A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature A Note on Traditional Approaches the old historicism New Criticism New historicism and related approaches Textual Scholarship Textual critics research and edit a work in order to establish an accurate ID: 194943
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Chapter 2: Traditional Approaches
A Handbook of Critical Approaches to LiteratureSlide2
A Note on Traditional Approaches
--the “old” historicism
--New Criticism
--New historicism and related approachesSlide3
Textual Scholarship
Textual critics research and edit a work in order to establish an accurate,
authentic
text for the reader: “what the writer intended”
These critics prepare a reliable text for multiple methods of literary dissection and provide information about the genesis of a text
Question: What is a “text”?Example: HamletExample: “To His Coy Mistress”
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Matters of Genre
Aristotle’s
Poetics
Frye, Hirsch, Scholes
Genre Characteristics in Practice
Plot Elements: Opening Situation Generating Circumstance (e.g., something happens) Rising Action Climax
Dénouement
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Source Study
How did earlier writings, other works of art influence the text?
The art of allusion
Example: Influences on “To His Coy Mistress”
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Historical-Biographical Approaches
Focus is on the life, times, and environment of the author and/or the literary characters
Nearly all literature is open to this approach
Examines how these external factors affect the literary work
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Moral-Philosophical Approaches
Examines the moral or philosophical issues within the literary text
Approach goes back to Plato, Horace, Samuel Johnson, but has stayed relevant to modern readers
Focuses on
what
is being taught
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Application of Traditional Approaches
Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress”
The Text of the Poem
The textual critic examines the meaning of the words and their variations
The Genre of the Poem
Critics determine the literary type or genre of a work to define its technical features and characteristics
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Historical-Biographical Considerations
The historical-biographical critic examines the life and times of Marvell in order to help understand the context of the poem.
Moral-Philosophical Considerations
The moral-philosophical critic explores what is being taught in the poem. The theme of
carpe
diem (seize the day) is prominent.
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