as the bow / In your husband’s hand.”
→ Symbolizes how women are expected to be submissive and molded by
male control.
3. Double Victimization
“The chastity test on the scorching flames / The victim twice victimised.”
→ Highlights how Sita suffers not only abduction, but also blame and
punishment for it.
4. Critique of Misogynistic Literature
“The poets who wrote your story / Said: a woman is not worthy of hearing
the Ramayana...”
→ Exposes how literature reinforces gender inequality, denying women
both voice and value.
