Lit+Crit+beginning+notes

Literary Criticism notes – looking at a text through the “lens” of one particular concern.

Reader Response Lens –
 * What we use when we read for fun. Also in grade school and middle school.
 * Assumes the reader can’t know the writer’s intentions
 * Readers actively make meaning, and this process is valuable
 * Ex.: This book makes me sad because it reminds me of my sister and I worry about her.
 * How did I like the book? How does it affect me?

Archetypal criticism (recurrent cultural symbols)
 * Looking in texts for narrative patterns, character types, or images
 * These archetypes are assumed to be universal and deeply embedded within us all, so they evoke a strong response
 * Ex.: forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden or the poison apple in Snow White
 * How does this story reflect the deep beliefs and myths of a culture?

Privilege and Social Power Lens
 * The economic organization of a society determines its attitudes and institutions
 * i.e., how wealth is produced makes society what it is
 * Who has the most opportunities in the story?
 * Is power shared? Is power transparent?
 * Focuses on money and power and control.