An Introduction to Literary Theory & Criticism

Description

Course Description:

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to major literary theories and critical approaches. Students will explore foundational concepts in literary criticism, analyze texts through different theoretical perspectives, and apply these theories in their own analyses. Topics include formalism, structuralism, poststructuralism, Marxism, feminism, postcolonialism, psychoanalysis, and more.

Course Objectives:

• Gain familiarity with key literary theories and critical schools of thought.
• Develop the ability to apply different theoretical frameworks to literary texts.
• Enhance critical thinking and analytical skills in reading and interpreting literature.
• Understand the historical development of literary criticism and theory.
• Explore the ethical, political, and philosophical implications of various literary theories.

Weekly Outline:

Week 1: Introduction to Literary Theory and Criticism

• Topics Covered:
  • What is literary theory? What is literary criticism?
  • The purpose and function of literary theory.
  • Overview of major schools of thought.
• Readings:
  • Jonathan Culler, Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction (Chapters 1–2).
• Activities:
  • Discussion: The role of theory in interpreting literature.
  • Introduction to close reading and textual analysis.

Week 2: Formalism and New Criticism

• Topics Covered:
  • Russian Formalism: Key figures (Shklovsky, Eichenbaum) and concepts (defamiliarization).
  • New Criticism: Close reading, the “intentional fallacy,” and the “affective fallacy.”
• Readings:
  • Viktor Shklovsky, “Art as Technique.”
  • Cleanth Brooks, “The Heresy of Paraphrase.”
• Activities:
  • Close reading exercise using a poem or short story.
  • Discussion: How do formalists focus on the text as an independent entity?

Week 3: Structuralism and Semiotics

• Topics Covered:
  • Ferdinand de Saussure: Langue and parole, signifier and signified.
  • Claude Lévi-Strauss and myth analysis.
  • Roland Barthes and the concept of “mythologies.”
• Readings:
  • Ferdinand de Saussure, Course in General Linguistics (selections).
  • Roland Barthes, Mythologies (selected essays).
• Activities:
  • Analysis of a cultural text (advertisement, film, or myth) through a structuralist lens.
  • Discussion: How does structuralism analyze the underlying structures of texts?

Week 4: Poststructuralism and Deconstruction

• Topics Covered:
  • Jacques Derrida and the concept of différance.
  • Deconstruction of binary oppositions.
  • The instability of meaning in texts.
• Readings:
  • Jacques Derrida, “Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences.”
• Activities:
  • Deconstructive reading of a literary passage.
  • Discussion: How does poststructuralism challenge traditional interpretations?

Week 5: Marxist Literary Criticism

• Topics Covered:
  • Karl Marx and historical materialism.
  • The role of class struggle and ideology in literature.
  • Georg Lukács, Antonio Gramsci, and the concept of hegemony.
• Readings:
  • Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto (selections).
  • Terry Eagleton, Marxism and Literary Criticism (Chapters 1–2).
• Activities:
  • Marxist analysis of a literary text focusing on class dynamics.
  • Discussion: How does literature reflect and reinforce ideological structures?

Week 6: Psychoanalytic Criticism

• Topics Covered:
  • Sigmund Freud: The unconscious, repression, and the Oedipus complex.
  • Jacques Lacan: The mirror stage, desire, and the symbolic order.
• Readings:
  • Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams (selections).
  • Jacques Lacan, Ecrits (selections).
• Activities:
  • Psychoanalytic reading of a literary character or text.
  • Discussion: How do psychoanalytic theories explain characters’ motivations and desires?

Week 7: Feminist Literary Criticism

• Topics Covered:
  • First, second, and third-wave feminism in literature.
  • Key concepts: The male gaze, patriarchy, gender performativity.
  • Simone de Beauvoir, Judith Butler, and Hélène Cixous.
• Readings:
  • Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex (selections).
  • Hélène Cixous, “The Laugh of the Medusa.”
• Activities:
  • Feminist analysis of a literary text focusing on gender and representation.
  • Discussion: How does feminist theory challenge traditional portrayals of women?

Week 8: Postcolonial Criticism

• Topics Covered:
  • Colonialism and its impact on literature.
  • Edward Said’s Orientalism and the construction of the “Other.”
  • Frantz Fanon and the psychology of colonization.
• Readings:
  • Edward Said, Orientalism (Introduction).
  • Frantz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks (Chapter 1).
• Activities:
  • Postcolonial analysis of a text from a colonized culture.
  • Discussion: How do postcolonial critics examine the power dynamics in literature?

Week 9: Queer Theory and Gender Studies

• Topics Covered:
  • Judith Butler: Gender as performance.
  • Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick: The epistemology of the closet.
  • Michel Foucault: The history of sexuality and power.
• Readings:
  • Judith Butler, Gender Trouble (selections).
  • Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Epistemology of the Closet (selections).
• Activities:
  • Queer reading of a literary text focusing on gender and sexuality.
  • Discussion: How does queer theory disrupt binary gender and sexuality norms?

Week 10: Reader-Response Theory

• Topics Covered:
  • Reader-response as a reaction to formalist and structuralist approaches.
  • Stanley Fish and the concept of interpretive communities.
  • The role of the reader in constructing meaning.
• Readings:
  • Stanley Fish, Is There a Text in This Class? (selections).
• Activities:
  • Reader-response analysis of a text focusing on individual interpretation.
  • Discussion: How do readers shape the meaning of a text?

Week 11: Ecocriticism and Environmental Literary Theory

• Topics Covered:
  • The relationship between literature and the environment.
  • Analyzing the representation of nature and ecological issues in texts.
  • Key figures: Lawrence Buell, Cheryll Glotfelty, and William Rueckert.
• Readings:
  • Lawrence Buell, The Environmental Imagination (Introduction).
• Activities:
  • Ecocritical analysis of a text with environmental themes.
  • Discussion: How does literature engage with environmental concerns?

Week 12: Applying Theory – Synthesis and Final Analysis

• Topics Covered:
  • Review of major theoretical approaches.
  • Synthesizing multiple theories to analyze a text.
  • Writing a theoretical analysis paper.
• Readings:
  • Review of key texts from previous weeks.
• Activities:
  • Group discussion: Comparing different theoretical approaches.
  • Final essay: Application of two or more theories to a chosen literary text.

Assessment Methods:

• Weekly reading responses and class discussions.
• Midterm exam: Short essays on key theoretical concepts.
• Final essay: In-depth application of a theoretical framework to a literary text.
• Participation in group work and presentations.

Suggested Readings:

• Jonathan Culler, Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction.
• Terry Eagleton, Literary Theory: An Introduction.
• Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan, Literary Theory: An Anthology.

This 12-week course will introduce students to a wide range of literary theories, providing them with both theoretical knowledge and practical experience in applying these approaches to literature. Each week builds on the previous one, allowing students to develop their critical reading and analytical skills throughout the course.