3RD QUARTER REVIEWER IN ENGLISH

➢ LITERATURE
- any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically
considered to be
an art form, especially prose, fiction, drama, poetry, and including both print and digital writing

➢ CRITICISM

● Critique (verb)
- means to critically evaluate, analyze or give careful judgment in which you give your
opinion about literary work

● Critique (noun) - is a detailed evaluation or analysis of a literary piece

● Critic - is a person who judges, evaluates, or analyzes a literary piece

➢ LITERARY CRITICISM
- Is a description, evaluation, analysis, or interpretation of a particular literary work
or an author’s writing as a whole
- The purpose of literary criticism is to broaden readers' understanding of an author’s
work by summarizing, interpreting, and exploring its value.
- After giving the text a close reading, a critic formulates a comprehensive literary
analysis that can inform or challenge another reader ’ s understanding of the text.

APPROACHES/ THEORIES OF LITERARY CRITICISM

1. FORMALIST LITERARY CRITICISM

- It is also called Russian Formalism or New Criticism.
- It is a literary approach and theory that focuses on the form and structure and language of
a particular text.
It does not consider any external influences like the author's biography or historical context.
- A primary goal for formalist critics is to determine how such elements work together with
the text’s content to shape its effects upon the readers.

HERE ARE THREE SIMPLIFIED STEPS TO FOLLOW WHEN USING THE FORMALIST
APPROACH:

1.1. Close Reading:

- Carefully read and analyze the text, paying close attention to its form, structure, and literary
devices.
- Focus on the language, imagery, symbolism, and other elements that contribute to the
aesthetic experience.
1.2. Examine Literary Devices and Structure:
- Identify and analyze the literary devices employed by the
author, such as metaphor, symbolism, and irony.
- Consider the overall structure of the text, including plot
organization, narrative perspective, and
any distinctive literary techniques.

1.3. Formulate Interpretations Based on Intrinsic

Elements:
- Develop interpretations of the text's meaning based
solely on the intrinsic elements present in the work.
- Avoid bringing in external information (author's biography, historical context) and focus on
how the formal elements contribute to the overall significance of the text.

2. MARXIST CRITICISM
- This theory is based on the ideology of Karl
Marx, a German philosopher who criticized the
inherent injustice in the European
class/capitalist system of economics operating
in the 19th Century.
- is a literary theory that analyzes literature
through the lens of socio-economic and class
structures.
- It can be employed when you want to explore
how societal forces, economic conditions, and
power dynamics influence the narrative ,
characters , and themes in a literary work.

Consider using Marxist criticism when:

➔ Examining Class Relations:

- If the story prominently features class distinctions or struggles, Marxist criticism
can help uncover how economic conditions shape characters and their
interactions.
➔ Analyzing Power Dynamics:
- Marxist criticism is useful when exploring power imbalances, oppression, and conflicts
arising from economic disparities within the narrative.

➔ Understanding Ideological Perspectives:

- Use Marxist criticism to investigate how the text reflects or challenges prevailing
ideologies related to capitalism, socialism, or other economic systems.
 ➔ Uncovering Economic Motivations:
- If characters' motivations are strongly tied to economic factors, such as wealth, poverty,
or the pursuit of resources, a Marxist approach can provide insightful analysis.
➔ Interpreting Historical Context:
- When studying literature in the context of a particular historical period marked by
significant socio-economic changes, Marxist criticism can illuminate connections
between the text and its historical backdrop.
➔ Exploring Alienation:
- Marxist criticism is applicable when examining themes of alienation (the feeling that
you have no connection with the people around you or that you are not part of a
group) and exploitation (the use of something in order to get an advantage from it)
experienced by characters in relation to their socio-economic circumstances.)

3. HISTORICAL LITERARY CRITICISM

- It posits that every literary work is the product of its time and its world. It focuses
on connection of work to the historical period in which it was written; literary
historians attempt to connect the historical background of the work to specific aspects of
the work.
- It examines a literary work in the context of its historical period.
- It considers how historical events, social conditions, and cultural norms influence
and are reflected in the text.
- 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. In this view, the work is
informed by the author ’ s beliefs, prejudices, time, and history, and to fully
understand it; the reader must understand the author’s age (period). including facts
about the author's life and the historical and social circumstances of the time.
- It involves looking beyond the literature at the broader historical and cultural
events occurring during the time the piece was written.
- An understanding of the world the author lived in allows for a more comprehensive
understanding of the work.

What are the considerations in writing a historical approach:

3.1. Understanding of the world the author lived in
3.2 Ideas circulating at the time of writing
3.3 When the work was written
3.4. Events occurring at the time of writing
3.5. What the work meant to the people who first read it

Here are three steps to follow in using the Historical Approach:

1. Contextualize the Work:
- Research the Historical Period: Gain an understanding of the historical period in which
the literary work was written. Consider the political, social, economic, and cultural
conditions of the time.
- Examine Author's Background: Investigate the author's life and background, taking
into account their experiences, beliefs, and social milieu. Understanding the author's
context can provide insights into their motivations and influences.

2. Identify Historical Influences in the Text:

- Analyze Setting and Characters: Consider how the setting and characters in the
literary work reflects the historical context. Explore how societal norms, values, and
conflicts of the time are depicted.
- Examine Themes and Motifs: Analyze the themes and motifs in the text, and relate
them to broader historical issues. Consider how the work engages with or reacts to
significant events or movements of the period.

3. Explore Cultural and Ideological Aspects:

- Consider Ideological Perspectives: Investigate the dominant ideologies of the
historical period and how they are reflected or challenged in the literary work. This
may include exploring political ideologies, religious beliefs, or philosophical perspectives.
- Examine Language and Style: Analyze the language and style used by the author
in the context of prevailing literary trends of the time. Consider how the author's
language choices may be influenced by or in reaction to historical events or cultural
shifts.

4. FEMINIST LITERARY CRITICISM

- Feminist criticism is concerned with "the ways in which literature (and other cultural
productions) reinforce or undermine the economic, political, social, and
psychological oppression of women" (Tyson 83).
- It explores the roles, positions, and influences of women in society as depicted in
texts. It scrutinizes how both female and male authors write about female
consciousness, often analyzing the challenges women face in stories.
- This approach critiques conventional notions of women in literature, examining gender
roles, relationships, and the treatment of women.
- Furthermore, it delves into how literary works represent and challenge gender
dynamics and stereotypes.

5. MORAL PHILOSOPHICAL LITERARY CRITICISM

Nihilism vs. Absurdism vs. Existentialism

● Nihilism
● is the realization that there is no objective meaning.
 ● Absurdism
- on the other hand says that we shouldn’t seek to create our own
meaning but we should stare into the face of the Absurd and rebel
against this meaninglessness.
● Existentialism
- answers this by saying that it is possible to create our own meaning through
the choices we make in our lives.

MORAL PHILOSOPHICAL LITERARY CRITICISM

- Moral / philosophical critics believe that the larger purpose of literature is to teach
morality and to probe philosophical issues.
- It is useful when considering the themes of works, the view of the world, the moral
statements, and the author's philosophy.
- A text is considered good if it leads us to understand our inner emotions.
- This approach works for texts that have an obvious moral philosophy.
- It does not view literature merely as "art" isolated from all moral implications; it
recognizes that literature can affect readers, whether subtly or directly, and that the
message of a work--and not just the decorous vehicle (mere display of information) for
that message-is important.
- Critics may also examine the moral effect or value of a work in a more general way,
considering how the image, events, character and even styles in work affects its
reader as a moral being.
- The Christian Bible and any other religious guide book is a form of Moral
literature. “A man, to be greatly good, must imagine intensely and comprehensively; he
must put himself in the place of another and of many Others... The great instrument of
moral good is the imagination” (Shelley , 1904)