Literary Criticism Theories

Theory	Focus	Key Idea	Process
Formalism	literary forms and conventions	The text explains itself.	Close reading of text organization and structure word choice and word play figurative language multiple meanings Find a single unifying meaning
Reader-Response	the reader's reaction	A work of literature "is not a solid piece of fabric, but rather a series of threads separated by gaps that readers must fill in, drawing on their own experiences and knowledge" (Kirszner and Mandell 2029)	Personal identification with text drawing on similar experiences drawing on personal knowledge of places, topics, or events
Feminist	gender roles	Literature reflects society's attitudes toward gender roles. Society is controlled by males while females remain in secondary roles.	Explaining character motivations as a consequence of gender roles males - emotionally distant, dominant, rational females - emotionally present, passive, emotional fathers - "breadwinners" mothers - "caregivers" failing to accept/resisting/changing gender roles - "tomboy," "sissy," gay and lesbian
Marxist	class conflict	Literature is a product of and reflects ideologies which "[support] the interests of the cultural elite and [supress] those of the working class" (Kirszner and Mandell 2035).	Explaining character motivations and plot changes as a result of/reaction to social/economic/political pressures of class and status
New Historicist	historical and cultural contexts	Literature reflects the historical and cultural period in which it was written. Interpretations of literature reflect the historical and cultural periods of those interpreting.	Identifying social and cultural ideas which define and limit themes, values, character motivations, and actions within the work or contrasting the same with the social and cultural ideas of the critic as a means of criticising/evaluating either the work or the critic's own time
Psychoanalytic	inner workings of human mind	Literature reflects "the inner workings of the human mind" (Kirszner and Mandell 2040).	Psychological principles and the application of psychological terms can be used to explain the text. id, ego, superego condensation, symbolism, displacement, projection Oedipus complex, Electra complex persona, shadow, anima, individuation (see Kirszner and Mandell 2041)
Myth	universal symbols	Literature draws on "unconscious memories of basic patterns of human life" (Guth and Rico 268) expressed in myths and archetypes	Myths, legends, and fairy tales express recurrent themes buried in the collective human consciousness. Elements of nature have deep psychic connections and meanings that are universal (expressed as archetypes) Colors, c.f., red, suggesting danger Natural phenomena, c.f., the ocean as "the mother of life" or the cycle of seasons symbolizing the "circle of life" Mystical symbolism of numbers, c.f., 7 - creation, perfection Tales expressing symbolic relations, c.f., sexual conquest in "Little Red Riding Hood" (see Guth and Rico 268)
Structuralism	conventions and structure of language	Any individual work of literature reflects the system and qualities of all literature, particularly literature of the same genre	Explore the artificial ways in which literature is composed. Look for underlying patterns of structure universal to all similar works
Deconstruction	contradictions within the work	"[E]very text contains within it some ingredient undermining its purported system of meaning" (Kirszner and Mandell 2045)	Look for multiple meanings and interpretations Show how each contradicts the others Show how any interpretation can be contradicted by other elements of the work

While there are other theoretical approaches to literature, these are many of the most common approaches.