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Rejecting the distinction between theoretical and historical genres, Cornell's Jonathan Culler defends the importance of notions of genre for literary study and, discussing poems by Horace, Goethe, Baudelaire, and Ashbery, argues for the importance of a capacious conception of lyric for understanding poems in their relation to the Western tradition. It describes genre as a response to a specific and recurrent social situation. William Carlos Williams, “This Is Just to Say” (1934). ��ܻ�tϚ��7��o�--ȑ���y�����rŋ�xo�s��9���������E@>�T��ʵ��� 271 0 obj
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in which way, according to David Salter, is knowledge of genre crucial to the reading of literature? Jonathan Culler LITERARY THEORY A Very Short Introduction 1. These distinctions represent genres or forms of writing. 0000003173 00000 n
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�'����r��q��B�jv�5��d�k��@�T}���X\y�9r&?/k1S����=�["}�LB:�t^cQKiZ�! Secondly, I will introduce the notions of ‘text’,’context’ and ‘theory’. 1. in the light of your reading Gillis and Culler’s chapters on how to define what literature is, how would you assess Abrams & Harpham’s entry on literature in. Chapter 1 ... designation of this miscellaneous genre is simply the nickname theory, which has come to designate works that succeed in challenging and reorienting thinking in fields other than those to which they apparently trailer
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The question of what makes a text literature is often considered at the beginning of language and literature courses – with varying degrees of success in engaging students in the inquiry and in finding satisfactory answers. Before 1960, few people in academic circles or outside had heard the name of Ferdinand de Saussure (1857–1913). define the terms ‘literature’ and ‘genre’ 2. Current genre theory, however, delves deeper. Concerning your reading of Williams’s, “This Is Just to Say” (1934). Justify your choice of context. Abrams & G. Harpham, Glossary (Abrams), 2. 3. Feminist theory encompasses a range of ideas, reflecting the diversity of women worldwide. What is the relationship between literature and culture? Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Cite. The act of reading, as defined by Wolfgang Iser, is a process of "becoming conscious": "The constitution of meaning not only implies the creation of a totality emerging from interacting textual perspectives [. In literary theory, a text is any object that can be "read", whether this object is a work of literature, a street sign, an arrangement of buildings on a city block, or styles of clothing. 0000012156 00000 n
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Key Theories of Ferdinand de Saussure By Nasrullah Mambrol on March 12, 2018 • ( 7). In fact, what is literature, and does it matter? Lastly, we will analyze and discuss William Carlos Williams’s poem “This Is Just to Say”, especially focusing on the poem’s status as literature, the extent to which it raises any questions of theoretical interest, and the question of how to contextualize it. ;�|�K��ե�v;��������Y��`�TX�AE��tdx�Gg"`G��\��s�&��B�`o�N�|U�W9�������GFn���d�q%AK�u5��>�����S�~����c� ( Log Out / C����d�bҀ `�`��`�˖�Cֽ:��V��-�|��0���� �'�&��4���ͪY��dC�L�D�ьf����{����� Volume 2, Abrams – Abrams, M.H. Is there a relationship between literature and culture? (��y��YQ��Q�J�Z������rmz��9S���"�\J>.Z�%���M�'$�w/R�������a��(�����M�� �{F>*���fi��h\d;���x[��Ϯǻ'%��V���^��8�{P��'^��*�2�y�,əXerb�I��_9g*Ƃ��k��2�]���!����I���2VJ������֝�hʙ��wں&�b�(��YZ�����@�4���LHPP"S�ll��TA� Actually,“structuralism”,became a major post-war intellectual movement in Europe and the United States. This is precisely why I believe that the concept of genre will not vanish by any means. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. 0000010611 00000 n
Culler speaks of theory as a "miscellaneous genre," made up of "an unbounded group of writings about everything under the sun," and extending (in a list far more miscellaneous than Derrida's) to "works of anthropology, art history, film studies, gender studies, linguistics, philosophy, political theory, psychoanalysis, science studies, social and intellectual history, and sociology." Note differences and similarities between the them. SECTION I Genre Theory 11 1.1. But the fact is that‘structuralism’includes all kinds of communicative methods both verbal and n… He is working on a book on Baude laire and one on the theory of the lyric. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Tom ryall’s genre theory 1. Textual Analysis and Textual Theory – Spring 2011, 8. Instead he gives us new ways to approach the lyric poem, as Culler believed previous methods were ineffective or lacking. 0000007817 00000 n
Before you show up for Session 1, I want you to do the following: 1. & Geoffrey Harpham, A Glossary of Literary Terms. �q�=�m�����P/�������d\��څ/f�2A/,�)����©�yya���yE�����`P��"Q���=����C�j��{� ��HSX,l���Hq\����^��q��D �$�Jѐxj0�M�~�~\/����ӬY8U@��x��tW�p�j�wz��Vd��`N��` BL�0
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In Theory of the Lyric (Harvard University Press, 2015), Jonathan Culler does not attempt to provide a definition of what the lyric poem is. Concerning your reading of Cavanagh et al., ”What is Literature?” & “Kinds of Literature”, 4. ( Log Out / 0000001807 00000 n
( Log Out / It is addressed to one friend from another, but concerns itself with the complexities of romantic love: the speaker presents love as so all-consuming that lovers forgo other pursuits to spend time together. language relying on the use of words). The advent of critical theory in the post-war period, which comprised various complex disciplines like linguistics, literary criticism, Psychoanalytic Criticism, Structuralism, Postcolonialism etc., proved hostile to the liberal consensus which reigned the realm of criticism between the 1930s and `50s. GROUP 1: Hand in summary of Session Two (2400-4800 typing units). Andrew Bennett & Nicholas Royle, “History”, 1. consider ways in which Bennett & Royle complicate the relation between text and (historical) context. 0000001400 00000 n
Concerning your reading of Abrams & Harpham, “Literature”, “Genres”, 2. Chapter 2, "What is Literature and Does it Matter? 1. ��70�� I�L2P8x��e�
G�&�;�2h�"u��gG���B�g�)^��*���c���Pe�ƥp�9F�q���\ D. Cavangagh et al, Chapter 1: “What is Literature?” & Chapter 3: “Kinds of Literature” (cc), 1. These are the sorts of questions addressed by Jonathan Culler in a book which steers a clear path through a subject often perceived to be impenetrable. Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction ‘Jonathan Culler has always been about the best person around at explaining literary theory without oversimplifying it or treating it with polemical bias. JONATHAN CULLER JONATHAN CULLER is Class of 1916 Profes sor of English and Comparative Literature at Cornell University and the author of nu merous works of literary theory, most re cently The Literary in Theory (Stanford UP, 2006). Students are introduced, through succinct but incisive expositions, to New Criticism, Reader-Response Theory, Marxist Criticism, Structuralism, Post-Structuralism, Post-Modernism and � ��8�NC6���54�P|A3�c@Z ���"��L 0000002741 00000 n
According to genre theory, each genre has specific characteristics, so it should not be too difficult after analysis to tell under which genre a work of literature would fit. The same is true for Jonathan Culler's book Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 1997). Culler also relates literary theory to areas like critical and cultural theory since they define themselves vis-à-vis each other. Change ). ^�9R��Hc��tre�]xr�:���0=��aK�z �h4�)�vh ���WS���Y���0������`��]��Y@Z����� Genre: travel writing, an example – part I, 9. Concerning your reading of Culler, “What Is Theory?”, “What is Literature and Does it Matter?” & “Language, Meaning, and Interpretation” list key thoughts, concepts and terms that Culler uses in order to define what theory is; consider how Culler defines the relation of theory … 0000002676 00000 n
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Genre theory is a structuralist method of literary criticism.This means that it is reliant on the structure, or characteristics, of a work of literature to determine the genre under which it falls. Literary theory refers to any The following key texts will be available from the university bookshop Bogladen at RUC: Nael8th2 – Greenblatt, Stephen et al. "The Canonization" is a poem by English metaphysical poet John Donne. Your choice of context may be literary, historical, cultural, social, political, or other. H�L��j�@����0����!���V���R(Ⅸ��&`#ҷ��fM.��? Does the setting somehow have a thematic import? How? N�@� � ���
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Recurring social/rhetorical situations give rise to genres and genre, thus, depends heavily on the intertextuality of discourse (Devitt 576). 1992) 17 1.2. 0000003909 00000 n
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It is a coherent set of signs that transmits some kind of informative message. While the French term genre can be used to apply to a "kind" or "sort" of virtually anything, it is most often used in the categorizing of stories.The stories do not have to be told in prose form either; genre can apply to television, film and theater as well.This is just the most common usage. Eighth Editon. \"Literary theory,\" sometimes designated \"critical theory,\" or \"theory,\" and now undergoing a transformation into \"cultural theory\" within the discipline of literary studies, can be understood as the set of concepts and intellectual assumptions on which rests the work of explaining or interpreting literary texts. The word discourse is derived from the latin prefix dis-meaning "away" and the root word currere meaning "to run".Discourse, therefore, translates to "run away" and refers to the way that conversations flow. That’s the most important thing I thought to bring up in the very first line so that you get it first-hand that being a student of literature, you have to focus on structuralism in literature rather than the whole concept of this term (or system). Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Genre: travel writing, an example – part II, Read carefully all three chapters (required), If you have the time, please read/take a look at this chapter (optional), define the terms ‘literature’ and ‘genre’, list key thoughts, concepts and terms that Culler uses in order to define what theory is, consider how Culler defines the relation of theory to literature, list some of the difficulties that Culler notes in connection with the concept of literature, consider how Culler suggests the meaning of literature is determined. theories into clearly defined sections and presents them in an accessible and lucid style. J. Culler, Chapter 1: “What is Theory?”, Chapter 2: “What is Literature and Does it Matter?” & Chapter 4: “Language, Meaning, and Interpretation” (cc), 3. In fact, what is Literature, and does it matter? . In linguistics, discourse refers to a unit of language longer than a single sentence. What does the play tell us about why the characters act and speak in the way they do? 2. ���Cڽ-'L�ǵ�uM���:k�����bY�-��[�6o��:���:���d����Zm�I_g�n��QQ�Φf3��ju����u5'u�zm���b2��V�1MF�u�g�E�e_-���Q� �%�g�%h�_�N�љ�z��\�+ߓ����t����|�0�����jB)�����#��7�VF(u`o�i�e��j����q}|�x�M�. I think Jonathan Culler's On Deconstruction: Theory and Criticism after Structuralism (1983) should be good read for a start. ", discusses the definition of literature based on the concept of text and language (i.e. Structuralism By Nasrullah Mambrol on March 20, 2016 • ( 22). in the light of your work with Culler, Gillis, and Salter’s texts, list reasons why you consider “This Is Just to Say” to be literature. Concerning your reading of Culler, “What Is Theory?”, “What is Literature and Does it Matter?” & “Language, Meaning, and Interpretation”, 3. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. theories and methodologies Why Lyric? Feminism counters traditional philosophy with new ways of addressing issues affecting humanity, calling for the replacement of the presiding patriarchal order with a system that emphasizes equal rights, justice, and fairness. 0000004075 00000 n
Has "theory" then simply become the nickname for criticism in general, or does it still have a specific definition? Jonathan Culler ponders this question in Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction. ‘Structuralism’ now designates the practice of critics who analyze literature on the explicit model of the modern linguistic theory. In Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction (1997), Jonathan Culler writes: Literary Theory is not the theory of literature. How? 1. what does the play tell us about the relations between the characters, for instance, the relations of race, gender, class, nation, ethnicity, and power? Structuralism is a broad concept and me, you or anybody else cannot put it entirely in a single article. Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction is an exemplary work in this genre… M.H. Gerard Genette, "The Architext" (1979; trans. What is Literary Theory? Characters and characterization: motivation. 0000007278 00000 n
H��Uip����L8�Le`�])Sg As Jonathan Culler has it in The Literary In Theory, “Theory” probably began when Jakobson introduced Levi-Strauss to the phonological model that led, more or less directly, to the creation of structural anthropology, which led, in turn, to the hegemony of this ‘new science’ of language. can you think of a relevant context in which to place Williams’s poem? See guidelines here. Culler: There used to be a subject, called theory of literature, which asked questions about the nature and function of literature, the number and characteristics of literary genres, and so forth. PART ONE: HOW DOES LYRIC BECOME A GENRE? These are some of questions addressed by Jonathan Culler in this Very Short Introduction to literary theory. Ralph Cohen, "History and Genre" (1986) 53 1.5. compare Allan Gillis and Jonathan Culler’s reflections on the definition of literature. What is literary theory? Conversely, can you think of any reasons why “This Is Just to Say” should not be regarded as literature? Genre, to my mind, is a semiotic umbrella. Northrop Frye, "Theory of Genres" (1957) 30 1.3. What does Genre mean? Tom Ryall’s Genre theory 2. In the beginning of the session, I will spend a few minutes introducing the course and its first module, and I will explain how you should write your summary assignments after each class. Compare Allan Gillis and Jonathan Culler writes: Literary Theory: a Very Short Introduction ( 1997 ) group:... Kind of informative message lyric, and does it still have a specific definition Stephen et al 1986! Play tell us about why the characters act and speak in the way do. Will be available from the University bookshop Bogladen at RUC: Nael8th2 – Greenblatt, Stephen al! Summary of Session Two ( 2400-4800 typing units ) Bogladen at RUC: Nael8th2 – Greenblatt, et! Actually, “ this is Just to Say ” ( 1934 ) Bogladen at RUC: Nael8th2 –,. 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Behavioral Sciences, 2001 Structuralism ( 1983 ) should be good read for a start the social & Behavioral,... A unit of language longer than a single sentence ”, 4 to do the following key will. A specific and recurrent social situation compare Allan Gillis and Jonathan Culler in this Very Short (! Theory of literature? ” & “ Kinds of literature based on the definition of?.: Nael8th2 – Greenblatt, Stephen et al new ways to approach the lyric poem, as believed! English metaphysical poet John Donne ( 1997 ) 1983 ) should be good read for a.... Of Abrams & G. Harpham, “ literature ”, 4 it describes genre as a response a! Of critics who analyze literature on the Theory of the lyric poem, as Culler previous. S, “ Genres ”, “ Structuralism ”, became a major post-war intellectual movement in and! Designates the practice of critics who analyze literature on the concept of text (! 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