FORMALISM

 -claims that literary work

contain intrinsic properties and
treat each work as a distinct
work of art. In short, it posits
that the key in understanding a
text is through the text itself;
the historical context, the
author, or any other external
context are not necessary in
interpreting the meaning.
The following are the common aspects looked into Formalism
 Author’s techniques in resolving contradictions within the
work
 Central passage that sums up the entirety of the work
 Contribution of parts and the work as a whole to its aesthetic
quality
 Relationship of the form and the content
 Use of imagery to develop the symbols in the work
 Interconnectedness of various parts of the work
 Paradox, ambiguity, and irony in the work
 Unity in the work
Questions to be Asked for Formalistic Approach
A.How is the work’s structure unified?
B.How do various elements of the work reinforce its
meaning?
C.What recurring patterns (repeated or related words,
images, etc.) can you find?
D.What is the effect of these patterns or motifs?
E. How does repetition reinforce the theme(s)?
F. How does the writer’s diction reveal or reflect the
work’s meaning?
G. What is the effect of the plot, and what parts
specifically produce that effect?
 Questions to be Asked for Formalistic Approach

H.What figures of speech are used? (metaphors, similes, etc.)

I. Note the writer’s use of paradox, irony, symbol, plot,
characterization, and style of narration.
J. What effects are produced? Do any of these relate to one another
or to the theme?
K.Is there a relationship between the beginning and the end of the
story?
L. What tone and mood are created at various parts of the work?
M.How does the author create tone and mood? What relationship is
there between tone and mood and the effect of the story?
N.How do the various elements interact to create a unified whole?
FEMINIST CRITICISM
-also called feminism, it focuses on how
literature presents women as subjects of
socio’ political, psychological, and economic
oppression. It also reveals how aspects
of our culture are patriarchal, i.e., how
our culture views men as superior
and women as inferior.
The common aspects looked into when using feminism are
as follows:
 How culture determines gender
 How gender equality (or lack of it) is presented in the text
 How gender issues are presented in literary works and other
aspects of human production and daily life
 How women are socially, politically, psychologically, and
economically oppressed by patriarchy
 How patriarchal ideology is an overpowering presence
 Questions to be asked for Feministic Approach

A. How are women’s lives portrayed in the work?

B. Is the form and content of the work influenced by the
writer’s gender?
C. How do male and female characters relate to one another?
Are these relationships sources of conflict? Are these conflicts
resolved?
D. Does the work challenge or affirm traditional views of
women?
E. How do the images of women in the story reflect patriarchal
social forces that have impeded women’s efforts to achieve full
equality with men?
Questions to be asked for Feministic Approach

F. What marital expectations are imposed on the

characters? What effect do these expectations
have?
G. What behavioral expectations are imposed on
the characters? What effect do these expectations
have?
H. If a female character were male, how would the
story be different (and vice versa)?
I. How does the marital status of a character
affect her decisions or happiness?
READER-RESPONSE CRITICISM
-is concerned with the reviewer is reaction as an audience
of a work. This approach claims that the reader’s role
cannot be separated from the understanding of the
work- a text does not have meaning until the reader
reads it and interprets it. Readers are therefore not
passive and distant, but are active consumers of the
material presented to them. The common aspects
looked into when using reader-response criticism are as
follows:
 Interaction between the reader and the text in creating
meaning
 The impact of the reader’s delivery of sounds and visuals
on enhancing and changing meaning
Reader-response criticism, or reader-oriented criticism,
focuses on the reading process. As Charles Bressler notes
in Literary Criticism, the basic assumption of reader-
oriented criticism is “Reader + Text = Meaning” (80).
The thoughts, ideas, and experiences a reader brings
to the text, combined with the text and experience of
reading it, work together to create meaning. From this
perspective, the text becomes a reflection of the reader.
The association of the reader with a text differs from
the premise of Formalist criticism, which argues for the
autonomy of a text. Reader-response criticism does not
suggest that anything goes, however, or that any
interpretation is a sound one.
Foundational Questions of Reader-Response
Criticism

•Who is the reader? Who is the implied reader?

•What experiences, thoughts, or knowledge does the
text evoke?
•What aspects or characters of the text do you
identify or disidentify with, and how does this process
of identification affect your response to the text?
•What is the difference between your general
reaction to (e.g., like or dislike) and reader-oriented
interpretation of the text?
 MARXIST CRITICISM
 -is concerned with differences between economic classes
and implications of a capitalist system, such as the continuing
conflicts between the working class and the elite. Hence,
it attempts to reveal that the ultimate source of people’s
experience is the socioeconomic system. The common
aspects looked into when using Marxist criticism are as
follows:
 Social class as represented in the work
 Social class of the writer creator
 Social class of the characters
 Conflicts and interactions between economic classes
 This approach likewise attempts to
answer the following questions:

1. What are the differences between economic

classes?
2. What conflict has arisen between the
working class and the elite?
3. What implication may the socioeconomic
system bring?
4. What social class has been emphasized and
how was this portrayed in the piece?
Biographical Approach: Focuses on
connection of work to author’s personal
experiences. Understanding authors’ life
can help in comprehending the work. This
aspect amplifies meaning and relevance of
the text.
Historical Approach: This approach focuses
on connection of work to the historical period
in which it was written; literary historians
attempt to connect the historical background
of the work to specific aspects of the work.
Psychological Approach: This approach
focuses on the psychology of characters.

Sociological Approach: This approach focuses

on man’s relationship to others in society,
politics, religion, and business.