Literary theory

In today’s world, people have their own opinion of literature. What creates remarkable literature? Could it be the well-developed characters? Might it be the intricate conflicts? The answer: there is no definition of literature, only points where people can agree upon. Agreeing on literature, schools often provide lists where they recommend books off of it to students. Sadly, one remarkable book is not on that list. Palace of Mirrors, which was written by Margaret Peterson Haddix, is that book.…

Hermeneutical Method and Exegetical Paper Literary Criticism is a hermeneutical method which pays close attention to the structure of the text. One of the first question which should be asked when conducting a literary criticism is what genre does the text fall into? When performing a literary criticism as a hermeneutical method, it is also important to establish the pericope of the text as it is extremely unlikely and impractical that a literary criticism would be written about the entire…

There are millions of combinations of themes, perspectives, characters, plot, and style that a novel can be written in, and each one of those factors can carry significant meaning in a novel. Perspective, for example, can show what a single character or multiple characters are thinking and feeling. It describes their commonalities in the psyche and their differences. Published in 1932, by William Faulkner, The Unvanquished, a Civil War novel, was written more than sixty years after the war ended…

obvious to me when you do, and I’m not interested in what lame internet sites say. I want to know what you think. To analyze anything, consider its function (purpose) and form (design), and how the function and form work together. To apply this to literary criticism: Ask yourself what purposes the author has for writing -- what is he/she trying to show, or argue, or criticize, or question? Ask yourself how the author has formed the work -- what structures and techniques do you see him/her…

Context is an incredibly prominent aspect in the shaping of a text and is thus relevant in establishing value. Similarly a reader’s context is important in giving individuals value in a text. The composer’s personal vision and experience is seen prominently throughout texts and should be considered throughout their readings. The credibility of a composer and integrity that contributes to a text transcending context, including time and culture. A composer’s vision and experience is essential in…

A critical lens is a perspective that the reader uses to examine a piece of literature. Different lenses look for unique details and aspects in the text, and help the reader find new information that may have never been discovered had the piece only been read through one single perspective. The archetypal lens is a critical viewpoint which allows the reader to identify places in a story which follow or deviate from universal patterns, also known as archetypes. Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, is a…

Prior to reading Authority and American usage written by David Wallace by the title alone I had low expectation on how much I would enjoy the read but I grew to have a lot of interest in the reading. In the reading David Wallace raised the issues between Prescriptivism perception and descriptivism perception, as he goes back in history dates as far back as biblical times up to the present day observing how the English language has been constantly changing since the beginning of the English…

C.S. Lewis’s book, An Experiment in Criticism is about the quality of the book depends on how it is read since a book does not have a goal of being “good” or “bad”. Lewis achieves this by defining the differences between a “good” and “bad” reader within each chapter of the book. Lewis claims that “bad work never is nor can be enjoyed by anyone” (Page 21). This contradiction undermines Lewis by stating that there are such things as “good and bad art”. Lewis is logical with his syllogism and…

In The Crying of Lot 49, Oedipa Maas’ development as a reader represents the historical transformation from a traditional, transparent and factual way of understanding the world (typical of the 1950s and the Cold War period) towards a reading related to the possibility of multiple meanings and the metaphor (characteristic of the 1960s). In particular, the paranoid perception of reality, questioning the appearance of the things and looking for their transcendental meaning, allows the acceptance…

A literary work exists because of society. Literature is a written work and relates to the society, they cannot be separated. Through literature, we could see how the author depicts the society and their social circumstances. Therefore, literary work is the reflection of the real life. It can describe the events in our life, and also contains the stratification which indicates that literature and society is closely related because literature expresses the situations and problems existing in…