What is Literary Theory? Different Types of Literary Theories

Literary Theories

Introduction to Literary Theory

The theory is a set of concepts and intellectual assumptions to interpret a text. Theories are the methods of analysis. They are the tools of interpretation. They are methodological and functional in nature. They, in this sense, are poetic which looks at the grammar of any art or literature. We must have the theoretical knowledge to interpret the work of literature; in a sense theory is the lens through which we can see the text. In other words, theories are the glasses that we use to see the world.

In another word, "Literary theory" is the body of ideas and methods we use in the practical reading of literature. By literary theory, we refer not to the meaning of a work of literature but to the theories that reveal what literature can mean. Literary theory is a description of the underlying principles, one might say the tools, by which we attempt to understand literature. It is a literary theory that formulates the relationship between author and works; literary theory develops the significance of race, class, and gender for literary study, both from the standpoint of the biography of the author and an analysis of their thematic presence within texts. Literary theory offers varying approaches for understanding the role of historical context in interpretation as well as the relevance of linguistic and unconscious elements of the text.

Over the ages, literary theories have been the weapons for the realization of this crucial obligation of literary criticism. In the preface to A History of Literary Criticism (1991) A. N. Jeffares gives no room for any doubt about the kinship of literature, literary criticism and literary theories.

He says:

The study of literature requires knowledge of contexts as well as of texts. What kind of person wrote the poem, the play, the novel, the essay? What forces acted upon them as they wrote. What was the historical, the political, the philosophical, the economic, the cultural background etc?

All of these are antecedents to the birth of a particular literary production.

Attention to the etymology of the term "theory," from the Greek "theoria," alerts us to the partial nature of theoretical approaches to literature. "Theoria" indicates a view or perspective of the Greek stage. This is precisely what literary theory offers, though specific theories often claim to present a complete system for understanding literature.

Theories are abstract concepts. They are full of jargon or technical terms. The abstract concepts of theories interfere or natural & personal interpretation of literature. The new concepts don't have the knowledge because of our status makers. The theoretical jargon causes anxiety to the new reader, for example, if the people are talking about “The death of the author" but the comers don't understand. He/she feels afraid to ask because he doesn't like to be stupid before them Theory can help us to learn or to see the world around us in a new way.

Types of Literary Theory

It makes our ability to think critically. By looking through the lenses of the theories, we can see a new world. Theories are the ways of seeing the world differently. So, in short, theories are the tools of interpretation.

M. H. Abrams has classified literary theories into the following four categories:

1. Mimetic (Imitation/Universe)
2. Expressive (Author oriented)
3. Objective (Text oriented)
4. Pragmatic (Reader oriented)

As Abrams stated above that nothing exists other than universe, text, author and audience, any form of theory must fit into one of these four categories. Let's see these four critical in detail.

1. Mimetic Theory

The word "mimetic" comes from the Greek word "mimesis," the act of imitation. The mimetic theory of literary criticism places main importance on how well a literary work imitates life. The first category of mimetic theories forms the oldest and is, according to Abrams, the "most primitive" of the four categories. According to this theory, the artist is an imitator of aspects of the observable universe. In The Republic, Plato divides his universe into three realms: the realm of ideas, the realm of particulars, and the realm of reflections of particulars (i.e., art and other "shadows").

The realm of reflections of particulars is the furthest removed from the realm of ideas (i.e., "ultimate truth"), and is, therefore, the lowest ranking of the three realms. Consequently, its practice, namely, mimetic art, is held in low regard.  But, Aristotle frees the text from its relation to the universe to which Plato and Socrates bound it, while still acknowledging the text's imitative relation to the universe. Aristotle shows that it is the "manner of imitation" and not the relation to the truth which is important in art and that aesthetic evaluation should be based on the assessment of both the "manner of imitation" and the emotional effect produced in the audience.

2. Pragmatic Theory

The second type of theory is pragmatic theories, which are concerned with the relation between text and audience. According to Abrams, these theories have constituted the dominant mode of analysis from Horace to the early 19th century, and much of its terminology is borrowed from ancient rhetoric.

Aristotle argued in his Ars Poetica that the three functions of poetry are to teach, to please, and to move. Cicero, the Church Fathers, and the Italian guides all developed a theory of poetry through this reinterpretation of Aristotle, and it was Sir Philip Sydney who in his Apology for Poetry expanded Aristotle's theories into a specifically didactic theory of poetry. Sydney argues that poets differ from historians in that, unlike historians who deal only with what has been, poets also deal with what may be, and that such moral utopianism is what makes poetry, specifically epic poetry, superior to history.

3. Expressive Theory

By 1800, we begin to see "the displacement of mimetic and pragmatic by the expressive view of art," a phenomenon due in part to the writings of Longinus, Bacon, Wordsworth, and, later, the radical Romantics of the 1830s. With this new "expressive view" of art, the primary duty of the artist was no longer to serve as a mirror reflecting outer things, but instead to externalize the internal, and make one's "inner life" the primary subject of art. It is around this time in the early 19th century that the "mirror", which had hitherto been the conventional symbol for the artist, becomes the "lamp.

Aristotle argued in his Ars Poetica that the three functions of poetry are to teach, to please, and to move. Cicero, the Church Fathers, and the Italian guides all developed a theory of poetry through this reinterpretation of Aristotle, and it was Sir Philip Sydney who in his Apologise for Poetry expanded Aristotle's theories into a specifically didactic theory of poetry. Sydney argues that poets differ from historians in that, unlike historians who deal only with what has been, poets also deal with what may be and that such moral utopianism is what makes poetry, specifically epic poetry, superior to history.

4. Objective Theory

The second type of theory is pragmatic theories, which are concerned with the relation between text and audience. According to Abrams, these theories have constituted the dominant mode of analysis from Horace to the early 19th century, and much of its terminology is borrowed from ancient rhetoric.

Abrams clearly identifies himself as a critical theorist, not a philosopher, not a psychologist, not a scientist. From his perspective, the purpose and function of critical theory are not to discover some "verifiable truth" but to "establish principles enabling us to justify, order, and clarify our interpretation and appraisal of the aesthetic.

Criticism

Criticism is the application (use) of theory to interpret a text. It is a method of application of theories as a tool for the interpretation of the literary text. We use theory to a text to read, analyze, evaluate, explain, and judge which is called criticism. Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals.

What Is Literary Theory?

Literary theory is a school of thought or style of literary analysis that gives readers a means to critique the ideas and principles of literature. Another term for literary theory is hermeneutics, which applies to the interpretation of a piece of literature. The literary theory examines a cross-section of literature from a specific era, geographic location, or from writers of specific backgrounds or identities to draw conclusions about the similarities and differences in similar kinds of literary works.

There are a variety of schools of literary theory, including feminist theory, post-modernist theory, post-structuralist theory, and more. Literary theory helps readers gain a deeper understanding while reading literature by drawing on a critical theory to gain further insight into literary texts.

What Is the Importance of Literary Theory?

Literary theory enables a broad appreciation of global literature. Reading a text through the lens of literary theory provides a new perspective to better understand literature, learn more about different authors' intentions, and generally improve the quality of literature for both authors and readers. Literary theory can also influence literature, challenging texts to evolve into new territory.

Types of Literary Criticism

There are many different schools of theory that give readers a special vocabulary to dissect any given literary text. Here are some of the most significant theories:

1. Practical criticism

This study of literature encourages readers to examine the text without regarding any of the outside context—like the author, the date and place of writing, or any other contextual information that may enlighten the reader.

2. Cultural studies

In direct opposition to practical criticism, cultural theory examines a text within the context of its socio-cultural environment. Cultural critics believe a text should be read entirely through the lens of the text's cultural context.

3. Formalism

Formalism compels readers to judge the artistic merit of literature by examining its formal elements, like language and technical skill. Formalism favors a literary canon of works that exemplify the highest standards of literature, as determined by formalist critics.

4. Reader-response

Reader-response criticism is rooted in the belief that a reader's reaction to or interpretation of a text is as valuable a source of critical study as the text itself.

5. The new criticism

New critics focused on examining the formal and structural elements of literature, as opposed to the emotional or moral elements. Poet T.S. Eliot and critics Cleanth Brooks and John Crowe Ransom pioneered the school of the new criticism.

6. Psychoanalytic criticism

Using Sigmund Freud’s principles of psychoanalysis—like dream interpretation—psychoanalytic criticism looks to the neuroses and psychological states of characters in literature to interpret a text's meaning. Other notable psychoanalytic critics include Jacques Lacan and Julia Kristeva.

7. Marxist theory

Socialist thinker Karl Marx established this branch of literary theory alongside Marxism, his political and sociological ideology. Marxist theory examines literature along the lines of class relations and socialist ideals.

8. Postmodernism

Postmodernist literary criticism emerged in the middle of the twentieth century to reflect the fractured and dissonant experience of twentieth-century life. While there are many competing definitions of postmodernism, it is most commonly understood as rejecting modernist ideas of unified narrative.

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9. Post-structuralism

Post-structuralist literary theory abandoned ideas of formal and structural cohesion, questioning any assumed “universal truths” as reliant on the social structure that influenced them. One of the writers who shaped post-structuralist theory is, Roland Barthes—the father of semiotics, or the study of signs and symbols in art.

10. Deconstruction

Proposed by Jacques Derrida, deconstructionists pick apart a text’s ideas or arguments, looking for contradictions that render any singular reading of a text impossible.

11. Postcolonial theory

The postcolonial theory challenges the dominance of Western thought in literature, examining the impacts of colonialism in critical theory. Edward Said's book Orientalism is a foundational text of postcolonial theory.

12. Feminist criticism

As the feminist movement gained steam in the mid-twentieth century, literary critics began looking to gender studies for new modes of literary criticism. One of the earliest proponents of feminist criticism was Virginia Woolf in her seminal essay “A Room of One's Own.” Other notable feminist critics include Elaine Showalter and Hélène Cixous.

13. Queer theory

Queer theory followed feminist theory by further interrogating gender roles in literary studies, particularly through the lens of sexual orientation and gender identity.

14. Critical race theory

Critical race theory emerged during the civil rights movement in the United States. It is primarily concerned with examining the law, criminal justice, and cultural texts through the lens of race. Some leading critics of CRT include Kimberlé Crenshaw and Derrick Bell.

15. Critical disability theory

Critical disability theory is one of a growing number of intersectional fields of critical study. Critical disability theorists believe racist and ableist views go hand-in-hand and seek to examine ableist societal structures.