1.

Formalist Approach:

Example: A formalist critique of Romeo and Juliet would focus on the play's
structure, use of language, and themes. For instance, the use of iambic
pentameter in the dialogue, especially in the opening chorus, creates a
sense of rhythm and anticipation. The tragic ending is foreshadowed through
various literary devices such as foreshadowing and dramatic irony. The
emphasis would be on the way these elements contribute to the overall
tragic nature of the play.

Explanation: The formalist approach examines the internal elements of the

text, such as structure, symbolism, and language, without considering
external factors like historical context or authorial intent.

2. Gender Criticism:

Example: In a gender critique, the relationship between Romeo and Juliet can
be analyzed through the lens of gender roles. Juliet, although in love with
Romeo, is expected to conform to societal norms, particularly regarding
marriage. The criticism would explore how these expectations limit her
agency, as she has little control over her future despite her strong will and
love for Romeo. The portrayal of Juliet’s role in the marriage negotiations
contrasts with Romeo’s relatively free actions as a man.

Explanation: Gender criticism focuses on how gender dynamics influence

literature. It looks at how masculinity and femininity are portrayed and how
these roles shape characters' actions and relationships.

3. Historical Criticism:

Example: A historical critique of Romeo and Juliet would consider the societal
norms and family structures in Renaissance Italy. The tension between the
Montagues and Capulets reflects the deeply entrenched feuds of the time,
mirroring historical family rivalries that affected social order. Additionally, the
pressure on young people to marry within their social class and family
expectations speaks to the historical context of arranged marriages.
Explanation: Historical criticism looks at the social, cultural, and historical
contexts in which a text was created. It explores how these contexts
influence the content and themes of the work.

4. Reader-Response Criticism:

Example: From a reader-response perspective, one reader might empathize

deeply with Juliet’s predicament, particularly her decision to fake her death
in order to escape an arranged marriage. A different reader might focus on
Romeo’s impulsive decisions and feel frustration at his lack of foresight. Each
reader brings their own personal experiences, such as their views on love,
family, or individual agency, which influences their interpretation of the
play’s themes.

Explanation: Reader-response criticism emphasizes how individual readers

bring their own perspectives, emotions, and experiences to a text, making
each reading unique.

5. Media Criticism:

Example: If a modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet were presented in the

media, a media critic might analyze how the production handles themes of
violence, love, and tragedy. The critic could point out how the media may
romanticize the young lovers’ deaths by focusing on their passion, or how it
may manipulate the audience’s emotions with music and camera angles to
highlight certain themes over others, such as fate or rebellion.

Explanation: Media criticism examines how the media presents a text or a

story and how this affects the audience's perception of the issues involved. It
often addresses bias, framing, or emotional manipulation.

6. Structuralist Criticism:

Example: A structuralist approach to Romeo and Juliet would analyze the

play's structure by looking at how it follows a typical tragic narrative. The
critique would identify recurring motifs, such as the dualities of love and
hate, fate and free will, and life and death, and how these binaries help
structure the conflict and resolution. Structuralists would explore how these
patterns appear not only in this play but across various works of literature.

Explanation: Structuralist criticism focuses on identifying universal structures

and patterns in literature, such as binary oppositions, that shape meaning
and influence how stories are told.

These examples illustrate how different critical approaches can provide

unique insights into the text of Romeo and Juliet, helping to deepen our
understanding of the play.

1. Formalist Criticism

This approach regards literature as “a unique form of human knowledge that

needs to be examined on its own terms. All the elements necessary for
understanding the work are contained within the work itself. Of particular
interest to the formalist critic are the elements of form-style, structure, tone,
imagery, etc. that are found within the text. A primary goal for formalist
critics is to determine how such elements work together with the text’s
content to shape its effects upon readers.

2. Gender Criticism

This approach “examines how sexual identity influences the creation and
reception of literary works. Originally an offshoot of feminist movements,
gender criticism today includes a number of approaches, including the so-
called “masculinist” approach recently advocated by poet Robert Bly. The
bulk of gender criticism, however, is feminist and takes as a central precept
that the patriarchal attitudes that have dominated western thought have
resulted, consciously or unconsciously, in literature “full of unexamined
‘male-produced assumptions.” Feminist criticism attempts to correct this
imbalance by analyzing and combatting suchattitudes-by questioning, for
example, why none of the characters in Shakespeare’splay Othello ever
challenge the right of a husband to murder a wife accused of adultery. Other
goals of feminist critics include “analyzing how sexual identity influences the
reader of a text” and “examining how the images of men and women
inimaginative literature reflect or reject the social forces that have
historically kept the sexes from achieving total equality.”
 3. Historical Criticism

This approach “seeks to understand a literary work byinvestigating the

social, cultural, and intellectual context that produced it-a context that
necessarily includes the artist’s biography and milieu. A key goal for
historical critics is to understand the effect of a literary work upon its original
readers.

4. Reader Response Criticism

This approach takes as a fundamental tenet that “literature” exists not as an

artifact upon a printed page but as a transaction between the physical text
and the mind of a reader. It attempts to describe what happens in the
reader’s mind while interpreting a text and reflects that reading, like writing,
is a creative process.

5. Media Criticism

It is the act of closely examining and judging the media. When we examine
the media and various media stories, we often find instances of media bias.
Media bias is the perception that the media is reporting the news in a partial
or prejudiced manner. Media bias occurs when the media seems to push a
specific viewpoint, rather than reporting the news objectively. Keep in mind
that media bias also occurs when the media seems to ignore an important
aspect of the story. This is the case in the news story about the puppies.

6. Marxist Criticism

It focuses on the economic and political elements of art, often emphasizing

the ideological content of literature; because Marxist criticism often argues
that all art is political, either challenging or endorsing (by silence) the status
quo, it is frequently evaluative and judgmental, a tendency that “can lead to
reductive judgment, as when Soviet critics rated Jack London better than
William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, Edith Wharton, and Henry James,
because he illustrated the principles of class struggle more clearly.”
Nonetheless, Marxist criticism “can illuminate political and economic
dimensions of literature other approaches overlook.”
 7. Structuralism

It focused on how human behavior is determined by social, cultural and

psychological structures. It tended to offer a single unified approach to
human life that would embrace all disciplines. The essence of structuralism is
the belief that. “things cannot be understood in isolation, they have to be
seen in the context of larger structures which contain them. For example, the
structuralist analysis of Donne’s poem, Good Morrow, demands more focus
on the relevant genre, the concept of courtly love, rather than on the close
reading of the formal elements of the text.

1. Formalist Criticism

This approach regards literature as "a unique form of human knowledge that
needs to be examined on its own terms. All the elements necessary for
understanding the work are contained within the work itself. Of particular
interest to the formalist critic are the elements of form-style, structure, tone,
imagery, etc. that are found within the text. A primary goal for formalist
critics is to determine how such elements work together with the text's
content to shape its effects upon readers.

External context refers to information outside the text that may influence its
understanding, such as:

1. Author's Background - The writer's life, beliefs, and experiences.

2. Historical Setting - The time and place in which the work was
created.
3. Cultural Influences - Traditions, values, or societal norms of the time.
4. Reader's Perspective - Personal beliefs or experiences brought by
the reader.
5. Political or Social Events - Events occurring during the text's
creation that might shape its themes.

This approach focuses solely on the text itself, disregarding these external
factors.
2. Gender Criticism

This approach "examines how sexual identity influences the creation and
reception of literary works. Originally an offshoot of feminist movements,
gender criticism today includes a number of approaches, including the so-
called "masculinist" approach recently advocated by poet Robert Bly. The
bulk of gender criticism, however, is feminist and takes as a central precept
that the patriarchal attitudes that have dominated western thought have
resulted, consciously or unconsciously, in literature "full of unexamined
'male-produced assumptions." Feminist criticism attempts to correct this
imbalance by analyzing and combatting suchattitudes-by questioning, for
example, why none of the characters in Shakespeare'splay Othello ever
challenge the right of a husband to murder a wife accused of adultery. Other
goals of feminist critics include "analyzing how sexual identity influences the
reader of a text" and "examining how the images of men and women
inimaginative literature reflect or reject the social forces that have
historically kept the sexes from achieving total equality."

3. Historical Criticism

This approach "seeks to understand a literary work by investigating the

social, cultural, and intellectual context that produced it-a context that
necessarily includes the artist's biography and milieu. A key goal for
historical critics is to understand the effect of a literary work upon its original
readers.

4. Reader Response Criticism

This approach takes as a fundamental tenet that "literature" exists not as an

artifact upon a printed page but as a transaction between the physical text
and the mind of a reader. It attempts to describe what happens in the
reader's mind while interpreting a text and reflects that reading, like writing,
is a creative process.

5. Media Criticism
It is the act of closely examining and judging the media. When we examine
the media and various media stories, we often find instances of media bias.
Media bias is the perception that the media is reporting the news in a partial
or prejudiced manner. Media bias occurs when the media seems to push a
specific viewpoint, rather than reporting the news objectively. Keep in mind
that media bias also occurs when the media seems to ignore an important
aspect of the story. This is the case in the news story about the puppies.

6. Marxist Criticism

It focuses on the economic and political elements of art, often emphasizing

the ideological content of literature; because Marxist criticism often argues
that all art is political, either challenging or endorsing (by silence) the status
quo, it is frequently evaluative and judgmental, a tendency that "can lead to
reductive judgment, as when Soviet critics rated Jack London better than
William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, Edith Wharton, and Henry James,
because he illustrated the principles of class struggle more clearly."
Nonetheless, Marxist criticism "can illuminate political and economic
dimensions of literature other approaches overlook."

7. Structuralism

It focused on how human behavior is determined by social, cultural and

psychological structures. It tended to offer a single unified approach to
human life that would embrace all disciplines. The essence of structuralism is
the belief that. "things cannot be understood in isolation, they have to be
seen in the context of larger structures which contain them. For example, the
structuralist analysis of Donne's poem, Good Morrow, demands more focus
on the relevant genre, the concept of courtly love, rather than on the close
reading of the formal elements of the text.

1. Formalist Approach

•Focuses solely on the text itself—its structure, language, literary devices,

and themes.

•Emphasizes close reading to uncover the intrinsic features of the text.

•Ignores external factors like the author’s life, historical context, or readers’
interpretations.

Key Questions:

•How do the elements of the text work together to create meaning?

•What literary techniques are used, and how do they enhance the text?

2. Gender Criticism

•Examines how literature represents and constructs gender roles and

identities.

•Often incorporates feminist theory, queer theory, or masculinity studies.

•Explores issues like gender inequality, stereotypes, and the portrayal of

relationships.

Key Questions:

•How are women and men portrayed in the text?

•Does the text challenge or reinforce gender norms?

3. Historical Approach

•Analyzes the text in the context of the historical period or cultural setting in
which it was written.

•Investigates how historical events, cultural attitudes, or societal changes

influence the text.

•May also consider how the text reflects or critiques its era.

Key Questions:

•What historical events or societal norms are reflected in the text?

•How does the author’s context shape the story?

4. Reader-Response Criticism

•Emphasizes the reader’s role in creating meaning.

•Argues that different readers bring unique interpretations based on their

backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

•Focuses on how the text makes the reader feel or think.

Key Questions:

•How do your experiences affect your interpretation of the text?

•What emotions or ideas does the text evoke

5. Media Criticism

•Explores how literature interacts with other media forms (e.g., films, digital
platforms, or art).

•Investigates adaptations, intertextuality, and the influence of media on

storytelling.

•May focus on how media technologies shape the production or reception of

a text.

Key Questions:

•How does this text engage with or differ from its media adaptations?

•What role does technology play in the narrative?

1. FORMALISM. It claims that literary works contain intrinsic properties

and treat each work as a distinct work of art. It posits the key to
understanding a text is through the text itself: the historical context,
the author, or any other external contexts are not necessary in
interpreting the meaning.

The common aspects looked into formalism are the following:

•Central passage that sums up the entirety of the work.

•Relationship of the form and the content. Use of imagery to develop the
symbols in the work.

•Interconnectedness of various parts of the work paradox, ambiguity and

irony in the work.

•Unity in the work Contribution of parts and the work as a whole to its
aesthetic quality.

•Author’s techniques in resolving contradictions within the work.

2. FEMINISM. It focuses on how literature presents women as subjects of

socio-political, psychological, and economic oppression. It also reveals
 how aspects of our culture are patriarchal, i.e., how our culture views
men as superior and women as inferior.

The common aspects looked into when using feminism are the following:

•How patriarchal ideology is an overpowering presence.

•How culture determines gender How gender issues are presented in literary
works and other aspects of human production and daily life.

•How gender equality is presented in the text.

3. READER-RESPONSE CRITICISM. It is concerned with the reviewer’s

reaction as an audience of a work. This approach claims that the
reader’s role cannot be separated from understanding of the work; a
text does not have a meaning until the reader reads it and interprets it.
Readers are therefore not passive and distant but are active
consumers of the material presented to them.

The common aspects looked into reader-response criticism are the following:

•The impact of the reader’s delivery of sounds and visuals on enhancing and
changing meaning. Interaction between the reader and the text in creating
meaning.

4. MARXIST CRITICISM. It concerned with differences between economic

classes and implications of a capitalist system, such as the continuing
conflicts between the working class and the elite. Hence, it attempts to
reveal that the ultimate source of people’s experience is the
socioeconomic system.

The common aspects looked into Marxist criticism are the following:

•Social class of the characters Social class of the writer/creator Social class
as represented in the work

•Conflicts and interactions between economic classes

5. SOCIOLOGICAL CRITICISM. It argues that social context must be taken

into consideration when analyzing a text.

•Focuses on man’s relationship to others in society, politics, religion, and

business.

•Focuses on the beliefs and values of society and how they are reflected in a
text.
 6. STRUCTURALISM. It focused on how human behavior is determined by
social, cultural and psychological structures. It tended to offer a single
unified approach to human life that would embrace all disciplines. The
essence of structuralism is the belief that “things cannot be
understood in isolation, they have to be seen in the context of larger
structures which contain them.

•For example, the structuralist analysis of Donne’s poem, Good Morrow,

demands more focus on the relevant genre, the concept of courtly love,
rather than on the close reading of the formal elements of the text.

7. GENDER CRITICISM. This approach “examines how sexual identity

influences the creation and reception of literary works.” Originally an
offshoot of feminist movements, gender criticism today Includes a
number of approaches, including the so-called “masculinist” approach
recently advocated by poet Robert Bly. The bulk of gender criticism,
however, is feminist and takes as a central precept that the patriarchal
attitudes that have dominated western thought have resulted,
consciously or unconsciously, in literature “full of unexamined ‘male-
produced” assumptions.”

8. HISTORICAL. This approach “seeks to understand a literary work by

investigating the social, cultural, and intellectual context that produced
it-a context that necessarily includes the artist’s biography and milieu.”
A key goal for historical critics is to understand the effect of a literary
work upon its original readers.

1. While reading a poem, you focus solely on its structure, rhyme scheme,
and use of literary devices like metaphors and imagery, ignoring the
author's background or historical context.
 Gender Criticism: Analyzing a novel like Pride and Prejudice, you
examine how characters like Elizabeth Bennet challenge traditional
gender roles and how the novel reflects societal views on women’s
roles in marriage.
 Historical Criticism: When reading The Great Gatsby, you explore
how the story reflects the values and social dynamics of the 1920s,
 including the impact of the post-World War I era and the American
Dream.
 Reader-Response Criticism: After reading Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer’s Stone, you reflect on how your own experiences as a reader
influence your interpretation of themes like friendship, bravery, and
identity, compared to other readers.
 Media Criticism: Watching a news broadcast about a political debate,
you analyze the language used to describe the candidates, looking for
biased framing or omission of key facts that could sway the audience’s
opinion.
 Structuralist Criticism: Reading Cinderella, you identify recurring
motifs in fairy tales, such as the transformation of the protagonist, and
explore how these patterns reflect deeper universal structures in
storytelling across cultures.
 Formalist Approach: While analyzing a short story, you focus on how
the narrative is built through its plot structure, the progression of
conflict, and the author’s use of symbolism, disregarding any outside
historical or cultural context.
 Gender Criticism: In a film like The Hunger Games, you explore how
Katniss Everdeen’s character challenges traditional female stereotypes
and how the portrayal of gender roles in the dystopian society affects
the story’s themes.
 Historical Criticism: While reading Of Mice and Men, you examine
how the novel’s depiction of marginalized characters during the Great
Depression reveals the harsh economic conditions and racial prejudices
of the time.
 Reader-Response Criticism: When reading a classic novel like To Kill
a Mockingbird, you reflect on how your own cultural background,
experiences, and emotional responses shape your understanding of
the book’s themes of racism and justice.