Skills Lesson: Theories Of Literary Interpretation

Which school of theory would be interested in looking for biographical/psychological interpretations of a text?

Which type of theory is psychoanalytic criticism and why?

Read the poem below and answer the question that follows. "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Source: Frost, Robert. "The Road Not Taken." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. How would a formal interpretation differ from a biographical interpretation of this poem? Explain how you would interpret this poem from either theoretical point of view.

Which school of theory is an example of a mimetic literary theory?

Read the poem below and answer the question that follows. "Because I could not stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson Because I could not stop for Death - He kindly stopped for me - The Carriage held but just Ourselves - And Immortality. We slowly drove - He knew no haste And I had put away My labor and my leisure too, For His Civility - We passed the School, where Children strove At Recess - in the Ring - We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain - We passed the Setting Sun - Or rather - He passed us - The Dews drew quivering and chill - For only Gossamer, my Gown - My Tippet - only Tulle - We paused before a House that seemed A Swelling of the Ground - The Roof was scarcely visible - The Cornice - in the Ground - Since then - 'tis Centuries - and yet Feels shorter than the Day I first surmised the Horses' Heads Were toward Eternity - Source: Dickinson, Emily. "Because I could not stop for Death." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. How would a formal interpretation be different from an ethical interpretation of this poem? Give specific examples of how you would analyze this poem either from a formal or ethical point of view.

Which literary theory believes in the idea of a collective unconsciousness and is the foundation of the school of psychoanalytic criticism?

Read the poem below and complete the instruction that follows. "Lot's Wife" by Anna Akhmatova translated by Max Hayward and Stanley Kunitz And the just man trailed God's shining agent, over a black mountain, in his giant track, while a restless voice kept harrying his woman: "It's not too late, you can still look back at the red towers of your native Sodom, the square where once you sang, the spinning-shed, at the empty windows set in the tall house where sons and daughters blessed your marriage-bed." A single glance: a sudden dart of pain stitching her eyes before she made a sound . . . Her body flaked into transparent salt, and her swift legs rooted to the ground. Who will grieve for this woman? Does she not seem too insignificant for our concern? Yet in my heart I never will deny her, who suffered death because she chose to turn. Source: Akhmatova, Anna. "Lot's Wife." Max Hayward and Stanley Kunitz trans. Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. According to the lecture, what are the multiple approaches that you can use to interpret this one poem? Explain which approaches would tell us more about the poem itself and which approaches would have a broader focus.

Read the poem below and answer the question that follows. "Immigrants" by Pat Mora wrap their babies in the American flag, feed them mashed hot dogs and apple pie, name them Bill and Daisy, buy them blonde dolls that blink blue eyes or a football and tiny cleats before the baby can even walk, speak to them in thick English, hallo, babee, hallo, whisper in Spanish or Polish when the babies sleep, whisper in a dark parent bed, that dark parent fear, "Will they like our boy, our girl, our fine american boy, our fine american girl?" Source: Mora, Pat. "Immigrants." Southwest Crossroads. School for Advanced Research on the Human Experience, n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. How would a formal interpretation be different from a sociological interpretation of this poem? Give specific examples of how you would analyze this poem either from a formal or sociological point of view.

Which type of theory describes dramatic construction best and why?

Plato believed that art was a weak reflection of the real world, which the real world in turn tries to imitate. Although not many contemporary literary theorists agree with Plato's opinion about the point of literature, the genre of children's fiction is one area where some critics do tend to side with Plato. Which literary theory does Plato's opinion apply to? Why do you think some critics agree with Plato when it comes to children's literature?

Consider the principles underlying Aristotle's theory of dramatic construction. According to M. H. Abrams, which type of theory is dramatic construction?

According to M. H. Abrams, theories that are focused on the relationship between the work of art and the artist are called __________ theories.

How many literary theories are still acceptable to use in literary analysis?

Consider the way that the schools of moral criticism and cultural studies address literature. These schools would fit best in which type of theories?

Read the poem below and answer the question that follows. "Introduction to Poetry" by Billy Collins I ask them to take a poem and hold it up to the light like a color slide or press an ear against its hive. I say drop a mouse into a poem and watch him probe his way out, or walk inside the poem's room and feel the walls for a light switch. I want them to waterski across the surface of a poem waving at the author's name on the shore. But all they want to do is tie the poem to a chair with rope and torture a confession out of it. They begin beating it with a hose to find out what it really means. Source: Collins, Billy. "Introduction to Poetry." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. What would a dramatic constructionist critic focus on when interpreting this poem?

Analyze the image below from the video lecture and answer the question that follows. Which word belongs in the circle marked "1"?

Which statement about literary theories is true?

What are the four types of literary theories according to literary historian M. H. Abrams?

Theories that focus on the aesthetic relationship between parts within a work are known as __________ theories.

Analyze the image below from the video lecture and answer the question that follows. As one moves further from the center of the circle, what happens to the interpretation?