We call this collection of the most accepted examples of literature the literary “canon.” In recent years, the traditional canon has expanded to include more works by women and writers of diverse and minority cultures.

Literary critics still decide this canon as they write about different pieces of literature. As readers, we should know the strategies that are used to analyze and interpret works of literature.

“Articles [literary criticisms] are written from different perspectives.... Any given strategy raises its own types of questions and answers while seeking particular kinds of evidence to support itself. An awareness of the assumptions and methods that inform an approach can help you to understand better the validity and value of a given critic’s strategy...” (Bedford 2091-2).

Formalist Strategy

Formalist strategy focuses on the formal elements or “form” of a work (language, structure, and tone for example). This strategy pays attention to literary devices like plot, setting, character development, narration, imagery, diction, symbolism, and figurative language.

Biographical Strategy

This strategy of criticism uses knowledge of an author’s life to help the reader understand a work more fully. Sometimes this strategy really sheds light on the author’s purpose; however, biographical information might also complicate a work. For example, most biographers would agree that not every woman who writes about an unhappy marriage bases the story on her own life. The author may be commenting more on the times in which she lives.

Historical Strategy

This strategy asks how closely the work reflects the period in which it was written.

Sociological Strategy

Sociological strategies emphasize the nature and effect of social forces that shape relationships.

One example of a sociological strategy is the Marxist approach, which focuses on explicit and implicit assumptions and values about culture, race, and power.

A second sociological strategy is a feminist approach, which seeks to correct what might be regarded as a male-dominated perspective — asking how images of women in literature reflect patriarchal social forces that impede women’s efforts for equality.

Psychological Strategy

Psychological strategy considers phenomena such as dreams, subconscious desires, sexual repression, etc., allowing psychoanalytic theory to influence interpretation of a work.

One psychological strategy is a mythological approach, which attempts to identify what it is in a work that creates a deep universal response in readers — searching for underlying recurrent patterns that reveal universal meanings for human experience (for example, origins, purpose, and destiny.) This approach uses symbols and archetypes (characters, images, and themes) that embody universal meanings.

The Bedford Introduction to Literature, 6th ed., edited by Michael Meyer.  Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martins Press, 2002.

Posted by Patricia VanAmburg