STUDYING LITERATURE

Mr. Joseph U. Loraza

STUDYING LITERATURE

• PHILOLOGY
• BRANCHES OF PHILOLOGY
• LITERARY THEORIES
• STANDARDS OF LITERATURE
• CORE OF ENGLISH LITERATURE
• ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE
• IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING LITERATURE
PHILOLOGY
• Philology is more commonly defined as the study of literary texts as well as
oral and written records, the establishment of their authenticity and their
original form, and the determination of their meaning. A person who pursues
this kind of study is known as a philologist.

• The term "philology" is derived from the Greek word (philología), from the
terms φίλος (phílos) "love, affection, or dear, friend" and λόγος (lógos) "word,
articulation, reason", describing a love of learning, of literature, as well as of
argument and reasoning, reflecting the range of activities included under the
notion of λόγος. The term changed little with the Latin philologia, and later
entered the English language in the 16th century in the sense of "love of
literature".
BRANCHES OF PHILOLOGY

• The comparative linguistics branch of philology that studies

the relationship between languages were first noted in the
early 16th century. Philology's interest in ancient languages
led to the study of what were, in the 18th century, "exotic"
languages, for the light they could cast on problems in
understanding and deciphering the origins of older texts.
BRANCHES OF PHILOLOGY

• Philology also includes the study of texts and their history. It

includes elements of textual criticism, trying to reconstruct an
author's original text based on variant copies of manuscripts.
This branch of research arose among ancient scholars in the
4th century BC - Greek-speaking world, who desired to
establish a standard text of popular authors for the purposes of
both sound interpretation and secure transmission. Since that
time, the original principles of textual criticism have been
improved and applied to other widely distributed texts.
BRANCHES OF PHILOLOGY

• Another branch is the cognitive philology which studies

written and oral texts. Cognitive philology considers these
oral texts as the results of human mental processes. This
branch compares the results of textual science with the
results of experimental research of both psychology and
artificial intelligence production systems.
BRANCHES OF PHILOLOGY
• In the case of Bronze Age literature, philology includes the prior
decipherment of the language under study. This has notably
been the case with the Egyptian, Sumerian, Assyrian and Hittite
languages. Beginning with the famous decipherment and
translation of the Rosetta Stone by Jean-François Champollion
in 1822, a number of individuals attempted to decipher the
writing systems of the ancient. In the case of Old Persian and
Mycenaean Greek, decipherment yielded older records of
languages already known from slightly more recent .
LITERARY THEORIES
• Formalism or New Criticism
• This approach views each piece of literature that possesses
all of its meaning inside the text. Meaning does not exist
outside the text. In other words, the history behind the text or
its author’s biography do not contribute to the text’s theme or
content. To analyze literature through formalism, you will
focus on the style, structure, tone, imagery, etc. You will
analyze how certain elements work together to create
meaning within a text.
LITERARY THEORIES
• Reader Response Criticism
• This approach views “literature” not as an object, like
formalism does, but as a dynamic interaction between the
text and reader. This theory holds that there are many
different ways to interpret the text based on the reader’s
cultural, religious, economic, etc. background. In other
words, readers bring their own thoughts, views, experiences
and attitudes to the text and interpret the story through a
personal lens.
LITERARY THEORIES

• Psychoanalytical Criticism
• Based on the theories of Freud, this criticism centers on the
psychology of the characters and analyzes character motivation,
behavior and actions. If you can figure out the protagonist’s
psychology, then you can use that to interpret the text. The
theory is also used to analyze the author’s state of mind. It
investigates the psychology of particular writer focusing how
an author’s biographical situations affect or influence their
selection of theme and use of literary techniques.
LITERARY THEORIES

• New Historicism Criticism

• Here, you research the historical time period and discuss the work
within its historical context. This theory looks at the cultural
makeup of a certain era and the ideas and values that define that
era. The text serves as a “retelling of history” and, if viewed as a
historical document, can supply a radically different viewpoint
than what is commonly known about an event, era and/or person.
New Historicism also provides cultural and historical critique as
well as helping the reader to find new meanings in a text.
LITERARY THEORIES
• Post-Colonial Criticism
• Using this critical method, you will analyze issues that are
caused by centuries colonialism, like England’s economic
role in India and Africa in the 1800 and 1900s. This theory
includes the dynamics of racism and Third World politics. If
you applied this theory to “The Things They Carried,” you
would research Vietnam as a former colony of France and
how/why the United States, as a powerful and wealthy
country, became involved in a civil war there.
STANDARDS OF LITERATURE
• Artistry is a quality that describes a novel's ability to reveal and convey hidden truth and
beauty.
• The second literary quality is suggestiveness, which is the novel's ability to appeal to the
reader's emotions and imagination and to open them up to new possibilities.
• Intellectual value is determined by the novel's relevance to society and its ability to
stimulate thought.
• Permanence is determined by how well a novel endures through the ages. There are many
novels that were popular in their time but gradually faded into obscurity and irrelevance.
• Universality is defined as a work of art that can appeal to a great number of people,
regardless of gender, race, nationality or income. Works that appeal to a person's heart or
describe the condition of human nature are considered universal texts.
• The last criterion is style, which is the author's unique way of expressing his or her thoughts.
CORE OF ENGLISH LITERATURE

• English Literature refers to the study of texts from around the

world, written in the English language. By studying a degree
in English Literature, you will learn how to analyze a
multitude of texts and write clearly using several different
styles. Generally, literature refers to different types of text
including novels, non-fiction, poetry, and plays, among other
forms. However, literature is a contested term, as new
mediums for communication provide different types of
contemporary literature.
CORE OF ENGLISH LITERATURE
• Literature is generally defined as writing with artistic merit.
However, other types of text such as screenplays, nonfiction,
song lyrics, and online communication through blogs and other
means, could now be considered literature under the
contemporary understanding of the term. The English Literature
programs in most major US institutions will largely study the
traditional literary texts. An English Literature major will likely
examine texts including poetry, drama, and prose fiction,
perhaps briefly covering more contested forms of literature in
their chosen path.
ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE
• CHARACTERS • CONFLICT
• SETTING • THEME
• POINT OF VIEW • STYLE
• PLOT • TONE
WHY STUDY LITERATURE?

• Studying Literature will give you a better understanding of

the world around you. A Literature degree provides
transferable skills that teach you to deconstruct and analyze
in order to provide a critical viewpoint in all areas. As an
international student, studying English Literature
demonstrates to an employer that you have a strong grasp of
the English language and are proficient in professional
English.
WHY STUDY LITERATURE?
• There are several different paths for careers in literature as a graduate.
You can also take graduate courses and become a teacher, lecturer, or
journalist, with common crossovers for graduating English students
including business, law, and education. Or you can use your analytical
skills to move into unexpected careers such as marketing, advertising,
or pretty much anything you are willing you adapt to. There are also
obvious positions available in the publishing industry, from editor, to
proofreader, to literary agent. Many creative writers, including
novelists, poets, and screenwriters, among others, start their careers by
gaining an in-depth understanding of written English before developing
their individual abilities for expression through writing.
WHY STUDY LITERATURE?

• If you want to gain a strong-hold on the English language, develop

your critical analysis of the world around you, and study in a degree
that will provide you with numerous different career opportunities.
Literature is everything. Literature provides life. Literature is life.
 “It matters not what
someone is born, but what
they grow to be!”
Harry Potter
THANK YOU
FOR
LISTENING!