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Structuralism a-WPS Office

Structuralism is a literary theory that emerged to provide a scientific approach to analyzing texts by focusing on the underlying structures of language and culture. It posits that meaning is relational and constructed through the relationships between elements rather than inherent in individual elements. Despite its foundational role in literary criticism, structuralism faced challenges from post-structuralism, which argued for the instability of meaning and the importance of context.

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6 views

Structuralism a-WPS Office

Structuralism is a literary theory that emerged to provide a scientific approach to analyzing texts by focusing on the underlying structures of language and culture. It posits that meaning is relational and constructed through the relationships between elements rather than inherent in individual elements. Despite its foundational role in literary criticism, structuralism faced challenges from post-structuralism, which argued for the instability of meaning and the importance of context.

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maimunatsaeed5
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Structuralism as a Literary Theory

Structuralism as a literary theory emerged at a time when criticism was in a sorry


unscientific mess and needed to be smartly boiled up. It was a matter of feeble
value judgments and idle gossip and badly required the discipline of an objective
system, not a random collection of writings strung together throughout history.

Much of structuralism's difficulty comes from the fact that its founding fathers
have developed a fondness for inventing their own language and terms or definitions
(Stephen 2000: 279). Its language of discussion and writings often very difficult
and tangled, the issue complex and sometimes confused.

Structuralism aims to reveal the universal structure of language as a constructed


system of rules. Structuralism, as a term, suggests a concern with structures and
more particularly with examining the general laws by which they work.

Structuralism proposes that there is no such thing as natural meaning.

Structuralism is a way of thinking about the world which is predominantly concerned


with the perception and description of structures.

At its simplest, structuralism claims that the nature of every element in any given
situation has no significance by itself and is, in fact, determined by all the
other elements involved in that situation.

Structuralists believe that all human activity is constructed rather than natural
or "essential." Consequently, it is the systems of organization that are important.
What we do is always a matter of selection within a system of differences and has
meaning only in its relation to other possible activities within that system, not
to some meaning that emanates from nature or the divine.

Structuralism is a way of understanding culture and meaning in the arts by relating


the individual piece of art (a novel, a painting, a symphony) to something larger.

Structuralism comes from a branch of language study called "structural


linguistics." This approach was originally developed by a French linguist called
Ferdinand de Saussure31
Understanding Structuralism

Structuralism is a theoretical approach used to analyze culture, literature, and


language by understanding their underlying structures. It suggests that meaning in
human culture is derived from relationships between elements rather than from
individual elements themselves.

1. Origins and Development

Structuralism originated in the early 20th century and was initially developed in
the field of linguistics by Ferdinand de Saussure, a Swiss linguist. He introduced
key concepts such as:

Langue and Parole: "Langue" refers to the underlying system of language, while
"parole" refers to actual speech acts.

Signifier and Signified: A word (signifier) gains meaning through its association
with an idea or concept (signified).
Binary Oppositions: Structuralism often relies on pairs of opposites (e.g., good
vs. evil, light vs. dark) to understand meaning.

From linguistics, structuralist ideas spread into anthropology (Claude Lévi-


Strauss), psychoanalysis (Jacques Lacan), and literary theory (Roland Barthes).

2. Key Principles of Structuralism

Structuralism proposes that:

1. Meaning is Relational: No element has inherent meaning; instead, meaning emerges


from the system it belongs to.

2. Structures Govern Human Activity: All human thought and culture are shaped by
underlying structures, whether in language, myths, or social practices.

3. Differences Define Meaning: Meaning comes from differences between elements


rather than their individual characteristics.

4. No Essential Truth: Structuralists reject the idea of absolute or divine


meaning, suggesting that meaning is always constructed.

For example, in literature, structuralist critics analyze how narrative structures


(e.g., hero vs. villain, quest motifs) shape storytelling rather than focusing on
the author’s intent.

3. Structuralism in Literary Theory

Structuralism became significant in literary criticism, especially in the mid-20th


century. It provided a scientific approach to analyzing texts, emphasizing
structure over subjective interpretation. Key figures include:

Roland Barthes: Argued that texts should be seen as systems of signs, where meaning
is determined by cultural codes rather than the author's intention.

Tzvetan Todorov: Focused on narratology, identifying common structures in


storytelling.

Gérard Genette: Developed theories on narrative discourse, analyzing how stories


are structured.

Structuralist critics examine how literature follows predictable structures, such


as:

Propp’s Morphology of the Folktale: Identified 31 narrative functions in folk


tales.

Levi-Strauss’ Myth Analysis: Studied myths as structured systems with common


oppositions.
4. Criticism and Post-Structuralism

While structuralism provided valuable insights, it was later challenged by post-


structuralism in the 1960s-70s. Thinkers like Jacques Derrida and Michel Foucault
argued that meaning is not fixed but constantly shifting due to context and
interpretation.

Key criticisms of structuralism include:

Overemphasis on Structure: Critics argue it ignores individual agency and


historical context.

Determinism: Structuralism suggests humans are passive products of systems,


reducing their capacity for independent thought.

Ambiguity of Meaning: Post-structuralists like Derrida's deconstruction show how


meaning is unstable and cannot be reduced to binary oppositions.

5. Conclusion

Structuralism remains a foundational theory in humanities and social sciences.


While its rigid structural approach has been questioned, its influence persists in
fields like semiotics, linguistics, and literary theory.

References

1. Saussure, F. de. (1916). Course in General Linguistics. McGraw-Hill.


2. Lévi-Strauss, C. (1963). Structural Anthropology. Basic Books.
3. Barthes, R. (1977). Image-Music-Text. Hill and Wang.
4. Derrida, J. (1976). Of Grammatology. Johns Hopkins University Press.

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