APPROACHES AND METHODS OF STUDYING

LITERATURE

FORMALISTIC / LITERARY APPROACH

Also called “PURE” or “LITERARY”

approach

The selection is read and viewed

intrinsically, or for itself; independent of

author, age, or any other extrinsic factor.

This approach is close to the “art for art’s

sake” dictum

The study of the selection is

more is more or less based on

the so – called literary elements

which is more or less boil down

to the literal level, the

affective values, the ideational

values, technical values, and

total effects.

The literal level (subject matter)

The affective values (emotional, mood,

atmosphere, tone attitudes, empathy)

The ideational values (themes, visions, universal

truths, character)

Technical Values (plot, structure, scene,

language, point of view, imagery, figure, metrics,

etc.)

Total Effect (the interrelation of the foregoing

elements)

MORAL AND HUMANISTIC APPROACH

The nature of man is CENTRAL to literature.

The reader or teacher or critic more or less

“requires” that the piece present MAN AS

ESSENTIALY RATIONAL, that is endowed with

intellect and free will; or that the piece does

not misinterpret the true nature of man

In these times of course the TRUE

NATURE OF MAN is hotly contested,

making literature all the more

challenging.

This approach is close to the

“MORALITY” of literature, to the

questions of ethical goodness and

badness

HISTORICAL APPROACH

Sees literature as both a reflection and product of the

times and circumstances in which it is written. Man as a

member of a particular society or nation at a particular

time, is central to the approach and whenever a teacher

gives historical or biographical backgrounds in

introducing a selection, or arranges a literature course

in chronological order, he is hewing close to this

approach.

The historical approach is often suitable

to high school classes, to survey courses,

for “average” classes, and for pieces

tackled or “discovered” for the first

time. It operates on the premise that the

history of a nation has telling effects on

its literature and that a piece can be

better understood and appreciated if one

knows the times around its creation.

CULTURAL APPROACH

Considers literature as one of the principal

manifestation and vehicles of a nation’s or

race’s culture and tradition.

It includes the entire complex of what goes

under “culture” ---- the technological, the

artistic, the sociological, the ideological

aspects, and considers the literary piece in

the total culture milieu in which it was

born.

This approach in one of the richest

way to arrive at the culture of the

people and one of the most

pleasurable ways of appreciating

the literature of the people. It

goes by the dictum

“culture teaching through

literature”.

PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH

Set in dizzying motion, principally, by

FREUD, perhaps beyond his wildest

expectations, it considers literature as

the EXPRESSION OF PERSONALITY of

“Inner Drives” of neurosis. It includes

the psychology of the author, of the

character, and even the psychology of

creation.

It has resulted in an almost exhausting

and exhaustive “psychological analysis”

of the characters of symbols and

images, of recurrent themes, etc.

Conclusion Formalistic – based on the literary elements

Moral / Humanistic – close to the morality of literature , to questions

of ethical goodness and badness.

Historical – sees literature as both a reflection and a product of the

times and circumstances in which it is written.

Cultural – an approach in knowing the culture of the people and one of

the pleasurable ways of appreciating the literature of the

people.

Psychological – considers literature as the expression of “personality”,

of “inner drive” of neurosis.