LITERARY THEORIES

AND CRITICISM I
A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

ELIT 401
WEEK 1

FACILITATOR:
DR SADIYA ABUBAKAR
INTRODUCTION

• What is Literature?
A body of written works. The name has traditionally been applied to those
imaginative works of poetry and prose distinguished by the intentions of their
authors and the perceived aesthetic excellence of their execution. (Britannica)
• What is a Theory?
A theory is the general or abstract principles of a body of fact, a science, or
an art. (Merriam Webster)
• So Literary Theory is?
Ideas and principles that inform or shape our understanding of literature. Literary
theory refers to the various school of thoughts that shape and affect our
interpretations of a literary work.
LITERARY THEORY
• The systematic or methodical study of the characteristics of literature and
the techniques used to analyse it is known as literary theory.
• In essence, Literary theory refers to the various school of thoughts that
shape and affect our interpretations of a literary work.
• It offers a framework for interpreting, analysing, and evaluating literary
works.
• Literary theory explores how we comprehend writings, what meanings they
carry, and how various perspectives (historical, social, psychological)
impact our reading of literature, in contrast to concentrating only on the
content of a work.
• It is theory that facilitates impactful and effective criticism of literature. For
example, your understanding of the postcolonial theory will facilitate the
postcolonial criticism of a literary work.
• Thus, it gives readers the tools they need to think critically and enables
them to find wider contexts and deeper meanings in works.
Literary theory as
a
reading lens
The reader (you)

Through the lens

(the theory)

Sees the world

(Reads the text)
The THEORY
informs the
reader’s
worldview/persp
ective
LITERARY CRITICISM
• What is criticism?
A writing or speech that expresses opinions or judgments about the good or
bad qualities of something or someone, especially books, films, etc. (
Cambridge Dictionary)
• Then Literary Criticism is?
The analysis and judgement of the merits and faults of a literary work.
It is the comparison, analysis, interpretation, and/or evaluation of works of
literature. It is essentially an opinion, supported by evidence, relating to
theme, style, setting or historical or political context.
In essence, literary criticism, can easily be understood as the reasoned
consideration of literary works and issues. It applies, as a term, to any
argumentation about literature, whether or not specific works are analyzed. (
Britannica)
 Literary criticism?

Scrutinizing?
Wait Restructuring?
Examining?
…
Judgement?
what?
Analysis?
Interpretation?
Evaluation
This
or
That?
 DID YOU KNOW?
In the west, LITERARY CRITICISM is assumed to have begun in the 5 th century
BCE Athens. The performance of Aristophanes’ play, The Frogs in 405 BCE as
a part of a contest dates the beginning. The play was subjected to the
judgement of some kind of an authority who decides the best play,
with respect to certain criteria. The authority here is supposed to have
given a start to the ongoing debate “about the nature and function of
literature”, introducing “the formal study of literary criticism”. (Source)
CLASSICAL PERIOD – 5TH CENTURY
Plato 427 - 347
Aristotle 384 - 322
Horace
Little background
There’s a group of academic geniuses called THE SOPHISTS who appreciated poetry for its beauty
and diction. But someone found a problem with what the Sophists did and how they did it, Plato
wasn’t impressed by the Sophists. This is how literary criticism started…. Articulation of an opinion
about someone or something literary.
“Sophists prioritized winning or succeeding over everything else. The early
Sophists such as Gorgias and Thrasymachus did not view language and poetry as
a medium for representing the truth. Instead, they considered language as a tool
of thought formation and persuasion. The Sophists utilized language and poetry
to persuade the audience to conform and comply with their point of views. They
prioritized influencing the audience over representing truth, wisdom, and reality.”
(source)
PLATO 427 – 347 BC

Who is Plato?
A Greek Philosopher
Plato disregards poetry, he finds it unrealistic and
misleading. For Plato poetry is:
• Irrational and based on inspiration rather than
knowledge
• Does not represent reality or truth
• Does not teach morality
• Depicts false role models and images
• Plato believes the ultimate reality lies in the world of
ideas, with the physical world being an imitation. Poets,
who imitate the physical world, are often distant from
this reality due to their lack of logic and reason. This
leads to the danger of setting bad examples. Plato
banishes poets from society if they are good liars, while
those who praise loyal Greeks can stay.
CONT.
• Plato (c. 427–347 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher and a student of
Socrates. He is one of the most influential figures in Western philosophy.
Plato founded the Academy in Athens, one of the earliest institutions of
higher learning in the Western world. His writings, primarily in the form of
dialogues, cover a wide range of topics including ethics, politics, metaphysics,
and epistemology.

• Key ideas in Plato’s philosophy include the theory of forms, which posits that
the physical world is a reflection of a higher, unchanging reality of ideal
forms. He is also known for his work *The Republic*, where he outlines his
vision of a just society, the philosopher-king concept, and his allegory of the
cave, which explores human perception and knowledge.

• Plato’s influence extends through centuries of thought, shaping not only

philosophy but also politics, education, and psychology.
• Works of criticism: Among others, in Ion, Crito and The Republic he expressed his ideas that “laid the
foundation for many […] of the pivotal issues of philosophy and literature, including concepts of truth,
beauty, and goodness; the nature of reality; the structure of society; the nature and relations of being
(ontology); questions about how we know what we know (epistemology); and ethics and morality.
• Main concepts: His doctrine of ideas, also known as essences, or forms. According to it:
• Ultimate reality is spiritual, which he calls The One. It is composed of “ideal” forms that exist beyond
this world and common human understanding.
• Our physical world is composed of the shadows, replicas, or imitations of these ideal forms.
• For instance: the idea of a chair precedes the existence of a physical chair.
• His techniques for discovering truth are logic and reasoning.
• Fun fact
Plato did not anywhere formally assume the role of literary critic, laying foundations for the evaluation of
works of imagination and setting guide-lines for effectiveness in literary composition. Indeed, what we
gather from his work is that he did not consider imaginative literature important enough to justify that kind
of attention from the philosopher.
It is largely due to his rather low estimate of the place of imaginative literature in the healthy society that he
took the trouble to venture at all into what we call literary criticism.
SUMMARY
• Main interest in criticism: Poetry
Plato's disdain for poetry stemmed from his skepticism of early sophists, believing that it lacks insight into reality and knowledge. He
argues that the only way we can comprehend the universe is through reason – rationality.

• Influence:
Plato initiates the still-existing debate on the value, nature, and worth of literature, and of those who produce works of literature.
• The catchphrases:
Poetry is the imitation of the imitation.
Poetry is twice distanced from the ultimate reality.
Further reading…
READ MORE ABOUT PLATO HERE AND HERE
The History of Literary Criticism pp 3-6