Critical Approaches to Literature

Which critical approach focuses primarily on the structure and form of the text itself, without considering outside influences such as authorial intent or historical context?

• Feminism

• Formalism

• Marxism

• Historical

Feminist criticism primarily examines:

• Gender roles and representation in literature

• The socio-economic factors influencing literature

• The structure of a text

• The mental states of characters

Which approach evaluates the ethical and moral dimensions in a work of literature?

• Psychoanalytical

• Moralism

• Reader-response

• Archetypal

The historical and biographical approach focuses on:

• How the text conforms to universal symbols

• The socio-economic conditions of the author

• The life experiences of the author and the time period in which the work was written

• How readers interpret the text

Which approach emphasizes universal symbols, myths, and archetypes present in a text?

• Archetypal

• Formalist

• Marxism

• Feminism

Reader-response theory argues that the meaning of a text:

• Is determined by the reader's interpretation

• Is fixed and unchanging

• Is a reflection of the author's personal history

• Should conform to literary standards

Psychoanalytical criticism often draws upon the theories of:

• Karl Marx

• Sigmund Freud

• Carl Jung

• Northrop Frye

Marxist criticism focuses on:

• The psychological motivations of characters

• The social class and economic power structures reflected in literature

• The form and structure of the text

• The gender dynamics in the narrative

Mimetic criticism evaluates literature based on:

• The way it represents reality

• How it subverts traditional gender roles

• Its moral implications

• The historical context of the text

Which critical approach might examine a text to reveal hidden patterns of male dominance?

• Moralism

• Formalist

• Feminism

• Historical