GENERAL literary theories

Histo-biographical formal behavioral

Purdue Writing Lab. (n.d.). Introduction to Literary Theory // Purdue Writing Lab. Retrieved from https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/literary_theory_and_schools_of_criticism/index.html
Founded in 17 century th
Founded in 1915 – 1916 Founded in 19 century th

Most notably used by Samuel Formulated by the two First utilized and developed
Johnson, Schlegel, and Russian groups based on by Sigmund Freud in studies
Myers. linguistics
SALIENT CONCEPTS AND SALIENT CONCEPTS AND SALIENT CONCEPTS AND
IDEAS OF THE THEORY IDEAS OF THE THEORY IDEAS OF THE THEORY
• Focus on the life, times, • This approach views each • Focus on arguments, causes,
and environment of the author piece of literature that possesses all of and effects that create the meaning

University of Oxford. (n.d.). Literary Theory: An Introduction (Online). Retrieved from https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/courses/literary-theory-an-introduction-online
• A reader/a critic studies the work in its meaning inside the text within the text, whether coming from

accordance with the period in which • Meaning does not exist outside the
the work is produced text
• The life of the author, the historical • The history behind the text or its
events and the values of his/her age author’s biography do
help us understand the work, and in contribute to the text’s theme or
a similar way the literary work gives content
information of the author and his • Focus on the style, structure, tone,
Subject and Course Guides: Literary Criticism: Literary Theories. (2019, February 7). Retrieved from https://libguides.uta.edu/literarycriticism/theories
the author or from external factors
• Analyzes the action of either
characters or authors on the
not circumstances based on current facts
• Relates the social, cultural,
emotional, and mental attributes of
the character or author to the action

Literary Theory | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.iep.utm.edu/literary/

own period
Application of Theory
John Milton's sonnet “On the Late
Massacre in Piedmont” illustrates the
topical quality that great literature may
and often does possess. This poem commemorates
the slaughter in 1655 of the Waldenses, members of a
Protestant sect living in the valleys of northern Italy.
A knowledge of this background clarifies at least one
rather factual reference and two allusions in the
poem.
imagery, etc and analyze how certain
elements work together to form a
meaning Application
within the text of Theory
Tim O’Brien’s story “The Things They
Carry” (about his experience in the
Vietnam War) is analyzed not by using
his biography or history to interpret the story. Instead,
you look at all elements inside the work: diction (use
of language), character, plot, metaphor, and imagery.
Key questions a Formalist Critic asks: How does the
language and other literary elements convey a
specific representation of the Vietnam War?
Literary Theory, Movements, and Critics. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.shmoop.com/literary-criticism/
given to a particular circumstance
Application of Theory
To apply this theory to O’Brien’s short
story you can ask explore the narrator’s
psychology in the face of war; How does
the Vietnam War influence, both negatively and
positively, his psychology? What does the soldiers’
behavior reveal about the psychological stresses of
war? In a sense, society perceives war as horrid, and
it creates social stigma as well. Did the character
refer to any actions interrelated in the real world?

BRANCHING THEORIES BRANCHING THEORIES BRANCHING THEORIES

REFERENCES:
HISTORICI BIOGRAPHIC NEW NEW STRUCTURALIS DECONSTRUCTI PSYCHOANALYS GENDER/QUEE MARXISM
SM AL HISTORICISM CRITICISM M ON IS R
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