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Saturday, April 29, 2023
Feminism literary theory
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
Psychoanalytic theory
Psychoanalytic literary theory
New Historicism
New Historicism Literary Theory
New Historicism is a literary theory that emerged in the 1980s, which seeks to understand literature within its historical context, along with the ways in which literature itself can be a historical document that reflects and interacts with its cultural and political environment.
New Historicists hold that literary texts are not isolated artifacts, but rather are interwoven into the larger cultural and political landscape. They argue that writers are influenced by the historical, social, and political contexts of their time, and therefore, literary works cannot be fully understood without considering their historical contexts.
New Historicists analyze historical documents, art, and culture in order to better understand the literary works of a particular period. In this way, they aim to understand not just the themes and characters in a text, but also the cultural norms, values, and beliefs that shaped them.
In addition, New Historicism pays attention to the marginalized voices and perspectives that have often been excluded from mainstream history and literature. This aspect of New Historicism encourages scholars to examine the viewpoints of those who have been historically marginalized, such as women, people of color, working-class people, and others whose stories have not been fully told.
The following individuals are considered to be key figures of this movement:
1. Stephen Greenblatt - Founder of New Historicism and author of "Renaissance Self-Fashioning" (1980).
2. Michel Foucault - Foucault's ideas about the relationship between power and knowledge influenced the development of New Historicism. He argued that power was not just exercised by institutions, but was also embedded in language and discourse.
3. Jacques Derrida - Derrida's ideas about deconstruction and the instability of language were also influential to the development of New Historicism. He argued that language was never stable or fixed, and that meaning was always in flux.
4. Louis Althusser - Althusser's Marxist ideas about ideology and the role of the state influenced New Historicism. He argued that ideology was not just propagated by the state, but was also embedded in cultural practices.
5. Clifford Geertz - Geertz's work on the interpretation of culture and the role of symbols was also influential in the development of New Historicism. He argued that culture was best understood through interpreting its symbols and meanings.
These individuals, along with others, helped to define the principles and methods of New Historicism, which emphasizes the relationship between literary texts and their social, political, and historical contexts. New Historicists argued that literary texts were not just artifacts of their time, but actively participated in shaping the culture and ideas of that time.
New Historicism has contributed to a more nuanced understanding of literary works, expanding the interpretation beyond the text itself to include the social and cultural forces of a particular historical moment.
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Postmodernism Literary Theory
Postmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical and cultural movement that emerged in the mid-twentieth century as a response to modernism. Postmodernism is characterized by a strong skepticism towards grand narratives, a focus on issues of power, and an emphasis on subjectivity, fragmentation, and ambiguity. Some of the key figures and ideas associated with postmodernism include:
1. Jean-Francois Lyotard - Lyotard was a French philosopher who is best known for his work on the nature of knowledge and the postmodern condition. He argued that the grand narratives of modernity have lost their legitimacy, and that knowledge is now defined by the narratives that compete for our attention.
2. Jacques Derrida - Derrida was a French philosopher who is best known for his work on deconstruction. Deconstruction refers to a method of literary analysis that questions the underlying assumptions and binary oppositions that structure a text or discourse.
3. Michel Foucault - Foucault was a French philosopher who is best known for his work on power and knowledge. He argued that power is not something that is possessed by individuals or institutions, but is instead a diffuse and pervasive force that affects all aspects of society.
4. Jean Baudrillard - Baudrillard was a French philosopher who is best known for his work on hyperreality and the media. He argued that contemporary society is characterized by a blurring of the boundaries between reality and simulation, and that the media plays a key role in shaping our perceptions of the world.
5. Donna Haraway - Haraway is an American feminist scholar who is best known for her work on the cyborg and the posthuman. She argues that technology and biology are increasingly blurring the boundaries between humans and machines, and that we should embrace this hybrid identity rather than fear it.
Together, these figures and ideas have contributed to the development of postmodernism as a major cultural and philosophical movement of the twentieth century.
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Sunday, April 16, 2023
Literary Theory
Literary Theory
Liberal Humanism
Liberal Humanism
Russian Formalism
Russian Formalism
New and Practical Criticism
New and Practical Criticism
Structuralism
Structuralism
Post-structuralism
Post-Structuralism
Reader-Response Theory
Reader-Response Theory
Reader Response Theory is a literary theory and approach that emerged in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. The approach is concerned with the reader's subjective experience of a literary text and emphasizes the role of the reader in creating meaning.
Reader Response Theory argues that the meaning of a text is not fixed but is created through the interaction between the reader and the text. Readers bring their own experiences, beliefs, and cultural contexts to the reading experience, and these shape their interpretation of the text.
Reader Response Theory emphasizes the importance of the reader's emotional response to a text, arguing that emotions play a significant role in shaping meaning. As such, reader response theorists are interested in exploring the ways in which different readers' emotional and cognitive responses affect their interpretation of a text.
Some key concepts of Reader Response Theory include the "affective filter," which refers to the psychological and emotional barriers that readers bring to the reading experience; the "artistic event," which refers to the interaction between the reader and the text, and the creation of meaning that occurs during this interaction; and the "horizon of expectations," which refers to the reader's preconceptions about a text based on their experiences and cultural context.
Some of the key figures in the development of Reader Response Theory include:
1. Wolfgang Iser: A German literary critic who introduced the idea of "implied reader" - a hypothetical reader that is suggested by the text and the reading experience.
2. Stanley Fish: An American literary critic who argued that readers create meaning through their interpretation of a text, and that there is no objective meaning independent of the reader's perception.
3. Louise Rosenblatt: An American literary critic who developed the concept of "transactional theory of reading," which emphasizes the role of the reader's experience and interaction with the text in creating meaning.
4. Norman Holland: An American literary critic who developed the idea of "reader response criticism" - a method of literary analysis that examines the reader's subjective experience of a text and how it shapes their interpretation.
5. Michael Riffaterre: A French literary critic who developed the concept of "système," a set of internal norms that guide the reader's interpretation of a text.
These key figures have contributed significantly to the development of Reader Response Theory, emphasizing the importance of the reader's role in the interpretation of a text and the subjective experience of reading.
Reader Response Theory has been criticized for being overly subjective, neglecting the author's intent or the historical and cultural context in which a text was created. Nonetheless, it has been significant in emphasizing the role of the reader in the interpretation of a text and the importance of considering the reader's perspective in literary analysis.
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Deconstruction Theory
Deconstruction Theory
Deconstruction theory is a literary approach and philosophical movement that originated in France in the 1960s and 1970s, primarily through the work of Jacques Derrida. The approach seeks to reveal the inherent contradictions, complexities, and aporias (gaps or inconsistencies) in language, philosophy, and culture.
Deconstruction is based on the premise that language is inherently unstable and that meaning is never fixed or definitive. Deconstruction seeks to expose the weaknesses and contradictions within texts and discourses by analyzing the inherent hierarchy, power dynamics, and binary oppositions between different concepts and ideas, such as good vs evil, light vs dark, or presence vs absence.
The approach emphasizes that every text or discourse contains multiple meanings that are contextually dependent and that no interpretation of a text is final or secure. Therefore, meaning is always subject to revision and re-interpretation.
Deconstruction's key tenets include:
1. The idea that binary oppositions create power dynamics and support dominant ideologies.
2. The assumption that language is always embedded in broader social, cultural and historical contexts.
3. The belief that meaning is not fixed, but is always contextual and situational.
4. The rejection of the notion that an author's intended meaning holds supreme authority in the interpretation of a text.
5. The use of "deconstruction" – the practice of analyzing the underlying assumptions, hierarchies, and contradictions within a text.
6. The emphasis on the concept of "différance," which refers to the idea that meaning is always deferred and that the signifier is always separated from the signifier.
Deconstruction theory has been influential not only in literary criticism but also in philosophy, cultural studies, and other fields. It has been critiqued for being overly abstract and ungrounded in social or political realities, but remains a significant influence on contemporary critical thought.
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Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Characteristics of Middle English Literature
Characteristics of Middle English Literature
Middle English literature refers to the body of lIterary works produced in the English language between the period of the Norman Conquest in 1066 and the emergence of Early Modern English around 1500. There are several key characteristics of Middle English literature that distinguish it from earlier or later periods of English literature. Below are some of its most notable features:
Sunday, April 2, 2023
Three main economic system within Marxism
Economic systems within Marxism
Marxism offers a critique of capitalism and provides an alternative vision of society that emphasizes democratic control of the means of production and distribution of goods and services. Within Marxism, there are three main economic systems: capitalism, socialism, and communism.
Capitalism is an economic system characterized by private ownership of the means of production, wage labor, and markets, in which production is guided by the pursuit of profit. In capitalism, the bourgeoisie, or the capitalist class, own the means of production and the proletariat, the working class, sell their labor for wages. According to Marx, the proletariat is exploited by the bourgeoisie who extract surplus value from the labor of the workers. Capitalism, in Marx's view, is inherently unstable and will ultimately collapse due to internal contradictions, such as overproduction and economic crises.
Socialism, on the other hand, is an economic system in which the means of production are collectively owned and operated by the workers. Socialism seeks to eliminate the exploitation of the working class under capitalism through the abolition of private property, the elimination of wage labor, and the establishment of democratic control over production. In a socialist society, production is planned democratically to meet the needs of all members of society rather than the accumulation of wealth for a few.
Communism is a classless, stateless society that is the ultimate goal of Marxist theory. In a communist system, the means of production are owned and operated by the community as a whole, with no private ownership or control. According to Marxist theory, communism would emerge from socialism as a result of a process of social, political, and economic transformation where the state would have withered away, and the workers would have established a system of democratic control over their own lives.
Marxism recognizes that each of these systems has its own contradictions, but it argues that capitalism is inherently exploitative, unstable, and unsustainable. Marxism aims to provide a path towards socialism and eventually communism, through the process of class struggle and the revolutionary overthrow of the capitalist system. Marxism emphasizes the need for workers to become conscious of their own exploitation and to organize as a class in order to overthrow the ruling class, and to establish a society based on economic and social equality for all.
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Detailed analysis of Marxism Theory
Marxism Theory by Karl Marx
Marxism, created by Karl Marx in the 19th century, is a social, economic, and political theory based on the idea that human societies develop through class struggle – a conflict between the ruling class (bourgeoisie) and the working class (proletariat). Marx believed that workers were exploited under capitalism, which he saw as a fundamental problem, and he called for a socialist revolution to replace it.
At the heart of Marxism is the labor theory of value, which argues that the value of a product comes from the human labor that went into it. Marx believed that capitalist owners of factories and other means of production were able to exploit workers by paying them less than the value they produce in order to generate surplus value, which is the profit they use to expand their businesses. Marx argued that capitalism was inherently unstable because it required infinite growth to sustain itself, and this led to overproduction, environmental destruction, and economic crises.
According to Marx, the contradictions within capitalism could only be resolved by a socialist revolution in which the means of production would be taken out of the hands of the capitalists and put under the control of the workers. Marx envisioned a society in which the workers would democratically plan production to meet the needs of all rather than the profits of a few.
Marxism is not only an economic theory but also a political philosophy that advocates for political power to be placed in the hands of the working class. Marx believed that the dictatorship of the proletariat was necessary to protect the revolutionary gains from capitalist counter-revolution, and that it would eventually give way to a stateless, classless society in which everyone could become freely productive.
Marxism has had a significant impact on political and social thought globally, with many political movements and revolutions drawing on Marxist principles. Critics have pointed out that the application of Marxism in practice has often led to authoritarianism, as governments have used the rhetoric of socialism to justify centralized control, repression of human rights, and disregard for democratic institutions. However, many see potential in Marx's critique of capitalism and imperialism and his advocacy of international solidarity among the exploited and oppressed.
Overall, Marxism offers a holistic approach to understanding the workings of society, focusing on the material conditions of production and the historical development of class relations. Despite the challenges of its practical application, its theoretical insights and its vision of a more equitable society continue to inspire people around the world to work towards a world beyond capitalism.
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Marxism theory by Karl Marx
Brief overview of Marxism
Marxism is a social, economic, and political theory developed by the German philosopher Karl Marx. The theory posits that human society progresses through a series of class struggles and that the oppressed working class will eventually rise up and overthrow the ruling class, thus establishing a socialist system. This essay will explore the key ideas of Marxism and its relevance in today's society.
At the core of Marxism is the understanding that the economy is the foundation of all other social structures. Marx argued that the means of production, such as factories and machines, are owned by a small minority of the population known as the bourgeoisie. The working class, or the proletariat, on the other hand, are forced to sell their labor for wages and are thus exploited by the bourgeoisie. This creates a class struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, which Marx believed would eventually lead to a socialist revolution.
Marxism also emphasizes the role of ideology in society. Marx argued that the ruling class uses ideology to maintain its power and suppress the working class. This is achieved through the creation of false consciousness, in which the working class are made to believe that their interests are aligned with those of the ruling class. Marx believed that the working class must become aware of this manipulation in order to achieve class consciousness and overthrow the ruling class.
Furthermore, Marxism emphasizes the importance of collective action and internationalism. Marx believed that the working class must unite in order to achieve their goals, and that this unity must transcend national boundaries. He saw the struggle against capitalism as a global one and advocated for an international socialist movement.
In today's society, Marxism is still relevant as we continue to see economic inequality and exploitation. The advent of globalization and the increasing power of multinational corporations have only exacerbated these issues. As income inequality continues to rise, it is becoming clear that the current system is unsustainable. Marx's critique of capitalism and his call for a socialist system offer a potential solution to these problems.
In conclusion, Marxism is a complex theory that has had a significant impact on social, economic, and political thought. Its emphasis on the role of class struggle, ideology, collective action, and internationalism has shaped the way we understand power structures and social change. While Marxism has been criticized for its historical failures and its potential for authoritarianism, its critiques of capitalism and its calls for a more equitable society continue to resonate with many people today.
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Critical Race Theory (CRT)
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Critical analysis of "Why we play basketball" In his poem " Why We Play Basketball ," Sherman Alexie explores the cultu...