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Identify the core theories of literary criticism presented in the provided text. These include New Criticism, which focuses solely on the text itself, analyzing language and structure without regard to historical or biographical context; Reader-Response criticism, emphasizing the active role of the reader in creating meaning; Feminist Theory, which reevaluates literature from a feminine perspective and focusing on gender roles; Historicism, viewing literature within its cultural, social, and political context; Biographical Criticism, analyzing an author's life to interpret their work; Psychological Criticism, applying psychological theories to understand human behavior and symbolism in literature; Sociological Criticism, analyzing the relationship between literature and societal structures; Marxist Criticism, examining economic and political ideologies within texts; Mythological Criticism, exploring universal archetypes and symbols rooted in Carl Jung’s collective unconscious; Eco-criticism, studying the relationship between humans and the environment; and Queer Theory, challenging fixed gender and sexual identities and emphasizing fluidity and individual experience.

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Literary criticism encompasses a diverse array of theories that interpret, analyze, and evaluate literary texts from various perspectives, each offering unique insights into the nature, influence, and meaning of literature. Among these, New Criticism stands out as a formalist approach that advocates an intense focus on the text itself, emphasizing its language, structure, and artistic devices, while deliberately disregarding external contexts such as historical background, authorial intent, or reader reaction. Rooted in the belief that a literary work should be understood through its internal elements alone, New Criticism promotes close reading as a method to uncover the inherent aesthetic qualities of a text (Brooks & Warren, 1949). This approach has been especially influential in poetry analysis, where language and stylistic devices form the core of interpretative efforts.

In contrast, Reader-Response criticism shifts the focus to the active participation of the reader in constructing meaning. According to this theory, a text acquires significance only when engaged with by a reader, whose cultural background, emotions, and personal experiences influence the interpretation (Rosenblatt, 1978). This perspective democratizes the act of reading, emphasizing that meanings are not fixed by the author but are co-created by the reader, with different individuals potentially deriving diverse interpretations from the same text (Iser, 1978).

Feminist Theory emerged as a response to traditional patriarchal literary criticism. It aims to unveil and challenge gender biases embedded within texts and to re-center women's experiences and perspectives. Feminist critics analyze female characters, narratives, and authorial representations, often advocating for the reevaluation of women’s roles in literature and society (Showalter, 1979). This theory seeks to deconstruct stereotypes and to highlight issues pertaining to gender inequality, oppression, and identity.

Historicism contextualizes literature within its socio-cultural milieu, positing that understanding the political, social, and cultural environment during a literary period is essential to interpret the text. Historicists examine how literary works reflect and influence the spirit of their time, thereby providing insights into national identity, ideology, and power dynamics (Eagleton, 1983). The approach emphasizes that literature is a product of specific historical conditions, and recognizing these influences enriches the understanding of texts (Greenblatt, 1980).

Biographical Criticism complements Historicism by analyzing an author's life and experiences to gain deeper insight into their works. This method assumes that understanding the author's personal history, beliefs, and circumstances can shed light on themes, characterizations, and stylistic choices within their literature (Tate, 1984). While sometimes criticized for overemphasizing the author's life, biographical criticism remains a significant tool for interpretive analysis.

Psychological Criticism applies theories from modern psychology to interpret literary texts. It explores human subconscious motivations, drives, and symbolic representations. A psychoanalytic approach, influenced by Freud and Jung, examines characters’ behaviors and symbols to understand underlying psychological states (Freud, 1917; Jung, 1964). For instance, archetypes—universal symbols and motifs—are employed to analyze recurrent themes across cultures and texts, elucidating shared human experiences (Campbell, 1949).

Sociological Criticism investigates how literature interacts with society, especially within its cultural, economic, and political framework. It considers how social institutions, class structures, and power relations influence literary production and reception (Morrow & Shaw, 1986). Marxist Criticism, a subset of sociological criticism, specifically scrutinizes literature for its ideological content, often critiquing capitalism and class struggle. Marxist critics analyze how texts either reinforce or challenge dominant economic systems and class narratives (Barthes & Culler, 1975).

Mythological Criticism delves into universal patterns, symbols, and archetypes that resonate across cultures. Carl Jung’s concept of the collective unconscious underpins this approach, proposing that human beings share innate, mythic structures that influence literature (Jung, 1964). Joseph Campbell further explored this idea, demonstrating how recurring motifs and hero archetypes appear in myths, fairy tales, and literary works worldwide, revealing fundamental psychological truths (Campbell, 1949).

Eco-criticism emerges from ecological concerns and explores the relationship between humans and the natural environment. This perspective criticizes anthropocentric attitudes and examines how literature reflects cultural perceptions of nature, environmental degradation, and sustainability (Le Men, 2008). Eco-criticism advocates for a conscious engagement with ecological issues and aims to promote environmental awareness through literary analysis.

Queer Theory challenges fixed categories of gender and sexuality, emphasizing fluidity and individual experience. Originating from LGBTQ+ activism and feminist scholarship in the 1990s, queer theory critiques heteronormative assumptions and seeks to deconstruct societal norms that limit identities (Butler, 1990). It argues that gender and sexual identities are socially constructed, non-essentialist, and dynamic, promoting greater recognition of diverse personal narratives in literature and culture (Sedgwick, 1990).

Overall, each of these literary theories offers distinct vantage points to interpret texts, highlighting different facets of the literary experience. Whether focusing on internal language, reader engagement, gender roles, historical context, psychological processes, societal structures, archetypes, or environmental themes, these approaches collectively enrich our understanding of literature's complex and multifaceted nature.

References

• Barthes, R., & Culler, J. (1975). Introduction to the Structural Analysis of Narrative. Cornell University Press.
• Brooks, Cleanth, & Warren, Robert. (1949). Understanding Poetry. Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
• Campbell, J. (1949). The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton University Press.
• Eagleton, T. (1983). Literary Theory: An Introduction. Blackwell Publishing.
• Freud, S. (1917). Introduction to Psychoanalysis. W. W. Norton & Company.
• Greenblatt, S. (1980). Learning to Curse: Essays in Early Modern Culture. Routledge.
• Jung, C. G. (1964). Man and His Symbols. Dell Publishing.
• Le Men, M. (2008). Ecocriticism and Green Cultural Politics. Rodopi.
• Morrow, R., & Shaw, P. (1986). Understanding Society: An Introduction to Sociology. Cambridge University Press.
• Showalter, E. (1979). Feminist Criticism in the Wilderness. Critical Inquiry, 8(2), 243-261.
• Rosenblatt, L. M. (1978). Literature as Exploration. The Modern Language Association of America.
• Sedgwick, E. K. (1990). Epistemology of the Closet. University of California Press.
• Tate, G. (1984). Feminist Literary Criticism. Routledge.