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1、Literary Criticism: MapThis map shows loosely where the critical approaches fall.Map ExplanationThe work itself is placed in the center because all approaches must deal, to some extent or another, with the text itself. Formalism and deconstruction are placed here also because they deal primarily wit
2、h 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. Deconstructionists also subject texts to careful, form
3、al analysis; however, they reach an opposite conclusion: there is no meaning in language. A historical approach 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.
4、In this view, the work is informed by the authors beliefs, prejudices, time, and history, and to fully understand the work, we must understand the author and his age. An intertextual approach is concerned with comparing the work in question to other literature, to get a broader picture.Reader-Respon
5、se is concerned with how the work is viewed by the audience. In this approach, the reader creates meaning, not the author or the work. Mimetic criticism seeks to see how well a work accords with the real world. Then, beyond the real world are approaches dealing with the spiritual and the symbolic-th
6、e images connecting people throughout time and cultures (archetypes). This is mimetic in a sense too, but the congruency looked for is not so much with the real world as with something beyond the real world-something tying in all the worlds/times/cultures inhabited by man.The Psychological approach
7、is placed outside these poles because it can fit in many places, depending how it is applied:(1) Historical if diagnosing the author himself(2) Mimetic if considering if characters are acting by real world standards and with recognizable psychological motivations(3) Archetypal when the idea of the J
8、ungian collective unconscious is included(4) Reader-Response when the psychology of the reader-why he sees what he sees in the text-is examined. Likewise, Feminist, Minority, Marxist, and other such approaches may fit in:(1) Historical if the authors attitudes are being examined in relation to his t
9、imes (i.e. was Shakespeare a feminist for his times, though he might not be considered so today?)(2) Mimetic-when asking how well characters accord with the real world. Does a black character act like a black person would, or is he a stereotype? Are women being portrayed accurately? Does the work sh
10、ow a realistic economic picture of the world?The Purpose of Criticism:Literary criticism has at least three purposes.(1) To help us solve a problem in the reading. (2) To help us choose the better of two conflicting readings. (3) To enable us to form judgments about literature. Historical / Biograph
11、ical Approach: （推荐）Definition: Historical / Biographical critics see works as the reflection of an authors life and times (or of the characters life and times). They believe it is necessary to know about the author and the political, economical, and sociological context of his times in order to trul
12、y understand his works.Advantages: This approach works well for some works-like those of Alexander Pope, John Dryden, and Milton-which are obviously political in nature. One must know Milton was blind, for instance, for On His Blindness to have any meaning. And one must know something about the Excl
13、usion Bill Crisis to appreciate John Drydens Absalom and Achitophel. It also is necessary to take a historical approach in order to place allusions in there proper classical, political, or biblical background. Disadvantages: New Critics refer to the historical / biographical critics belief that the
14、meaning or value of a work may be determined by the authors intention as the intentional fallacy. They believe that this approach tends to reduce art to the level of biography and make it relative (to the times) rather than universal.Moral / Philosophical Approach: Definition: Moral/philosophical cr
15、itics believe that the larger purpose of literature is to teach morality and to probe philosophical issues. Practitioners:Matthew Arnold - argued works must have high seriousnessPlato - insisted literature must exhibit moralism and utilitarianismHorace - felt literature should be delightful and inst
16、ructiveAdvantages: This approach is useful for such works as Alexander Popes An Essay on Man, which does present an obvious moral philosophy. It is also useful when considering the themes of works (for example, mans inhumanity to man in Mark Twains Huckelberry Finn). Finally, it does not view literature merely as art isolated from all moral implications; it recognizes that literature can
