Critical Lenses

Critical Lenses

Upon Seeing an Orange

1. Feminist/Gender Criticism: / What possibilities are available to a woman who eats this orange? To a man? To a non-heterosexual? Who controls the orange? Is anyone forced to/prevented from eating the orange?
2. Formalist Criticism/ Structuralism: / What shape and diameter is the orange? What does it symbolize? How does the orange match the surroundings?
3. Marxist/Social Class Criticism: / Who owns the orange? By what means was the orange produced? Who owns the means or tools of production? Who produced it? Who gets to eat it?
4. Post-Colonial/Historical Criticism: / Who doesn’t own the orange? Who took the orange away? How was the orange taken? What is the significance of the orange in the relationship between the new owners vs. the former owners?
5. Archetypal Criticism/ Narratology: / What is the mythology of the orange? What is the grand narrative?
6. Psychoanalytical Criticism: / What is the hidden meaning of the orange? Does the orange make someone want to eat it? Does the orange make someone feel rejected? Guilty? Does the orange remind someone of his or her father or mother? Is the orange feeling paranoid at being observed? Does it feel sexy?

Literary Theories: A Sampling of Lenses

Literary theory is an attempt to understand the various ways that different people read texts. Yes, we all know that not everyone “interprets” a book, poem, or even a song the same way. Theory gives readers a chance to view a text with a so-called different set of lenses.

This is merely an introduction to theory so I am just going to provide you with a few of the more common schools of criticism. Remember most of these theories are quite detailed so this is just a very brief overview of their main ideas and some theories have been combined to keep things simple.

1. Feminist/Gender Criticism (they are separate but I’m simplifying)

View society in a “patriarchal” and “heterosexual” way, which has hindered or prevented women and homosexuals from realizing their true potential. Claim that both groups are viewed negatively, inferior, or as “the other.”

 Consider the gender/orientation of the author, characters

 What roles does gender or sexuality play in this work? (Examine power relations)

 Look for sexual stereotypes either reinforced or contradicted

 Imagine yourself as the opposite gender reading the text

2. Formalist Criticism/Structuralism

Views text as existing independently. Meaning is discovered by doing a close reading and not by examining outside sources.

 Focuses on the meanings and interactions of words, figures of speech, and symbols.

 Looks for complex interrelations and ambiguities within a text.

 Analyzes how parallels are established and create a unity within the text

3. Marxist/Social Class Criticism

Views society based on the economic and cultural theory of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles. Assumes that each society is made up of a set of concepts, beliefs, values, and ways of thinking influenced by economic and class structures.

 Consider who has the power/money and who doesn’t

 What role does power, money, or class play in this work?

 What happens as a result in differences in power/money?

 Relate context of work to social-class of author and/or time period

4. Post-Colonial/Historical Criticism

Views text as a closely related to the time during which an author wrote. Focused on the social, political, economic, cultural, and/or intellectual climate of the time. Examines how other cultures are viewed in terms of an overpowering Western literature base.

 Looks at issues of colonization and imperialism

 Rejects the idea of marginalized people as “others”

 Celebrates “hybridity” (existing in two cultures at once)

5. Archetypal Criticism/Narratology

A form of Structuralism that focuses on the structure of stories. Identifies 31 actions that a story can contain and claims all stories pick from this list. Also focuses on the specific character types that are repeated within all stories—hero, villain, trickster, orphan, mentor etc.

6. Psychoanalytical Criticism

Views text as an expression of the personality, state of mind, feelings, and desires of its author. Looks for the distinction between conscious and unconscious motives of characters and author.

 Consider the author’s personality to explain and interpret a text

 What psychological theories are present in the characters (Oedipal complex, obsessive compulsive, sexual repression, denial, guilt)?

 What repressed material is expressed in imagery or symbols?

Formalist
Criticism / Marxist
Criticism / Feminist
Criticism / Post-colonial Criticism / Psychoanalytical Criticism / Archetypal
Criticism
What aspects of the text lend themselves to this particular lens? / Symbols of light and dark, above and below represent good and evil / Power is inherited and upper classes maintain control over resources. / Power passes from males to males. Females do not rule even if qualified / Lions have colonized the territory and consider other species as subservient / Sibling rivalry
Oedipus Complex / Lion King is an example of the Hero Quest.
Cite specific textual passage(s) or events that supports this reading: / Mufasa's kingdom is light, the hyenas' is grey and black. Mufasa rules from a high rock, the hyenas are in a cave. / Simba will be king when Mufasa dies. The hyenas live in a barren place when the lions live in a fertile valley / Nala keeps winning strength contests over Simba, and she is more responsible, but she does not inherit the throne. / The hyenas do not have control of the resources, and when they gain control, they squander and overuse the resources / Scar envies Mufasa and is driven by his sense of not having won the "strength lottery"
Simba wants to be king, which can only happen if his Dad dies. / Simba loses father and his place in society. He leaves and goes through adventures, encountering helpers and other archetypes. Then he comes back to restore order.
If you look through this lens, what themes or patterns are highlighted? / Symbols provide unity to the movie and support the theme of good vs. evil / How others treat Mufasa, what other classes are there in the movie and how they function in the power structure. / The position of females in the movie, both within the lions and the hyenas. How many other females are there? / How the movie consistently sees species other than the lions as 'other' that need to be controlled 'for their own good' / The motives for the behavior of the characters / The aspects of Simba that correspond to a hero
If you look through this lens, what questions emerge? / What other symbols can be found? Are there metaphors that separate good vs. evil? / How the ruling class views and controls others? How does the movie reinforce the idea that people in the lower classes need to be controlled? / How is the role of woman defined in the movie? What messages are being reinforced regarding women? / How does this movie reinforce the ideas of colonialism with the imperialist colonizer as superior as the colonized. / What does the movie say about human motivations and relationships / How movies and other books repeat patterns ingrained in our culture.
Do you believe in this reading? Why or why not? / Yes. There is support for the reading throughout the movie / Yes. There is support for the reading throughout the movie / Yes. There is support for the reading throughout the movie / Yes. There is support for the reading throughout the movie / Yes. There is support for the reading throughout the movie / No. Simba does not really become a hero. His travels teach him "hakuna matata" not how to be a responsible ruler.

Notice how many of the lenses could be used together to support each other.

Examine Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn applying the lenses in the chart. Be prepared to present your critical lens to the class.

My group’s Critical Lens: ______Group Members: ______

Formalist
Criticism / Marxist
Criticism / Feminist
Criticism / Post-colonial Criticism / Psychoanalytical Criticism / Archetypal
Criticism
What aspects of the text lend themselves to this particular lens?
Cite specific textual passage(s) or events that supports this reading:
If you look through this lens, what themes or patterns are highlighted?
If you look through this lens, what questions emerge?
Do you believe in this reading? Why or why not?