Literary Theory| Learn Its Definition and Types

It is a complicated process to sometimes understand the nuances of the English language. It takes a lot of measure and in-depth learning to grasp what the writer is trying to express. Literature and literary theory proceed hand-in-hand.You need to dissect and analyze the meaning, so you can form a coherent answer to questions that sometimes come your way.

Even though you have been dabbing with this dialect for a while, as you go for your higher studies, this vocabulary becomes tough to understand. But you do not have to worry, as we are here to help you tread these still waters. In this blog, we will inform you about literary theory, its importance, and its different types.

What Is Literary Theory?

In this heading, we will discuss an introduction to literary theory Purdue. Literary theory is a school of thought that provides the cerebral means to analyze and criticize ideas, thoughts, and principles of a piece of literature. These literary criticism theories give you a lens that aids you in looking at a piece of literature. It allows you to focus on the different aspects of the piece that the literary theory thinks are essential. Theories work in other fields also like labeling theory, which affects the way you label a product for sale in the market.

Another term for literary theory is hermeneutics, which means interpreting a piece of literature. Literary theory explores a cross-section of literature from a distinctive era, geographic zone, or from writers of specific backdrops or identities to draw deductions about the parallels and contrasts in identical kinds of literary pieces.

Importance of Literary Theory

In the previous section, you saw what is literary theory, but do you know its importance? Well, literary theory helps you, to better understand, a piece of literature. Perusing a text through its lens aids us in forming a different perspective that is completely new to us. It also helps you to understand the intentions of the various authors.

No, literary theories is better than the other. It just provides a point of view on a piece of writing. You also are not required to follow only one theory. You can switch to other theories also. It will help you to gain a fresh perspective. Literary theory is not restricted to literature alone and can be applied in fields like criminal justice research topics, art, philosophy, sociology, psychology, and many others.

In the next heading, we will discuss what are the different schools of literary theory. This will help you to understand the various theories and how they work in stark detail.

Types of Literary Theory

In this heading, we will tell you about the different types of literary theories and literary criticism. It will help you to understand how this theory helps you better acclimatize what a piece of literature means and what the author is trying to tell you through his projections. So, without delay, let us see what those schools of literary theories are.

Marxist Theory

Based on Karl Marx's doctrines, this theory encompasses the socioeconomic situations, class segregation, and the power dynamics among the different segments of society. The Marxist literary theory tells you about the conditions or the era in which the author was born or is influenced. The characters of his literature will depict those conditions clearly. Their political ideas and economic conditions will eclipse the text written by the writer.

Feminist Literary Theory

The feminist literary theory uses the principles of feminism to critique the literature. It portrays that society is highly patriarchal, and the history and the events of the past have been shown through the eyes of a male member. It tries to uncover the injustice and misogyny in these literary works. Most characters etched in this literature are beneath their male counterparts. By following these stereotypes, they fail to highlight the complexities of the female population.

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New Historicism Theory

The new historicism literary theory speaks about the effects that the environment in which the critic is born is woven into theories and thought processes. It simply implies that not only the author's upbringing and surroundings affect the work they produce, but it is the same with the critics. It tells us that the criticism or analysis that a work receives changes according to time. Different writers are influenced by their atmosphere. You can also buy assignment online if you have time constraints.

Psychoanalytic Theory

This theory analyses the subconscious mind of the writer. It briefs you that the work underneath their name is nothing but the projections of their own worries, shame, goals, and traumas. The psychoanalytic literary theory is based on Sigmund Freud’s theories in psychology. The characters in their tales and writings usually show the writer’s form of mind and what they have gone through in their lives.

Traditional Theory

The traditional literary theory evaluates the life of the author in response to his work. It studies the pattern between the style, structure, or tone of his work. Once that is identified, it looks and tries to understand the meaning and context behind the words that the writer has used. Academic literary criticism before the climb of “New Criticism” in the United States tended to practice traditional literary theory.

Eco Criticism Literary Theory

This theory explores the idea of whether the author’s characters are influenced by their natural setting. The eccentricities and the wilderness that shadows these people have no influence from the nature surrounding them. Eco-criticism literary theory also studies habitats affected by human activity, urban backdrops, and even dystopian depictions of future planets.

Post structuralism Literary Theory

This theory completely disregards the notion that a text written by an author can have only one meaning, one purpose, and a singular existence. It states that every person can have their own thought process and a different perspective to see things and perceive a text. The academic banter of a text can lie only in the new structure, rather than in the specifics of personality development and voice in which that design is expressed according to the post-structuralism literary theory.

Formalism Literary Theory

This form of literary theory only emphasizes the actual literature of the text. By meaning, it looks into the structure and language of the text, like grammar, syntax, rhythm, and meter. Formalism literary theory states that a text can be determined by studying the formal elements of the text. Moreover, it also looks at how all these elements work together to form a cohesive whole.

Critical Theory

Literary theory and critical theory, more often than not, are used interchangeably. They are not the same. The former is a set of frameworks that provides you with guidelines on how to understand a particular work. The literary criticism meaning is the study, analysis, and interpretation of the text. The former school is theory-based, and the latter relies on practicality.

Postcolonial Literary Theory

This theory revolves around the issues that relate to culture, politics, religion, and economics within the text. It studies how the colonizers have influenced the people to follow rules and regulations. Moreover, it also addresses the troubles, consequences, and challenges that a decolonized country faces. Postcolonial literary also shined light upon how those countries struggled with political issues, independence, racism, etc.

Gender Literary Critical Theory

Gender literary critical theory arrived at the fore of the academic scene first as a feminist theory but has later incorporated the study of all gender and sexual classes and identities. Its emphasis is reasonable concerns with women's rights in modern societies, their essence, and the representation of women in media and culture. These causes converged with the early scholarly feminist approach that highlights the study and churchly inclusion of works by female writers and the portrayal of women in male-authored canonical texts.

Therefore, you see what literary theory is, its importance, and various kinds. To refresh, it included critical theory, traditional literary theory, and feminist theory, among others. It tells you what every, class of theory thought about a person’s work and how the critics have interpreted them. You can also find many literary theory examples on the web.

Connect with Our Experts to Unlock the Wonders of Literary Theory!

So, you see literary theory, its importance, and its types. It is a branch that takes considerable work and intellect to understand what the author is trying to portray. You must do deep research and studies to grasp their meaning, like starter papers for Marxist literary theory.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. What Is New Historicism Literary Theory?

This literary theory speaks about the effect that the environment has on the work of the authors, like their upbringing and surroundings. It plays a crucial role in the type of piece that person will write.

2. What Is the other term for Literary Theory?

Another term for literary theory is hermeneutics, which applies to the analysis of a piece of literature. It tells you how an author sees a particular piece of work and interprets it.

3. Why Literary Theory Is Useful?

Literary theory is useful to understand the particulars of a text through the lens of the writer. It helps us to understand the intentions and views of the person who composed it.

4. What Are the 4 Major Literary Theories In Literature?

The 4 major literary theories in literature are critical theory, feminist theory, postcolonial theory, and pre-historicism theory. They all represent their own point of view regarding the work of various authors.