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ENGL 201: The Nature of Literary Study

Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism

Looking through different lenses

Many times literary critics analyze works of literature from a particular philosophical or literary perspective. This perspective often evolves as a reaction to the political, economic, cultural, educational and artistic climate of a historical period

  • These perspectives are referred to as Schools of Literary Criticism and may include, but are not limited to, the following:
    • Formalist 
    • Historical
    • Mythological 
    • Gender Studies
    • Deconstructionist
    • Post-Colonial
    • Marxist
    • Biographical
    • Psychological 
    • Sociological
    • Reader Response
    • Cultural Studies
    • Feminist
    • Critical Race Studies

Note:This is not necessarily an exhaustive list. There is ongoing debate as to naming conventions and overlap between the literary schools

 

“Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism.” Purdue Owl, https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/literary_theory_and_schools_of_criticism/index.html 4/17/17