Analyzing Literature

What is Literary Theory

The interpretation of literature is often subjective; the meaning of the text is often understood differently by various readers. The study of literature is often done using what is called Literary Theory, which defines various perspectives or a “lens” that we can use to read and understand literature. There are many types of literary theory, and the subject can be complex! There are entire books written about each of these and more, you will find a link to the Purdue Online Writing lab page to learn more detailed information about each of these very deep subjects.

Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalysis, or psychoanalytic criticism, took off in popularity in the early decades of the twentieth century. It is based upon the now debunked psychological studies done by Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis looks into unconscious thoughts and desires and the conflicts they create. Freud argued that three areas of the mind, the Id, the Ego, and the Superego create internal conflict as we move from adolescence to adulthood.

If you would like to explore psychoanalysis deeper, check out this website.

Foundational Questions of Psychoanalysis:

• What motivates the speaker or protagonist? Does the speaker or protagonist appear to be consciously or unconsciously motivated?

• How do desires and wishes manifest in the text? Do they remain largely fulfilled or unfilled? How does their fulfillment, or lack thereof, affect the character’s development?

• Does the text chart the emotional development of a character? How?

• How do the characters in the text evoke archetypal figures such as the Great or Nurturing Mother, the Wounded Child, the Whore, the Crone, the Lover, or the Destroying Angel?)

Feminism

Feminist theory can be traced to the theories of Simone de Beauvoir in The Second Sex (1929). Virginia Woolf also formed the foundation of feminist criticism in her seminal work, A Room of One’s Own. Feminist theory looks closely at how gender is portrayed in literature.

If you would like to learn more about Feminism as a literary lens, click here.

Foundational Questions of Feminist Criticism

• Consider stereotypical representations of women as the beloved, mothers, virgins, whores, and/or goddesses. Does the text refer to, uphold, or resist any of these stereotypes? How?

• What roles have been assigned to the men and women in the text? Are the roles stereotypical? Do gender roles conflict with personal desires?

• Does the text paint a picture of gender relations? If so, how would you describe gender relations in the text? On what are they based? What sustains them? What causes conflict between men and women?

• Are gender relations in the text celebrated? Denigrated? Mocked? Mystified? If so, how?

Post-Colonialism 

Post-colonial literary criticism frequently focuses on relationships between colonizers and colonized people. Post-colonial criticism also analyzes whether a text upholds or subverts colonial ideals.

If you would like to learn more about Postcolonial criticism, click here.

Foundational Questions of Post-Colonial Criticism

• Where and when is the work set—in a colony, a former colony, or a country that has gained its independence from Great Britain Spain, France, or another political power?

• How does the text depict relations between the colonizer and the colonized?

• What principles of colonialism operate in the text? Do colonial powers usurp land, exploit the economy or environment, or enslave the indigenous population?

• How do the colonial conflicts and politics of the text affect its meaning?