Literary Theories
Archetypal Theory^
is
Recurring images, characters, narrative, designs and themes. Helps the reader deconstruct a story using a specific pattern.
For example:
In order to understand the Archetypal Lens, we have to use the "Hero's Journey" and character archetypes.
Joseph Campbell's Monomyth story circle
Character archetypes such as the Hero, the Shadow, the Mentor, the threshold guardians, etc.
Formalist Theory^
is
Focues on elements of Fiction. It is a unity of plot, themes and characters, through the use of tone, point of view, imagery, action, etc.
For example:
The formalist theory is completly ignoring the author's influences on the text, social and historical contexts and ignoring details and just focusing on the structural aspects of a text.
Ignoring the character's development and meanings
focuses on the form of the text. Ex. themes, genre, etc.
Feminist Theory
is
Understanding a text through women's perpesctives. How women write their own experiences and representations.
For example:
When using the feminist lens, we aim to undertand gender inequality through texts. Recurring themes in feminist texts could be discriminination, voting rights, cultural norms, stereotypes, etc.
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) by Mary Wollstonecraft is one the earliest texts about feminist philosophy.
Post Colonial Theory
is
Analyzing texts from countries or cultures that have been oppressed by European colonial powers.
For example:
When using the post colonial lens, aim to undertsand the history and point of view behind colonies that have been stripped of their culture, land, resources etc.
Hegemony: Dominating another country or clan of people.
Cultural genocide
How the Birtish empire exercised its controll over parts of Africa for example.