Approaches in

Literary Criticism
PRESENTATION BY: HERLYNNE GRACE D. MANAOAT
Historical-Biographical Approach

 Life and Times

 Basically analyses the text as a reflection of the author’s life and the events
that took place in his/her life
 Basic tenets of Histo-Bio approach are: (1) the author’s personality,
preferences, mannerisms, vices, and any other detail may be reflected in
the characters in his/her text; (2) the happenings and events that took
place in his/her life may be reflected in the happenings and events that
occurred in the text; (3) the conflict/s experienced by the author may be
reflected as a similar, if not the same, conflict in the author’s work.
Questions that can be asked when
doing an analysis following Histo-Bio:

 Since Histo-Bio follows the tenet which explains that “The author and the text
are inseparable.”, these are sample questions which may be used in analyzing
the text:
 What is the setting of the text and how does it reflect the author’s life?
 What happened during the text when the text was written? Did it have some
similarities with each other? How did it affect the text?
 How does the author express himself/herself through the text? Are there any
traces which highlight the personalities, preferences, and experiences of the
author in the text?
 What actual people/influences in the text which reflect the people/influences
in the author’s life?
Moral-Philosophical Approach

 Highlights how characters in the text view right and wrong

according to their philosophies

 Different characters may have varied philosophies but these philosophies

guide them to come up to a certain standard to judge what is right and
what is wrong.
 These decisions follow a certain way of thinking (philosophy) which justifies
their actions on what they think is right or wrong.
Philosophies under Moral-Philo:

 Idealism
“To believe is to see”, “Ideas bring forth reality”,
 Realism
“To see is to believe”, “Reality brings forth ideas”, “Objective Reality”
 Essentialism
“Predetermination”, “Inherence”, “Belief about God”, “Inevitability”,
“Limitations”, “Nature”, “Natural Balance”
 Existentialism
“Freedom and Power of Human Choice”, “Rejection of God”, “Rejection
of Manipulation of Fate”, “Rejection of Inevitability”, “Chances and
Consequences”
Questions to ask in analyzing text
through Moral-Philo:

 What is the standard of Morality (good and evil/ right and wrong)
in the story/ piece?
 How do characters perceive right and wrong?
 What do/es the character/s believe in which influences their
actions?
 How do they justify their actions?
 Does God exist in the text?
Psychoanalytic/ Psychosexual Approach

 Proposed by Sigmund Freud

 Discusses that an individual develops certain drives and motivations from
early age which influences their actions and manners as they grow up.
 Human behaviour is composed of the three components namely (1) ID,
(2) EGO, and (3) SUPEREGO.
 ID – desires, impulses, instinct, pleasure
 EGO – awareness, realization of thought
 SUPEREGO – moral decision, greater good
Symbols and Complexes:

 Yonic – female symbol; anything which is an opening, a vessel, wide

object, or an entrance
 Phallic – male symbol; erected figure, elongated figure, or anything that
goes inside an opening

 Complexes: : Laius, Oedipus, Elektra, Yocasta, Brother Complex, Sister

Complex, Daughter Complex, Inferiority Complex, Superiority Complex
Stages of Development

 Oral – Satisfying needs through oral means; starting from birth to 2 yrs. old
 Anal – Learning proper manners regarding bowel movement
 Phallic – Learning the differences between the two sexes
 Latency – Concentrating on extra-curricular activities rather than sexual
activities (usually during elementary to early high school age)
 Genital - Satisfying sexual needs as well as forming intimacy with another
person

 Fixation – A certain problem which arises when one of the stages did not
develop accordingly
Questions that can be asked when
analyzing text through Psychoanalytic
Approach:

 What are the [hidden] desires, motives, fears, urges, and instinct of
the characters/persona in the text?
 Is/Are there any mannerism/s that the character/s or persona show
in the text?
 What is/are the complex/es of the character/s if there are any?
 How does the subconscious affect the decisions of the characters?
Feminism

 Highlights how women are being viewed or treated in the text

 Discusses the role of women in the society where they are situated at
 Women Oppression – Displays woman as the root of evil, weak, lesser sex,
or being dominated or abused by men and other figures in the society
 Gender Equality – Shows how women are in par or in equal footing with
men and/or other sexes in the society
 Women Empowerment – Displays women as valued, respected, praised,
and cunning people; Women are also viewed as upperhand in some
situations.
 Radical Feminism – View women as the dominating/domineering sex
Questions that can be asked when
analyzing text through Feminism:

 What is the function of women in the text?

 How does woman view herself, herself in the family, herself in the
community, and herself in the society?
 How are women being portrayed in the text?
Archetypal/Mythological Approach

 Proposed by Carl Jung

 Discusses recurring patterns or symbols in the text
 Deals with archetypes or primary examples of symbols and figures in text
 Can highlight meanings behind certain colors, symbols, signs, or numbers

 Common Archetypes: Damsel in Distress, Femme Fatale, Wise Old Man,

Knight in Shining Armor, Journey, Rags to Riches, Poor and Rich, Yin and
Yang, Birth-Rebirth, Superhero Archetype, Villain Archetype
 Questions that can be asked when
analyzing text using Archetypal/
Mythological Approach:

 What are the recurring patterns in the text?

 What are the symbols/ figures in the text and what do these signify?
 How do colors, symbols, numbers, and signs contribute to the text?
Marxism as a Literary Approach

 Proposed by Karl Marx

 Discusses about the societal issues present in the text, particularly dealing
with the “pyramid” of social strata
 Contrasts the way of living and the struggles of the people coming from
the lower society to that of the people coming form the upper society
 Juxtaposes the rich and the poor, the majority and the minority, or the
people and the ruling body
Questions that can be asked when
using Marxism as a literary approach:

 How was the social strata and its distribution being portrayed in the text?
 What constitutes the majority and the minority? How about the rich and
the poor?
 Were there any signs of oppression, neglect, or abuse between the
classes?
 Were there any signs of social mobility? If there is, does this help the
characters in the text?
 How does the social status of a certain character contribute to the text?