Literary Approaches

SEVEN
LITERARY
APPROACHES
MARAMBA (1993)
Big Questions” about
Literature
O What are the influences on
how we read, interpret, and
understand a text?
O How do we come to
interpret a
novel, poem, play, or story?
The Basic Idea
O A critical analysis is an in-depth
examination of some aspect of the literary
work
O You may examine any element of the text:
character development, conflicts, narrative
point of view, etc.
O Literary critical theories inform us of certain
ways to approach big ideas in the novel.
Remember Cinderella?
In a far away, long ago kingdom, Cinderella is living happily
with her mother and father until her mother dies. Cinderella's
father remarries a cold, cruel woman who has two daughters.
When the father dies, Cinderella's wicked stepmother turns
her into a servant in her own house. Meanwhile, across town
in the castle, the King determines that his son the Prince
should find a suitable bride and provide him with a required
number of grandchildren. So the King invites every eligible
maiden in the kingdom to a fancy dress ball, where his son will
be able to choose his bride. Cinderella has no suitable party
dress for a ball, but her friends (the mice and the birds) lend a
hand in making her one, a dress the evil stepsisters
immediately tear apart on the evening of the ball. At this point,
enter the Fairy Godmother, the pumpkin carriage, the royal
ball, the stroke of midnight, the glass slipper, and the rest, as
they say, is fairy tale history.
FORMALISTIC OR
LITERARY APPROACH
O Formalistic approach also known as
New Criticism views literature as
independent system following a
close reading of a text. Formalists
study selection by focusing on the
work’s literary elements like
settings, characters, point of views,
symbols, etc.
FORMALISTIC OR
LITERARY APPROACH
O It can be done without much
research or outside information
because all the essential data
must come from the work itself.
Moreover, the value of the work
is emphasized apart from its
context.
LITERARY ANALYSIS
Look for symbolic, or some other,
significance for the specific items and
animals chosen (for the coach and staff )
and/or the numbers of each chosen.
CULTURAL APPROACH
O Cultural approach understands
literature indispensable in the
culture or nation’s tradition.
Students use this approach to go
beyond the literary piece
analysing the function of culture
to literature.
CULTURAL APPROACH
O This approach traces the literary
heritage of one’s own nation or
country appreciating its culture
and literature of the people.
LITERARY ANALYSIS
O What can we infer about the society in which
this story—considering, especially, the
violence would evolve and be told to young
children?
O What can we infer about property and
inheritance laws in the society in which
“Cinderella” evolved?
O What can we infer about the society’s view of
royalty and monarchic power?
HISTORICAL APPROACH
O Historical approach envisions
literature containing historical
importance ascribed in the
selections. Students make use of
this approach to trace back and
reflect on the actual happenings
in the past which influence the
literary pieces.
HISTORICAL APPROACH
O Literature is better understood
when great event impacts it the
time it was made. This approach
“seeks to understand a literary
work by investigating the social,
cultural, and intellectual context
that produced it—a context.
Who has power? Who lacks power?
What is the relationship between power and
wealth?
Who is exploited by whom and why?
How does power remain constant or shift
throughout a work of literature?
What makes certain characters powerful or
powerless?
LITERARY ANALYSIS
Consider Cinderella as a representative of the
proletariat:
oppressed by her bourgeoisie stepmother and
stepsisters, who have stolen her rightful
inheritance and turned her into a servant in her
own home;
desiring to join the ranks of the bourgeoisie by
marrying the prince.
MORAL APPROACH
O Moral approach perceives literature

concerning on morals or ethics of
the character and the way he or she
behaves in the literary piece.
Students discuss “man is
essentially good” capable of
reasoning, intellect, and freewill.
MORAL APPROACH
O Likewise, this approach

questions the goodness and
evilness of humans.
LITERARY ANALYSIS
O What is/are the moral/s of
Cinderella’s story?
O If Cinderella was not considered
beautiful when the prince first
saw her how would it have
affected the story?
PSYCHOLOGICAL
APPROACH
O Psychological approach deals
literature as an investigation and
expression of author’s desire to
make up the characters of the
story. It involves “psychological
analysis” in which the personality of
the characters or the author is
examined to interpret the meaning
of the text.
PSYCHOLOGICAL
APPROACH
O This approach believes on the
Freudian Approach or Freudian
drives to make use of the type.
Freudian Approach to
Personality
O Three parts to an individual’s psyche:
O the id: the instinctual, pleasure seeking

part of the mind
O the ego: the part of the mind that controls
but does not repress the id's impulses,
releasing them in a healthy way
O the superego: the part of the mind that
represses the id's impulses
Freudian Drives
Freud believed that much human behavior is
motivated by sexuality
Oedipus complex: a boy's unconscious
rivalry with his father for the love of his
mother
Electra complex: a girl’s unconscious
rivalry with her mother for the love of her
father
LITERARY ANALYSIS
VS
.
SOCIOLOGICAL
APPROACH
O Sociological approach visualizes
literature relating to societal
problems and relationships wherein
the students examine the
connection of characters and look
into their societal conflicts that
affect their behaviours in the story.
SOCIOLOGICAL
APPROACH
O Critics are interested in
understanding social context and
interpreting how literature
mirrors the society.
LITERARY ANALYSIS
O What can we infer about the society in which
this story—considering, especially, the
violence would evolve and be told to young
children?
O What can we infer about property and
inheritance laws in the society in which
“Cinderella” evolved?
O What can we infer about the society’s view
of royalty and monarchic power?
IMPRESSIONISTIC
APPROACH
O Impressionistic approach sees literature
as reader creates the meaning of the
text. The literary work is converted into
reader’s minds and builds
unforgettable connection between the
reader and the text. Critics believe that
literature has no meaning unless it is
read.
LITERARY ANALYSIS
O How is the reader/audience
meant to feel when Cinderella
finally wins over the Prince?
O Who is the most sympathetic
character of the film?
O Why are we drawn to these
characters?
LANGUAGE AND
TECHNIQUES OF
LITERARY
CRITICISM
Words Useful for Describing
People
Personality Intelligence Character
cold quick strong
aloof keen selfless
reserved sharp reliable
cool incisive sure
warm clever helpless
bubbly ingenious demanding
charming creative driven
magnetic slow egoistic
adorable ignorant trustworthy
enigmatic brilliant determined

Words Useful for Critiquing
Plays
Acting Pace Story Sound Effects
inspired lively contrived annoying
realistic slow unbelievable jarring
relaxed lethargic calculated complementary
truthful hasty clever appropriate
exaggerated abrupt surprising distracting

ASSESSMENT
Name: _______Score: ____________

Course/Year/Section: ___Date: _____
WORKSHEET NO. ______
STORY ANALYSIS
I. Critique one story, play, novel using the
appropriate words. Fill out the chart below
before writing your short analysis.
Characters (2 ) Personality
I. SUMMARY: (Plot ; five sentences)

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II. LITERARY THEORY: (Literary Analysis) (more than one theory, if
applicable)
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III. MESSAGE: (Theme) 3-5 sentences.
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SUMMARY SAMPLE:
O The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant
O Mathilde Loisel is a middle-class girl who

desperately wishes to become rich. She possesses
no fancy jewels or clothing, yet these are the only
things she lives for. Madame Forestier agrees to
lend Mathilde her jewels, and Mathilde selects a
diamond necklace. She discovers that her necklace
is no longer around her neck. Mathilde’s
extraordinary beauty is now gone: she looks just
likes the other women of poor households. At the
end of her story, Madame Forestier clasps her hands
and tells Mathilde the original necklace was just
costume jewelry and not worth anything.
LITERARY ANALYSIS Formalistic Approach
A Formalistic approach include a selection
against any literary concept like the use of satire,
comedy symbol etc. Whereas this short story
“The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant employs
symbolism. The author uses the diamond
necklace to represent many ideas. It signifies
beauty and high social status. Madame Loisel
has no jewels and thinks that it is so shameful to
look poor that beauty and wealth are very
important to her. The indication of the necklace
in the story is wealth.
The female character in the story is so ambitious that
she believes that she was born for luxury. The necklace
shows greediness that leads her to worst. The necklace
is the reason why she and her husband live very poorly.
Furthermore, the diamond necklace also symbolizes the
idea of deception. These are the necklace itself and the
lifestyle of Madame Loisel. Throughout the story, the
characters think that the necklace is real. However,
Madame Forestier reveals in the end that it is an
imitation and costs five hundred francs only. Moreover,
Madame Loisel appears at the party as a high class
woman and rich but in reality, she is not possessing
wealth. Overall, the story take turns on the symbolism of
the necklace. This makes the doom of the characters in
the story. It stands for the whole ranges of ideas wherein
the formalistic approach is being used.

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SEVEN

O Moral approach perceives literature

O Likewise, this approach

O the id: the instinctual, pleasure seeking

cold quick strong

aloof keen selfless

reserved sharp reliable

cool incisive sure

warm clever helpless

bubbly ingenious demanding

charming creative driven

magnetic slow egoistic

adorable ignorant trustworthy

enigmatic brilliant determined

inspired lively contrived annoying

realistic slow unbelievable jarring

relaxed lethargic calculated complementary

truthful hasty clever appropriate

exaggerated abrupt surprising distracting

Name: _______Score: ____________

I. SUMMARY: (Plot ; five sentences)

O Mathilde Loisel is a middle-class girl who

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Name: _Score: ______