Professional Documents
Culture Documents
METHODS OF
STUDYING
LITERATURE
FORMALISTIC / LITERARY
APPROACH
Also
called “PURE” or “LITERARY”
approach
The selection is read and viewed
intrinsically, or for itself; independent of
author, age, or any other extrinsic factor.
This
approach is close to the “art for art’s
sake” dictum
The study of the selection is
more is more or less based on
the so – called literary elements
which is more or less boil down
to the literal level, the
affective values, the ideational
values, technical values, and
total effects.
The literal level (subject matter)
The affective values (emotional, mood,
atmosphere, tone attitudes, empathy)
The ideational values (themes, visions, universal
truths, character)
Technical Values (plot, structure, scene,
language, point of view, imagery, figure, metrics,
etc.)
Total Effect (the interrelation of the foregoing
elements)
MORAL AND HUMANISTIC
APPROACH
The nature of man is CENTRAL to literature.
The reader or teacher or critic more or less
“requires” that the piece present MAN AS
ESSENTIALY RATIONAL, that is endowed with
intellect and free will; or that the piece does
not misinterpret the true nature of man
Inthese times of course the TRUE
NATURE OF MAN is hotly contested,
making literature all the more
challenging.
This approach is close to the
“MORALITY” of literature, to the
questions of ethical goodness and
badness
HISTORICAL APPROACH
Sees literature as both a reflection and product of the
times and circumstances in which it is written. Man as a
member of a particular society or nation at a particular
time, is central to the approach and whenever a teacher
gives historical or biographical backgrounds in
introducing a selection, or arranges a literature course
in chronological order, he is hewing close to this
approach.
The historical approach is often suitable
to high school classes, to survey courses,
for “average” classes, and for pieces
tackled or “discovered” for the first
time. It operates on the premise that the
history of a nation has telling effects on
its literature and that a piece can be
better understood and appreciated if one
knows the times around its creation.
CULTURAL APPROACH