学术英语(人文)Unit2
人文Academic Englishfor Humanities
Unit 2 Literary Theory and Criticism
Unit Contents Lead-in Text A Text B Text C Academic Language and Discour Listening Speaking Writing
Unit 2 Literary Theory and Criticism
Lead-inC Lead-in activities C Supplementary information
Unit 2 Literary Theory and Criticism
Lead-inActivities
Discuss the following questions:1.What is literary theory? 2.What is literary criticism? 3. Why do we need literary theory and literary criticism?
Unit 2 Literary Theory and Criticism
Lead-inSupplementary information
What is literary theory? In a strict n: the systematic study of the nature of literature and the methods for analyzing literature In a wider n: various scholarly approaches to reading texts (The approaches and ideas act as different lens literary critics u to analyze literature, and they allow critics to focus on particular aspects of a piece of literary works.) A most fundamental question asked by literary theory: DWhat is literature?‖
Unit 2 Literary Theory and Criticism
Lead-inSupplementary information
What is literary criticism?Literary criticism is the evaluation, analysis or description of a particular literary work or a group of writings as a whole.Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory. Criticism is usually in the form of a critical essay.
Academic literary critics (teaching in universities, publishing in academic journals, etc.) More popular critics (publishing in newspapers and magazines)
Unit 2 Literary Theory and Criticism
Text AThe Reading Process and Literary TheoryC Classroom activities C Supplementary information C Suggested answer key Unit 2 Literary Theory and Criticism
Text AClassroom activities
The Reading Process and Literary Theory Discuss the questions in Task 1 and Task 2 Critical Reading and Thinking P7 Come to the front of the class and give a brief introduction to one of the following major schools of literary criticism: Marxist criticism reader-respon criticism New Historicism postcolonialism African American studies gender studies
Unit 2 Literary Theory and Criticism
Text ASupplementary information
The Reading Process and Literary Theory Loui M. Ronblatt and her theory of readingLoui M. Ronblatt (1904-2005) was Emeritus Professor of English Education at New York University and holds an outstanding position in the fields of Education and Literary Studies.
Unit 2 Literary Theory and Criticism
Text ASupplementary information
The Reading Process and Literary Theory Loui M. Ronblatt and her theory of reading
She outlined a theory of reading as a transactional process. Once in an interview, when asked why she preferred the u of the term Dtransactional/transaction‖, she answered:
Unit 2 Literary Theory and Criticism
Text ASupplementary information
The Reading
Process and Literary Theory Loui M. Ronblatt and her theory of reading“Reading is transaction , during which each is continuously affecting the other. I suppo ecology is the field in which people understand this best-that human beings are affected by the environment, but they are also affecting it all the time, so that there is a transaction going on. …The continuous reciprocal influence of reader and text is similar, for instance, to two people talking to one another. What is said at the beginning of the conversation may take on an entirely different meaning by the end of it. (to be continued) Unit 2 Literary Theory and Criticism
Text ASupplementary information
The Reading Process and Literary Theory Loui M. Ronblatt and her theory of reading(continued)
What's said affects the person who hears it, who then says something respon that affects the first speaker. Rather than two static entities, each person is being affected in the conversation and what comes next depends on what happened so far. The same thing is going on between the reader and the squiggles on the page. Squiggles on the page are just signs. … I call my theory the transactional theory becau I wanted to emphasis this dynamic rel ationship. ” -- Loui M. Ronblatt
Unit 2 Literary Theory and Criticism
Text ASupplementary information
The Reading Process and Literary Theory Marxist literary criticism Bad on socialist and dialectic theories Viewing literary works as being originated from the social institutions and reflecting the social institutions Concerning with the social and political meanings of the
text (e.g. the ways in which the text reveals ideological oppression of a dominant economic class over subordinate class)
Unit 2 Literary Theory and Criticism
Text ASupplementary information
The Reading Process and Literary Theory Reader-respon criticism Focus: the reader and their respon to the text Systematic examination of the parts of the text that arou, shape, and guide a reader's respon Different from formalist interpretations of literature (which emphasizes objective interpretation of a text on the basis of established criteria)
One of the earliest proponents of this theory: Loui M. Ronblatt.
Unit 2 Literary Theory and Criticism
Text ASupplementary information
The Reading Process and Literary Theory New Historicism Aim: to associate a work with the time period when it was produced, (especially with the cultural and political movements of the time) The underlying basic assumption: (Every work is a product of the historic context.)
Unit 2 Literary Theory and Criticism
Text ASupplementary information
The Reading Process and Literary Theory New Historicism
Stephen Greenblatt is regarded as one of the founders of New Historicism, a t of critical practices that he often refers to as "Cultural PoeticsD.
Unit 2 Literary Theory and Criticism
Text ASu
pplementary information
The Reading Process and Literary Theory Postcolonialism
Concerned with literature produced by colonial powers or tho who were/are colonized
Looking at how power, economics, politics, religion, and culture work in relation to colonial hegemony
Unit 2 Literary Theory and Criticism
Text ASupplementary information
The Reading Process and Literary Theory African American studiesAfrican American studies examines, from numerous disciplinary perspectives, the history, literature, religion, culture and politics of Black Americans.
Unit 2 Literary Theory and Criticism
Text ASupplementary information
The Reading Process and Literary Theory Gender studies Aiming to describe how ideas and assumptions about biological x and gender influence the political, social, and cultural construction of gender identities Resorting to the concept of gender to analyze a wide range of disciplines Including women's studies, men's studies, studies on gay, lesbian, bixual and transgender topics, etc.
Unit 2 Literary Theory and Criticism
Text ASupplementary information
The Reading Process and Literary Theory Gender studies
