Critical approaches to literature refer to various perspectives from which to carry out literary analysis. Writing literary criticism essays is a big part of academic writing, especially for students of literature. Choosing an appropriate approach to literature is a huge part of the process of literary analysis.
Literary analysis can be complicated because of the subjective nature of literary works. Your ability to choose the proper literary approach can help make literary analysis easier. Good literary analysis is a balance between choosing the right literary approach and justifying your interpretation by relying on fundamental literary theories.
In this article, we will provide tips on writing a proper literary criticism essay using the appropriate literary approach. For this purpose, we contrast and compare two poems: "Silver Wedding" by Vernon Scannell and "Marrysong" by Dennis Scott. Besides this, I also give a brief overview of the various approaches to criticizing literature.
What are approaches to literature?
Approaches to literary criticism are the various strategies used to understand and analyze a piece of literary writing. These approaches can range from traditional approaches, where you consider the basics such as character, setting, themes, and plot to more avant-garde approaches. An avant-garde approach would include the psychological approach.
The most controversial psychological criticism approach is the Oedipus complex. In this literary theory, characters' motives and actions are based on the idea that they have a deep-rooted subconscious desire to kill their fathers and marry their mothers.
Critical literary analysis includes the interpretations of works of literature, including novels, plays, short stories, poems, and so on. It can take various forms. There are several approaches through which you can conduct literary analysis. They include:
The Traditional or Classical Approach
The Historical-Biographical Approach
The Moral-Philosophical Approach
The Formalistic Approach
The Psychological Approach
The Mythological-Archetypal Approach
The Feminist approach
The Cultural Studies Approach
The table below provides definitions and theses or examples for each literary approach.
Critical Literary approach | Description | Example |
1. The Classic Approach | I use this term to describe traditional literary concepts such as 1. Setting, 2. Plot, 3. Character, 4. Style, 5. Atmosphere, and Themes. Each one of these components are discussed in terms of how to contribute to the overall impression of the literary piece. | How does Poe use plot in “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” to subvert readers' expectations? |
2. Historical-Biographical | This takes into account the historical and biographical context of the literary piece. | How did Elizabethan attitudes toward Jews affect Shakespeare’s characterization of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice? |
3. Moral-Philosophical | This attempts to teach a lesson through a story or character flaw | What does the fate of Antigone say about the nature and consequences of pride? |
4. Formalism | Close reading of a text that stands on its own merit without reference to historical context or authorial biography. | How does Ben Johnson’s “My Picture Left In Scotland” prove the conceit “Love is ather deaf than blind” in terms of form, meter, and “conceit”? |
5. The Psychological Approach | This uses concepts of the subconscious as discussed by Freud to discover the hidden motives of the character | What does Hamlet's strong disgust toward his mother's sexual misconduct reveal about his subconscious desires? |
6. Mythological and Archetypal Approaches | This is based on the idea that all human stories across cultures are connected by universal myths and tropes that stem from a collective ancient human memory. | Hamlet's death and that of his family members represent the necessary human sacrifice to atone for the original sin of Cluadius' fratricide and regicide. |
7. Cultural Studies Approaches | This represents criticism based on formerly suppressed or newly emerging cultural perspectives | How does The Color Purple shed light on how the struggles of Black women stand apart from those of Black men? |
8. Feminist Approaches | This describes criticism based on Feminist perspectives | Lady Macbeth experiences madness because she chooses to embrace toxic masculinity as an overcompensation for her femininity. |
What literary analysis approach to take
The literary approach to take may sometimes be decided by your course instructor. If you are given explicit instruction to adopt a Formalistic approach to analyzing "My Picture Left In Scotland" by Ben Johnson, then this is what you should do.
However, if the choice is left up to you, you don't always have to use only one of the seven approaches outlined. You could use a combination of two or as many as it makes sense to. In addition, here are common strategies for literary analysis that you might want to look at:
1. Compare and contrast. This is where you compare the style, tone, characterization, or themes from two different works, such as two poems or two novels. You may even compare themes and characters within a single work.
2. Character sketches. This involves analyzing character development or behavior in a novel or short story.
3. Social or cultural analyses. This is an analysis that situates the themes of a piece of literature within its proper social or cultural context.
4. Historical analysis. This explains how the themes of a work of literature deal with the historical context that it uses as a story background or the historical period within which it was written.
There are many other questions or themes on which literary analysis is conducted. So, this is by no means an exhaustive list.
The point of literary analysis is to demonstrate that you understand the work being analyzed and relate it to wider contexts, such as other works, history, and social or cultural themes or issues. The best literary analyses try to be original and unique in their insights while sticking to universal principles.
Example of a traditional literary analysis approach
To make a good impression with your literary analysis, you should focus on discovering universal insights. The ideal opportunity to do so would be to compare and contrast two works of art from widely distinct contexts or cultures and see how they reflect and differ from each other.
At EminentEdit, we believe in show, don't tell. So, we will demonstrate an example of analysis with two poems. For this purpose, we have chosen two appropriate pieces. The first is "Silver Wedding" by Vernon Scannell, the British poet, and the second is "Marrysong" by the Jamaican poet Dennis Scott.
Let's try to imagine the prompt for an essay that compares and contrasts these two poems. It would read something as follows:
What are the similarities and differences in the attitude to marriage exhibited in these two poems?
Example of literary criticism essay |
Comparing "Marrysong" and "Silver Wedding": A Romantic Versus Cynical View of Marriage
Introduction
"Marrysong" manages to preserve a romantic view of marriage despite its high levels of frustration, whereas "Silver Wedding" preserves a heavy note of resignation and outright despair. Marysong achieves this romantic effect through careful imagery and natural scenery that carefully moves from frustration to despair, while Scannell relies on a sustained tone of sardonic cynicism.
In the poem by Dennis Scott, the female spouse is portrayed as a complicated woman who is difficult to "learn." However, the challenge of "learning" her is eventually portrayed as a rewarding and life-long journey in and of itself. By contrast, Scannell sees himself as trapped in a despairing marriage that he simply can't escape.
Both poems are brilliantly written and achieve their intended effects. In our analysis, we uncover how both poets managed to show the deep frustration and resentment in marriage and how they depart in terms of how they come to terms with these frustrations.
Illustrating the Frustrations of Marriage
Both poets portray masterfully the frustrations of marriage through effective and well-chosen imagery. Scannel uses the after-party of his 25-year wedding anniversary to ruminate on the hurt, regret, and despair that has characterized his marriage:
The party is over and I sit among
The flotsam that its passing leaves,
The dirty glasses and fag-ends:
Outside, a black wind grieves.
This imagery suggests exhaustion, fatigue, and even desperation. This is a man at the end of his rope. The Scott poem begins more subtly and prepares carefully for a long extended metaphor that eventually transforms the frustrations of his marriage into something challenging, rewarding, and even romantic.
His partner is portrayed almost as a mythic landscape that is hard to know or learn.
He never learned her, quite. Year after year
that territory, without seasons, shifted
under his eye.
Therefore, unlike Scannell, Scott's poem begins much more ambiguously. The frustration is noted, but the outright despair is lacking. Scott leaves room for encouragement or resolution, whereas Scannell makes it clear that the"party is over."
In "Silver Wedding," the frustration and despair appear to be based on guilt at a man wronging his wife, which is suggested by lines, such as:
Helen, my spouse, my sack of sighs,
Reproaches me for every hurt
With injured, bovine eyes.
"Bovine eyes" suggest the innocence of a woman who has been mistreated by her spouse. Similar is suggested in Scott's poem, where he says:
An hour he could be lost
in the walled anger of her quarried hurt
The key difference is that his spouse's hurt is eventually portrayed as natural feminine fickleness, which is sometimes delightful and other times baffling and frustrating.
An hour he could be lost
in the walled anger of her quarried hurt
or turning, see cool water laughing where
the day before there were stones in her voice.
He charted. She made wilderness again.
The author of "Marrysong" never approaches the bitterness of the "Silver Wedding," where the wife is described as "a bag of sighs."
Two Different Perspectives On Marriage
The two poems part ways from the very beginning. Scannell's poem begins at the end of his wedding celebration quite fittingly. This is further reinforced throughout the poem, with lines such as:
There must have been passion once, I grant,
But neither she nor I could bear
To have its ghost come prowling from
Its dark and frowsy lair.
Here, the author makes it clear that the idea of happiness and passion is so foreign that it is portrayed as a ghost. Dennis Scott's poem, by contrast, starts with a description of a journey that he will never tire of. The continual frustration and his attempts to come to terms with it and beat it are portrayed as part of the passion that remains alive in his marriage. Scott uses beautiful and succinct language to describe this, such as "He charted. She made wilderness again."
Both poems in fact make effective use of language, meter, and imagery. In the case of "Silver Wedding," the half-rhyming scheme and regular meter give the poem a surreal sing-song quality. The poet is wryly celebrating surviving the despair and turmoil of a ruined marriage. The short meter and rhyme give the impression of a man singing and dancing in the wasteland of a nuclear holocaust.
Moreover, the scenes associated with a party coming to an end faithfully reflect the theme.
Scott uses iambic pentameter, which reflects the way that he tightly controls the imagery of his wife being a challenging, yet rewarding landscape to explore. The way that he extends the metaphor from the first line all the way to the end, without ever getting trite is truly impressive.
Conclusion
The two poems are effective in portraying the frustrations of marriage. A life-long commitment to one partner can indeed be difficult and frustrating. However, "Marrysong" comes to terms with the frustration by seeing it as a challenge that might have delights yet to be discovered, and with the husband taking care to treat his wife with tenderness and patience. "Silver Wedding" sees it as all lost and wonders how the two even reached so far.
Using the different critical approaches to literature
In this short literary criticism essay, I sought to practice what I preach. From even the title of the essay I tried to tell one coherent story: namely, both poems are about men expressing the frustration of life-long commitment to their wives or spouse, with Scannell sinking into cynicism and despair and Scott taking a more romantic approach.
The first sentence explains as much: Marrysong" manages to preserve a romantic view of marriage despite its high levels of frustration, whereas "Silver Wedding" preserves a heavy note of resignation and outright despair. The remainder of the poem focuses on showing how the two poems reflect and differ from each other.
Also, note while we use some quotations, we don't use too many. This is because as mentioned earlier you should focus on reproducing your own interpretation and understanding of the text. The two poems are already quite famous. Your lecturer already knows them. There is no need to repeat the text of the poems extensively.
In teh following, we will hone in on various alternative interpretations of Marrysong by Dennis Scott.
1. The traditional approach to literature
Now, this is just one interpretation. Several other approaches could be applied to this poem. In my analysis, I focused on mood, setting, theme, and the characterization of the persona or speaking voice in the poems. This could be seen as a Traditional approach.
2. The historical-biographical approaches
A Historical-Biographical approach to Scannell's poem would attempt to find facts about his married life that may have contributed to the negative feelings expressed in the poem. In the case of Scott, the fact that he was a Jamaican poet would help explain several aspects of the poem. For example, the title of the poem "Marrysong" is the Jamaican dialect for Marriage Song.
The poem is otherwise written in "proper English." Dennis Scott is well-known for his ability to skillfully blend Jamaican dialect in lyrical poetry without resorting to broad satire or humor as is often the case with other Caribbean and Jamaican poets who use dialect in their poetry. A historical-biographical approach would compare this poem to other poems by Dennis Scott and how he uses (or not) Jamaican dialect in this poem to mine further meaning.
For example, in his poem Uncle Time, Scott writes about the devastating effect of time on human life, love, and aspirations. We could say that Scott by giving his poem a title in Jamaican dialect wanted to mark his poem as a product of Jamaican land- and cultural-scape even while speaking about a sophisticated and delicate subject as the nature of love and long-term commitment to a spouse.
Also, even if the poem is not written in dialect, the landscape described resembles the native and natural landscape of his country of Jamaica. This leaves the question: Is Scott describing just the relationship with his wife or the nature of the relationship between him and his country? This analysis would not be possible without taking into account the biography and history of the poet and the poem.
3. The moral-philosophical approach
A moral-philosophical approach would pass judgment on the personas of the poem. For instance, we can say that the husband in "Marrysong" is a gentler, more honest, and compassionate partner than the one in "Silver Wedding." The moral theme that we could derive from comparing the two poems is that marriage is a challenge that can only be met with consistency and constant willingness to understand and bear with your partner.
Another example of a moral-philosophical approach is Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice:
In The Merchant of Venice, we see a contrast between two main characters Shylock, who has a selfish, mean, and vengeful character, with that of Antonio, who is willing to offer his money and even his very flesh to help his friend Bassanio.
4. The formalistic approach
A Formalistic approach, which I touched upon would highlight how the form and intent are blended in Scott's poem through an extended metaphor where his spouse's emotions are described as a landscape he could never tire of exploring, although sometimes difficult. We can also say some good things about "Silver Wedding" using a formalistic approach.
In the formalistic approach, there is an emphasis on analyzing the poem as a whole and the unified effect it achieves through form and tone. "Silver Wedding":
In the case of "Silver Wedding," the half-rhyming scheme and regular meter give the poem a surreal sing-song quality. The poet is wryly celebrating surviving the despair and turmoil of a ruined marriage. The short meter and rhyme give the impression of a man singing and dancing in the wasteland of a nuclear holocaust.
In the excerpt above, I describe how the rhyming and meter scheme in the poem combine to create its extreme tone of bitter sarcasm and regret associated with a celebration that lacks happiness.
5. The psychological approach
The psychological approach refers to literary criticism that focuses on how subconscious desires drive the motivations and actions of characters. A good example of this is the Oedipus complex as applied to Hamlet. Here is an interpretation via Freidman and Jones (1963):
The standard psychoanalytic interpretation of Hamlet is that he suffers from an Oedipus complex. As a child he had resented having to share his mother's affection, had therefore regarded his father as a rival, had wished him out of the way, and had repressed this wish. When the play opens his Uncle Claudius has murdered Hamlet's father and is sleeping with Hamlet's mother. The uncle has thus perpetrated in reality the two acts which are inextricably intertwined in Hamlet's unconscious fantasy. (Freidman and Jones, 1963, p. 110)
6. The mythological and archetypal approach
The mythological and archetypal approach to literary criticism examines literature by identifying universal symbols, themes, and patterns rooted in myths and shared human experiences. It was inspired by thinkers like Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell.
In this approach, recurring archetypes are explored. This includes the hero, the mother, and the trickster, which are found across cultures and periods. It views these elements as expressions of the collective unconscious, revealing underlying truths about human nature. By analyzing how texts tap into these deep-seated myths, critics attempt to gain insights into both individual and cultural psychology.
This approach understands literature as a reflection of universal experiences, emotions, and existential questions. Let's take a look at how this approach may apply to "Marrysong." The poet can be seen as a hero who is charged with the heroic journey of exploring the mythical landscape of his partner's mind and body. The poem's imagery of his partner's emotion as an uncharted landscape falls perfectly in line with this interpretation.
7. The cultural studies approach
The cultural studies approach to literature emphasizes the ways in which texts are shaped by—and, in turn, shape—social, political, and cultural contexts. This approach views literature not merely as isolated art but as part of a larger cultural system influenced by issues of power, identity, race, gender, class, and ideology.
Cultural studies critics analyze how texts reflect, reinforce, or challenge societal norms, often focusing on marginalized perspectives and exploring who gets represented and how. They might examine how popular media and literature interact, the roles of authorship and audience interpretation, and the socio-economic conditions that influence a work's production and reception.
In The Great Gatsby, for example, we see how Gatsby's obsession with Daisy and his attempt to win her with his excessive displays of wealth is a corruption of the American dream of anyone can be rich even if they start from nothing.
8. The feminist approach
A Feminist critique would acknowledge that Scott's approach was gentler to his wife than Scannel's. However, Scott would not be left completely off the hook. He would have been critiqued for objectifying his wife as a landscape to be conquered as opposed to a human with genuine emotions that are rooted in reason and logic that he should work toward understanding.
In short, there are many paths or approaches that you should follow in interpreting a work of literature. What is expected is for you to provide an original synthesis. Literary analysis is one of the few forms of academic writing where you allow your own personal opinion and creative expression to feature in your analysis.
Original synthesis and unique critiques show that you have read and understood the text and you can express what you have learned in your own words. If you're able to produce an original perspective in the process that would be ideal. Good luck with your literary analysis!
Cite this EminentEdit article |
Antoine, M. (2023, May 06). Critical Approaches to Literature. https://www.eminentediting.com/post/critical-approaches-to-literature |
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