Module 1 Lit Crit

Republic of the Philippines
SURIGAO DEL NORTE STATE UNIVERSITY

Narciso Street, Surigao City 8400, Philippines
“For Nation’s Greater

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LEARNING MODULES
IN
MAJOR 14: LITERARY CRITICISM
Prepared/ Compiled by:

JOEWAREN R. SULIMA, PhD
Instructor
EM 14: Literary Criticism 1 August 2020 Edition

Joewaren R. Sulima, PhD

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TITLE: Chapter 1: Introduction to Literary Criticism

TOPIC:
1.1. Review of Purposes and Benefits of Literature Studies
1.2. Review of Literary Genres and Literary Techniques
1.3. Literary Criticism
1.4. Purposes of Literary Criticism
1.5. Literary Discussion vs. Literary Analysis vs. Literary Interpretation
Time Frame: 6 hrs
Introduction:
Literary studies are the study of written works of imagination, of which poetry,
drama and narrative fiction constitute today most familiar types or genres. Most
students and teachers of literature, however, see it as a more complex matter. It
might be more accurate to describe it as a set of methods for examining the richness
and diversity of experience through the usual uses of language that we recognize as
different from everyday language. Literary Criticism on the other hand is the study,
evaluation, evaluation and interpretation of literature. In this lesson, students will
become familiar of the various theories and concepts. In general, the content
knowledge of the foundations and history and origin of the theories and their
proponents in the classical and neo classical time will equip the students to
understand some other theories in different timeline up to the present.
According to Rosales (2012), literary criticism poses contributions in the practice

of the writing of good analysis or critic paper.
Objectives: In This lesson, learners are expected to:
1. Review literature studies focusing on literary genres
2. Synthesize the purpose of literary criticism
3. Differentiate significant terms related to literary criticism


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Pre-test:
In 2-3 sentences, answer the following question in a short bond paper or send your
answers to the google classroom, email or messenger.
1.What are the benefits of literature studies?
__________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
2.In your own words, what is literary criticism?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________


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LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY CRITICISM
Topic 1.1. Review of Purposes and Benefits of Literature Studies
In general, individuals describe literature as writing that has cultural, artistic, and/or
intellectual importance. In this type of writing, complex issues are examined, and
readers are encouraged to consider new viewpoints. What is the purpose of literature?
Below are the reasons:
1. Stress can be relieved by Literature

Literature relieves stress and anxiety, and that’s no secret to readers. Reading a good
book does wonder for a stressed mind. A fast heartbeat can be slowed down by
reading, reducing anxiety, and taking the reader’s sense off their racing ideas.
2. Literature inspires imagination
Among the finest methods to cultivate a vigorous imagination is to read, according to
the World Literacy Foundation. Watching a movie requires very little mental work,
whereas reading words from a page requires readers to mentally create the scene. In
addition to strengthening the imagination, this exercise promotes creative thinking and
innovation.
3. Literature keeps the brain active and healthy
The benefits of reading to the brain cannot be ignored. In addition to improving
concentration, reading can also stretch the imagination. A person can keep their brain
healthy and active by exercising it regularly. Alzheimer’s and dementia are
degenerative brain disorders that can be delayed with regular mental stimulation.
4. Literature helps a person to expand their vocabulary
The vocabulary in literature is often more challenging than that in magazines or light
books. Many readers might be unfamiliar with the language used in books published in
the past. A person’s vocabulary is expanded by reading a wide range of literature. The
study of literature is a great way to enhance language skills for those learning new
languages.
5. Literature enhances a person’s writing skills


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Reading more will help an individual improve their writing. In order to improve, most
successful authors praise reading. In addition to fueling imagination and expanding
vocabulary, literature provides insight into different literary styles, ideas organization,
character development, and more.
6. Communication skills are improved by reading literature
Reading improves a reader’s ability to write, which helps them to become a better
communicator. This extends to their daily interactions and conversations as well.
Every aspect of life requires good communication, from career to personal
relationships. When people are exposed to literature at a young age, they are able to
build communication skills right away. Reading helps adults enhance their
communication skills.
7. Literature motivates critical thinking
To live a fulfilling life, we must think critically. It helps people figure out what the truth is
and work through problems. Literature is an excellent way for students to learn how to
think critically. To fully understand what’s going on in the book, readers must pay
attention to details, form relationships, and develop their individual ideas. Textbooks
are frequently used by teachers to help expand students’ vital thinking skills. They will
be nicely prepared for their future careers with this tool.
8. Readers learn about history through literature
People say history repeats itself if we don’t learn from it. Literature offers a unique way
to engage with history. It is much more exciting than learning a timeline or memorizing
facts. Regardless of the book’s fiction or focus, readers are exposed to perspectives
from the time when it was written. In ancient China, books from 19th century England
reveal different truths.
9. Reading literature can motivate kindness
Empathy is necessary at every level of society, or we descend into a dog-eat-dog
atmosphere, which harms everyone. The study of literature has shown that reading
can make one feel more empathic. Fictional literature has a particularly powerful effect
on empathizing. Why? Because it forces the reader to put themselves in the shoes of
more complex characters. Scientists at Princeton’s Social Neurosciences lab have
discovered that reading fiction regularly improves one’s ability to guess what other
people are feeling and thinking. The idea that literature can help us grow as individuals
is intriguing, even if it hasn’t been proven by science.


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Topic 1.2. Review of Literary Genres and Literary Techniques


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1.3. Literary Criticism
“Literary Criticism” refers to the act of interpreting and studying literature. A literary critic is
not someone who merely evaluates the worth or quality of a piece of literature but, rather, is
someone who argues on behalf of an interpretation or understanding of the particular
meaning(s) of literary texts. The task of a literary critic is to explain and attempt to reach a
critical understanding of what literary texts mean in terms of their aesthetic, as well as
social, political, and cultural statements and suggestions. A literary critic does more than
simply discuss or evaluate the importance of a literary text; rather, a literary critic seeks to
reach a logical and reasonable understanding of not only what a text’s author intends for it
to mean but, also, what different cultures and ideologies render it capable of meaning.
The term literary criticism refers directly to the ‘reasoned consideration’ of literary works and
their relatable issues. It encompasses all arguments about literature – whether or not
specific literary works are analyzed. The earliest form of literary criticism can be seen in
Plato’s warnings against the potentially detrimental effects of poetic inspiration in his
work, Republic.
“Literary theory,” however, refers to a particular form of literary criticism in which particular
academic, scientific, or philosophical approaches are followed in a systematic fashion while
analyzing literary texts. For example, a psychoanalytic theorist might examine and interpret
a literary text strictly through the theoretical lens of psychoanalysis and psychology and, in
turn, offer an interpretation or reading of a text that focuses entirely on the psychological
dimensions of it. Traditional literary criticism tends not to focus on a particular aspect of (or
approach to) a literary text in quite the same manner that literary theory usually does.
Literary theory proposes particular, systematic approaches to literary texts that impose a
particular line of intellectual reasoning to it. For example, a psychoanalytic literary theorist
might take the psychological theories of Sigmund Freud or Carl Jung and seek to reach a
critical understanding of a novel such as Ernest Hemingway’s for Whom the Bell Tolls. A
literary theorist applying, perhaps, Sigmund Freud’s notions of trauma to Hemingway’s
novel might explore the protagonist’s psychology, using Freud’s theoretical “tools,” and
argue that the protagonist suffers from what Freud termed “shell shock” and that the novel,
then, can reasonably be argued to be a commentary upon the effects of war on the
psychology of individuals. Literary theorists often adapt systems of knowledge developed
largely outside the realm of literary studies and impose them upon literary texts for the
purpose of discovering or developing new and unique understandings of those texts that a
traditional literary critic might not be intellectually equipped to recognize.


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1.4. Purposes of Literary Criticism
Literary criticism includes what has been referred to as ‘practical criticism’, or the
interpretation of intended meanings and the overall judgement of quality. Criticism at this
level can be seen not only from an artistic vantage point, but also from other viewpoints that
might be relevant to students and others who study literature in more depth than the
traditional reader.
More specifically, literary criticism includes what has been referred to as ‘practical criticism’,
or the interpretation of intended meanings and the overall judgement of quality. Criticism at
this level can be seen not only from an artistic vantage point, but also from other viewpoints
that might be relevant to students and others who study literature in more depth than the
traditional reader.
For example, bibliographical questions, historical knowledge, influential sources, and even
problems of method. For this reason, criticism is often considered to be in a different
category than conventional scholarship. That is where the separation ends, however. At the
root of all criticism is informed outside knowledge.
Existing Forms of Literary Criticism
There are many different types of literary criticism, most focus on specific issues or
identities. Here are a few examples:
 Moral Criticism, Dramatic Construction (-360 BC to Present Time)

 Formalism, New Criticism, Neo-Aristotelian Criticism (1930 to Present Time)
 Psychoanalytic Criticism, Jungian Criticism (1930 to Present Time)
 Marxist Criticism (1930 to Present Time)
 Reader-Response Criticism (1960 to Present Time)
 Structuralism / Semiotics (1920 to Present Time)
 New Historicism / Cultural Studies (1980 to Present Time)
 Post- Colonial Criticism (1990 to Present Time)
 Feminist Criticism (1960 to Present Time)
 Gender or Queer Studies (1970 to Present Time)


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15.Literary Discussion vs. Literary Analysis vs. Literary Interpretation
Identifying the author’s purpose will serve as the thesis/backbone of your paper. There
will be many purposes uncovered as you read, but choose the one that speaks most to
you. This is also defined as a theme of the text. A theme is an abstract concept that
portrays a message, claim, or life lesson. To analyze, by definition, is to examine, in
detail, the structure/makeup of something with the purpose of explaining or interpreting
how its parts work together. A literary analysis is a paper on one, or many, of the key
elements in a text and how they support a main idea or purpose. When writing a literary
analysis, you are not just identifying elements in a text, but analyzing those specific
elements.
Step 1: Identify the Author’s Purpose
Identifying the author’s purpose will serve as the thesis/backbone of your paper.
There will be many purposes uncovered as you read, but choose the one that speaks

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most to you. This is also defined as a theme of the text. A theme is an abstract concept
that portrays a message, claim, or life lesson.
Step 2: Analyze Key Elements
After a purpose is identified, the next step is to figure out how the author portrays this
theme and why you came to the conclusion that this theme is both important and
prevalent. The elements to be analyzed are plot, setting, characters, point of view,
figurative language, and style. This will serve as the evidence/support throughout your
paper.
Step 3: Connect Ideas
After you have identified a purpose and the key elements in the story, you need to
connect the two together. In order to do this, you need to be sure to keep the purpose in
mind at all times and remember that every element analysis should be geared towards
its role in explaining or emphasizing the purpose you have chosen to focus on.
Example: The below example demonstrates the steps taken before beginning to write a
literary analysis paper. Our example is taken from Shel Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree”.
The author’s purpose is identified before moving on to pulling out and analyzing the key
elements in the book: plot, setting, characters, point of view and style.
Purpose: Shel Silverstein portrays the theme of a mother’s love and the extent to which
they will go to make their children happy.
Plot: “The Giving Tree” is about the relationship between a young boy and a tree and
how their relationship changes over time as the boy grows up, becomes more
demanding, and has less time to visit and interact with the tree. The tree sacrifices all
she can to make the boy happy, no matter how harmful it is for.
Setting: With the passage of time, the boy ages and his and the tree’s relationship
becomes more and more distressed. The tree is only happy when the boy is there with
her, yet he is able to spend less and less time with her as he grows older, resulting in
her frequent sadness.
Characters: The boy changes a lot throughout the story. As he grows older, his
happiness wanes and he has less and less time for the tree. Furthermore, he
experiences a shift in priorities from those juvenile concerns of a place to play to more
serious issues, such as needing a home for him and his family.


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Point of View: The story is told from a third person omniscient perspective so that the
audience is able to get insight into each character’s mind and know what each
character is doing and feeling.
Style: The simple, straightforward diction of this piece allows for an enjoyable read for
the audience, as well as a relatable interpretation of the overall theme. There is quite a
bit of repetition in this story in regards to the mention of being happy and time which
emphasized what Shel Silverstein wanted his audience to be drawn to.
Figurative Language: The female tree serves as a symbol for a mother, or motherly
figure. The increasingly sporadic visits to the tree by the boy symbolize a child’s
decreasing dependency on their mother as they grow up.
Connect Ideas: After you have identified a purpose and the key elements in the story,
you need to create a thesis that shows how these two connect. In other words, you
need to show how these key elements play a role in the argument that the text is
making about a specific theme. It is important to keep this thesis in mind while analyzing
the text because your analysis of the element(s) should always tie back to the author’s
purpose.
Example: Through his use of figurative language, particularly symbols and metaphors,
Shel Silverstein portrays the sacrificial nature of a mother’s love.
Literary Interpretation
Literary Studies and Interpreting Literary Texts The main difference between high
school and college-level literary studies is interpretation. In high school you build the
foundational skills needed to understand the world around you; thus basic literary
studies often focus on understanding texts—identifying characters, mapping the plot,
defining terms, and generally knowing what happened.
• For example, in high school we learn The Great Gatsby is “about” the way the green
light symbolizes Gatsby’s dream of repeating the past with Daisy, or it is “about”
recognizing the themes of the American dream or the Jazz Age. High school often asks
students to identify or locate what is already within the text itself.
In college, however, you strive to develop professional-level, independent, critical

thinking skills that allow you to solve problems and develop original ideas on your own.
College-level literary courses focus on interpreting the meaning and significance of what
happened in the texts and how the text represents those events.
• For example, in college you would be responsible for interpreting what it means and
why it is important that Tom Buchanan talks about white supremacist texts over dinner,

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why an African American witness identifies the car that strikes Myrtle Wilson, why the
narrator claims this is really a story about the West, and how all of those details connect
together to explain the significance of The Great Gatsby.
As scholars who study literature, it is our job to interpret the meaning and patterns
within texts to learn more about language, culture, history, society, power, art, and
ourselves. The literary scholar must read closely and analyze the details of the text in
order to reassemble those details in a coherent argument about the meaning of the
overall text. Literary scholars write arguments to convince others to interpret texts as
they do.
Rules for writing papers that analyze and interpret texts.
• Your papers should answer the question: how does the way the text is written affect
its meaning? The way the text is written can include any of several features:
. the genre(s) to which it belongs and the ways it follows or breaks the rules of its
genre(s).
. the narrative structure, including the order of events, the perspective and/or credibility
of the narrator or speaker, the resolution or lack of closure provided at the end, etc.
Note: prose texts (novels, stories, essays) have narrators, but poems have speakers.
. the interactions among characters and which characters are represented

sympathetically or unsympathetically.
. the use of language, especially literary figures such as imagery, metaphor, rhyme,
meter.
. the representations of major cultural and social issues of the text’s time, such as
gender, class, race, nature, progress, sexuality, conflict, and other human themes.
. the role of the text in changing or adding to the direction of the literary tradition, either
as an example of the literary movements of its own time period or in comparison with
literary movements of various times, places, or particular groups of writers.
. the similarities in plot, character, theme, or imagery with other texts. o the
representation of theoretical concepts revealed and explored within the text.
• The point of literary analysis is to find meaning in the representations provided within
the text, whether the author intended them or not. You know you are right if your
interpretation is consistent with the details of the entire text.


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• Literary analysis papers may often discuss moral choices and social issues or teach
us lessons about ourselves, but such papers are not ABOUT those issues nor about the
way we feel about them. Literary analysis is about the way language attempts to
represent those issues and human experiences and how readers can find meaning
within those representations.
Learning Activity:
1.Make a review note to show the benefits of literature (in more or less 100 words)
2. Group (members of 5 in a team) activity: Create a crossword puzzle using at least 10

words and concepts taken from module 1. Please provide the answer
Read:classical-literary-criticism_aristotle-horace-longinus_ts-dorsch-1965.pdf
https://mthoyibi.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/classical-literary-criticism_aristotle-horace-
longinus_ts-dorsch-1965.pdfthemselves.
Read: https://englishsummary.com/lesson/neoclassical-criticism-literature/
Review of Concepts
Some Important Terms in Literary Criticism
Allegory: A story in which the narrative or the characters carry an underlying metaphorical,
symbolic or ethical meaning.
Alliteration: The repetition of one or more consonants in a group of words or lines of

poetry
Ambiguity: A vagueness of meaning, a conscious lack of clarity.


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Anachronism: A person, event or other element that fails to correspond with the era or
time the literary work is set in.
Analogy: A comparison that points out the similarities between to unlike objects.
Antithesis: A rhetorical opposition or contrast of ideas by means of an arrangement of

clauses, words or sentences.
Ballad: A narrative verse that tells a story that is sung.
Bathos: The use of insincere sentiments.
Burlesque: A literary work that is meant to bring ridicule to the subject
Caesura: A pause located in the middle of a verse, marked by punctuation.
Carpe Diem: Translate literally as meaning ‘seize the day.’
Catharsis: A cleansing of the spirit, brought on by pity and terror during tragedy.
Coming of Age Story: A story where a young protagonist experiences the introduction to
adulthood. The character will develop a firsthand understanding of education,
disillusionment, or some other experience that will alter their emotional maturity.
Self-Evaluation
Write T if the statement is TRUE and F for FALSE.
_____1. The vocabulary in literature is often more challenging than that in magazines or
light books.
_____2. The task of a literary critic does not include to explain and attempt to reach a
critical understanding of what literary texts mean in terms of their aesthetic, as
well as social, political, and cultural statements and suggestions.
_____3. Only scholars can study literature.


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_____4. When writing a literary analysis, you are not just identifying elements in a text,
but analyzing those specific elements.
_____5. The term literary criticism refers directly to the ‘seasoned consideration’
_____6. Both literary elements and techniques can rightly be called literary devices.
_____7. Literature ca stretch imagination
_____8. Literary theory uses several literary lenses
_____9. Literary criticism is the overall quality judgment
_____10. Reading literature is also learning history
Post-test:
In 4-5 sentences, answer the following in a short bond paper or submit via google
classroom, email or messenger. (10 points each item)
1. Discuss briefly:
a. Literary Theory
__________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
b. Literary Criticism
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
c. Benefits of literature
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________


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__________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
d. Literary Interpretation
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
References
1.Abcarian, Richard and Klotz, Mark. Literature: (2000) Reading and Writing the Human
Experience
2. https://www.theasianschool.net/blog/importance-of-studying-literature/
3. file:///C:/Users/user/Downloads/LITERARY_GENRES.pdf
4. https://resources.saylor.org/wwwresources/archived/site/wp-content/uploads/
2011/09/ENGL301-An-Introduction-to-Literary-Criticism-and-Theory.pdf
5. https://libguides.uta.edu/literarycriticism/steps


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Republic of the Philippines

SURIGAO DEL NORTE STATE UNIVERSITY

“For Nation’s Greater

Prepared/ Compiled by:

EM 14: Literary Criticism 1 August 2020 Edition

“For Nation’s Greater

TITLE: Chapter 1: Introduction to Literary Criticism

1.5. Literary Discussion vs. Literary Analysis vs. Literary Interpretation

Time Frame: 6 hrs

According to Rosales (2012), literary criticism poses contributions in the practice

Objectives: In This lesson, learners are expected to:

1. Review literature studies focusing on literary genres

2. Synthesize the purpose of literary criticism

3. Differentiate significant terms related to literary criticism

EM 14: Literary Criticism 2 August 2020 Edition

“For Nation’s Greater

answers to the google classroom, email or messenger.

1.What are the benefits of literature studies?

2.In your own words, what is literary criticism?

EM 14: Literary Criticism 3 August 2020 Edition

“For Nation’s Greater

LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY CRITICISM

Topic 1.1. Review of Purposes and Benefits of Literature Studies

1. Stress can be relieved by Literature

EM 14: Literary Criticism 4 August 2020 Edition

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EM 14: Literary Criticism 5 August 2020 Edition

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Topic 1.2. Review of Literary Genres and Literary Techniques

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1.3. Literary Criticism

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1.4. Purposes of Literary Criticism

Existing Forms of Literary Criticism