Literary Criticism and Theory
Literary criticism applies theoretical frameworks to texts, guiding readers to analyse literature through perspectives such as Marxism, feminism, psychoanalysis, and ecocriticism.
What You Need to Know
Key Concept Diagram
Literary theories are lenses that foreground particular aspects of a text's meaning
Marxist criticism examines how texts reflect or challenge class structures and economic power
Psychoanalytic criticism explores unconscious desires, repression, and symbolic meaning
Reader-response theory holds that meaning is co-created by the text and the reader
Applying multiple theories reveals different, sometimes contradictory, meanings in a text
Key Vocabulary
Literary theory
A framework or methodology for interpreting and analysing literary texts
Marxist criticism
An approach that analyses how texts reflect class conflict, ideology, and economic power
Psychoanalytic criticism
An approach that applies Freudian ideas such as unconscious desire and repression to literary texts
Reader-response theory
The view that meaning is not fixed in the text but is created through the reading experience
Knowledge Check
Select the correct answer for each question. Click "Check Answer" to see if you are right.
Question 1
A critic who examines how a novel portrays class divisions and economic inequality is using which approach?
Question 2
Reader-response theory holds that meaning in a text is primarily located:
Question 3
Why is it valuable to apply multiple critical frameworks to the same text?
Key Concepts Summary
- ●Literary theories are lenses that foreground particular aspects of a text's meaning
- ●Marxist criticism examines how texts reflect or challenge class structures and economic power
- ●Psychoanalytic criticism explores unconscious desires, repression, and symbolic meaning
- ●Reader-response theory holds that meaning is co-created by the text and the reader
- ●Applying multiple theories reveals different, sometimes contradictory, meanings in a text