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Literary Theory A l’intention du niveau Master 1 spécialité: Littérature et Civilisation by Dr. Belfar Boubaaya Naciera MCB Department of English Language and Literature Mohamed Lamine Debaghine University, Setif 2. 2018- 2019 1 Table of Contents General Introduction to the course presentation…………………...……….............. p. 3 Introduction to Literary theories ………………………………….….…………........p. 9 Part I. Traditional Theories …………………………………....…………………...p.14 1. Biographical literary theory ………………………………………......p. 15 2. Historical literary theory…………………………..……................... p. 22 3. The Mimetic literary theory ………….…………………………… p. 27 Part II. Linguistics and Literary Theories ………….…………………………………p. 32 1. Russian Formalism …….……………………………..………………p. 33 2. The New Criticism………………………………………….…….......p. 43 3. Structuralism and Semiotics. ................................................................p. 52 4. Deconstruction ……………………………………………..................p. 59 Part III. The Reader and the Text ……………………………........………………….p. 65 1. Reader-Response Theories ………...…………...………………...…. p. 66 2. Hermeneutics and the Reader Response Theories...…………………. p. 79 Part IV. Social Issues and Literary theories …………………………….……….........p. 84 1. Marxist Literary theory………………………………….……….........p. 85 2. Feminist Literary theory ……………………………….……...............p. 93 3. Postcolonial Literary Theory………………..………………................p. 102 4. Psychoanalytical Literary Theory …………………………..............…p. 109 5. Archetypal and Myth Literary Theory……………………….…….…..p. 120 6. The New Historicism ……………………………………………….....p. 127 Part V. A Brief Outlook at a Wide Range of Literary Theories with Other Names......p. 134 Conclusion …………………………………………………………..….…................ p. 137 Works Cited ………………………………………………………………………......p. 140 Annex: Samples of open book exam questions 2 General Introduction ‘It is obvious [from all this] that literary criticism has come a long way from the days when we had to do little more than thrill to the beauty of the imagery’ (Eagleton 103). ‘What we need in criticism are limits, guidelines, ways of focusing our work so that we avoid duplication and enlarge our knowledge of the whole system of literature.’(Scholes 167) 3 The course entitled’ Literary Theory’ refers to a discipline which is quite young. Stephen Bonnycastle explains, in his book entitled In Search of Authority, An Introductory Guide to Literary Theory ( 2007), that in the 1970s, literary theory was marginal, avant-garde, and felt radically new ; and it was strongly opposed by many senior figures in the world of literary criticism and scholarship. By the 1990s it had become institutionalized, and central, in this same world. … And by 2005 a major anthology of articles could be appropriately entitled Theory’s Empire ’ (9).A radical change was applied in approaching literary texts. At the Algerian University and under the LMD system, Master Students who specialize in literary studies at Mohamed Lamine Debaghine University, Sétif 2, and at most universities across the country, attend classes that focus on both literature and Civilization. They take in their first semester of studies and among other subjects, two classes of literary theory that are main courses and that are quite new as compared with other subjects; in fact, ‘[F]rom time to time various academic disciplines have been the subject to periods of introspection and self-doubt, their practitioners anxious to define what is being studied and the effectiveness of the tools being used for the study’ (Stephen 351). In the official ‘canevas ministeriel’, this subject is a component of the Fundamental Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement fondamentale) and is described as follows: Volume horaire Mode d’évaluation Matières hebdomadaire VHS 14 Aut Intitulés cours TD T Contrôle Examen Unités Crédits semaines re d’enseignement coefficients P continu Unit Literary Theory 04 02 3 42 100% Enseignement (Lit T) Fondamentale Literary 04 02 3 42 100% Code UEF 2 Criticism (Lit C) Crédits : 12 Coefficients : 09 Consequently, I have devised lessons that cover a wide range of literary theories that can conveniently adapt to fourteen teaching weeks so as to cover 42 teaching hours as the students take three hours a week. The distribution can be done as illustrated in the following table: 4 Week Part to cover Title of lessons to cover Number part I. Traditional Theories Introduction to Literary theories + Biographical 1 literary theory part I. Traditional Theories Historical literary theory + The Mimetic literary theory 2 Part II. Linguistics and Russian Formalism 3 Literary Theories Part II. Linguistics and The New Criticism 4 Literary Theories Part II. Linguistics and Structuralism and Semiotics + Deconstruction 5 Literary Theories Part III. The Reader and the Reader-Response Theories 6 text Part III. The Reader and the Reader-Response Theories continued and 7 Text Hermeneutics and the Reader Response Theories part IV. Social Issues and Marxist Literary theory 8 Literary Theories. part IV. Social Issues and Feminist Literary theory 9 Literary Theories. Part V. Social Issues and Postcolonial Literary Theory 10 Literary Theories. Part V. Social Issues and Psychoanalytical Literary Theory 11 Literary Theories. Part V. Social Issues and Archetypal and Myth Literary Theory 12 Literary Theories. Part VI. Social Issues and The New Historicism 13 Literary Theories. Part VII. A brief outlook at a A brief Outlook at a Wide Range of Literary 14 Wide range of literary Theories with Other Names and conclusion theories with other names and conclusion Though the class is described as a main course, students get to interact with the theories. Students are exposed to examples that are selected so as to best illustrate the main points that each theory is about. They can ask questions and give their own examples. It is important to take into consideration the fact that the theories dealt with are suggestive rather than exhaustive. Many new 5 theories such as Islamic Feminism or Gynocriticism are not dealt with in these lessons. The students can find out about these theories by following the mode of approach suggested in the lessons that they take which cover the main approaches in literary theory. The experience in teaching this subject for four years has enabled to operate many changes. Improvements in the proposed contents have been achieved by taking into consideration another course also dealt with in the first semester of Master 1 studies and entitled Literary Criticism. Taking literary criticism into account has contributed to enabling the students to master and put in application the major literary theories. The examples that are dealt with as well as the most important concepts for each theory have been carefully selected. In addition, the full practice that the class of Literary criticism enables to achieve as it is a TD class and as it offers full practice guided by the lecturer for an amount of three hours per week has proved familiar ground for the practice of these theories in literary criticism. Students learn about the theories and they are trained to correlate their personal responses to a literary text with necessary theoretical background so as to produce literary criticism. Though fourteen teaching weeks may seem to offer a wide range of knowledge, the aim is really concerned with basic knowledge only. Such basic knowledge can widen easily with the students who are encouraged to read about the major critical interpretative perspectives that they use in major literary works through examples of well known literary works by famous writers. Students quickly realise that they can appreciate works from many perspectives. What does the course of Literary Theories hope to achieve? Because the course is about theories, students are constantly reminded of the fact that there is no didactic teaching in this course. It is rather a necessary familiarization with the most dominant theories and the theorists that adhere to particular claims which become the centre of focus. Thus, within the aims of this course, to familiarize Master students to literary theories and terminology that pertains to scientific analysis of literary texts is an ongoing concern. Master 1 students constantly use these literary theories in their class of literary criticism as they practice tools that give perspectives and approaches of different literary works and they develop critical minds for analysis. These students are later exposed to post colonial literature and comparative literature. They are requested to write a dissertation in their Master 2 class and the knowledge of literary theories is of prime necessity to support their arguments in the criticism that they will engage in. Students should be able to identify different possible approaches of the same text and they should be able to support the arguments of their analysis by backing them up with substantial theories. Students are constantly made aware of the different possibilities to respond to texts. These responses are classified under specific theories that sometimes overlap; the lessons included in this guide book point to some of the parallels that many theories hold. These lessons also point to detail 6 divergence for students to sharply distinguish different areas of comparison in the theories. The experience acquired through the exposition to the responses of the students when they read literary texts has driven these lessons to favour five major parts divided as follows: Part I. Traditional Theories Part II. Linguistics