Lc theoritical-1
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This document discusses key concepts in literary criticism and theory. It defines literary criticism as the analysis, interpretation and evaluation of works of literature, while defining literary theory as presenting assumptions that underlie our understanding of language and meaning. The document explains that every reader approaches a text with some kind of literary theory, whether conscious or not. It also notes that a text can have multiple valid interpretations, and discusses different types of criticism like theoretical criticism, practical criticism, absolutist criticism and relativist criticism. The goal of the class is for students to understand these fundamental concepts in literary analysis.
Lc theoritical-1
- 1. Literary Criticism Dr. Abdel-Fattah Adel Class (1)
- 2. Class (1) Items • Defining Criticism and Theory • Can a text have more than one interpretation? • How to become a literary critic? • What is Literary Criticism? • What is Literary Theory?
- 3. 1. Realize the nature, function and scope of literary criticism. 2. Define some basic terms in critical study. 3. Explain the multiplicity of literary reading and analysis. 4. Differentiate between major concepts in critical thought. 5. Discuss some major ideas in critical debates. Class (1) Objectives By the end of this part, you will be able to:
- 4. Class (1) Questions 1. Is every reader a critic? Explain. 2. Is every reader a theorist? Explain. 3. Is there an innocent reading? Explain. 4. What is the deference between “literary criticism” and “literary theory”? 5. What is the deference between theoretical criticism and practical criticism? 6. What is the deference between an “absolutist critic” and a “relativistic critic”? 7. What is the function of literary criticism? 8. Explain the act of theorizing. 9. Explain the meaning of “theory” and its questions. 10. Define: literary criticism, literary theory, theoretical criticism, practical criticism, absolutist critic, relativistic critic.
- 5. Can a text have more than one interpretation? Give examples. Discuss
- 6. "A Good Man Is Hard to Find” (1953) Mary Flannery O'Connor (1925 –1964)
- 7. One story, 8 interpretations. some expressed a liking for the grandmot her, What do you believe O'Connor is trying to tell us in and through this story?
- 8. 1. Can a text have more than one interpretation? 2. Is only one of the interpretations correct and the remaining wrong? 3. How can one arrive at the correct interpretation? 4. If there is only one correct interpretation of a text, what are the hermeneutical principles (the rules of interpretation) readers must use to discover this interpretation? 5. Hermeneutics of recovery: attempt to reconstruct the intentions the writer held while writing the story or the meaning it had for her readers in its time. 6. hermeneutics of suspicion: each reader attempt to examine the writer’s unspoken but implied assumptions concerning politics, sexuality, religion, linguistics, and a host of other topics. 7. Are all of the various and often contradictory interpretations valid? 8. Can and should each interpretation be considered a satisfactory and legitimate analysis of the text? 9. In other words, can a text mean anything a reader declares it to mean, or are there guiding principles for interpreting a text that must be followed if a reader is to arrive at a valid interpretation? 10. Who can declare that one's interpretation is valid or legitimate? English professors? Professional critics? Published scholars? Any reader? A Myriad of Questions
- 9. Literary Criticism “A disinterested endeavor to learn and propagate the best that is known and thought in the world.” Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) Essays in Criticism (1865)
- 10. What is Literary Criticism? Literary criticism is a disciplined activity that attempts to describe, study, analyze, justify, interpret, and evaluate a work of art.
- 11. How to become a literary critic? Is Every Reader a Critic?
- 12. How to become a literary critic? Every reader is a critic! Reading process: an array of responses, questions, statements, opinions, and feelings evoked by the text. No need to master the terminology, the many philosophical approaches, and the diverse methodologies of formal literary criticism. No needed to formal training in literary criticism or working understanding of literary theory. Mastering the concepts of formal literary criticism and theory makes critical readers who are better able to understand and articulate their own reactions and analyze those of others to any given text.
- 13. Who is a “Critic”? Critic krino "to judge" Krites "a judge or jury person" Kritikos “literary critic" A literary critic is a "judge of literature."
- 14. First Critic • Teacher Philitas • Greek • 4th C. BC • Alexandria Library
- 15. Literary criticism is not usually considered a discipline in and of itself. explore the questions that help define our humanity critique our culture evaluate our actions and feelings increase our appreciation and enjoyment a literary work Function of Literary Criticism
- 16. Types of Literary Criticism and Critics Literary Criticism Theoretical Criticism Practical Criticism Absolutist Critic Relativistic Critic
- 17. Types of Literary Criticism and Critics • It formulates the theories, principles, and tenets of the nature and value of art. By citing general aesthetic and moral principles of art, theoretical criticism provides the necessary framework for practical criticism. Theoretical Criticism • (Also known as applied criticism) It applies the theories and tenets of theoretical criticism to a particular work. Using the theories and principles of theoretical criticism, the practical critic defines the standards of taste and explains, evaluates, or justifies a particular piece of literature. Practical Criticism • A practical critic who posits that there is only one theory or set of principles a critic may use when evaluating a literary work Absolutist Critic • A practical critic who uses various and even contradictory theories in critiquing a text. Relativistic Critic
- 18. Literary Theory & Literary Criticism Literary criticism involves our analysis of a text. Literary theory concerns itself with our understanding of the ideas, concepts, and intellectual assumptions upon which rests our actual literary critique.
- 19. What is Literary Theory? Literary theory presents the assumptions (conscious or unconscious) that undergird our understanding and interpretation of language, the ways we construct meaning, and our understanding of art, culture, aesthetics, and ideologies.
- 20. The Act of Theorizing Consciously or unconsciously, a mind-set or framework that accommodates our expectations when reading a text.. Framework What we choose to value or uphold as good or bad, moral or immoral, beautiful or ugly within a given text depends on this ever-evolving framework. Values When we clearly articulate our personal philosophical framework when reading a text and explain how this mind-set directly influences our values and aesthetic judgments about a text. Theory Literary theory is the basis for any form of criticism. Without theory, practical criticism could not exist. Basis
- 21. Every Reader/Critic is a Theorist Anyone who responds to a text is already a practicing literary critic. Practical criticism is rooted in the reader's preconditioned expectations (his or her mind- set). Every reader espouses some kind of literary theory. An incomplete, unconscious, and therefore, unclear literary theory more frequently than not leads to illogical, unsound, and haphazard interpretations. A well-defined, logical, and clearly articulated theory enables readers to develop a method by which to establish principles that enable them to justify, order, and clarify their own appraisals of a text in a consistent manner.
- 22. Theory Theoria: View or perspective of the Greek stage
- 23. Theory • Literary theory offers to us a view of life, an understanding of why we interpret texts the way we do. • Consider the various places in the theater that we, the audience, may sit. • Depending on our seats—whether close to the stage, far back, to the far left, to the far right, or in the middle row—our view and, therefore, our interpretation of the events taking place on the stage will alter. • Literary theory figuratively and literally asks where we are "sitting" when we are reading a text.
- 24. Theory Asks … What exactly is influencing us during the reading process? Is it our culture? Is it our understanding of the nature of literature itself? Is it our political, religious, or social views? Is it our family back-ground?
- 25. Innocent Reading! A well-articulated literary theory also assumes that an innocent reading of a text or a sheerly emotional or spontaneous reaction to a work does not exist because literary theory questions the assumptions, beliefs, and feelings of readers, asking why they respond to a text in a certain way. In a very real sense, literary theory causes us to question our commonsense interpretation of a text, asking us to probe beneath our initial responses. According to a consistent literary theory, a simple emotional or intuitive response to a text does not explain the underlying factors that caused such a reaction. What elicits that response, or how the reader constructs meaning through or with the text, is what matters.
- 26. Class (1) Questions 1. Is every reader a critic? Explain. 2. Is every reader a theorist? Explain. 3. Is there an innocent reading? Explain. 4. What is the deference between “literary criticism” and “literary theory”? 5. What is the deference between theoretical criticism and practical criticism? 6. What is the deference between an “absolutist critic” and a “relativistic critic”? 7. What is the function of literary criticism? 8. Explain the act of theorizing. 9. Explain the meaning of “theory” and its questions. 10. Define: literary criticism, literary theory, theoretical criticism, practical criticism, absolutist critic, relativistic critic.