Using formalism, a critic can show how the various
parts of a work are welded together to make an organic whole. This approach
examines a text as a self-contained object; it does not, therefore, concern
itself with biographical information about the author, historical events
outside of the story, or literary allusions, mythological patterns, or
psychoanalytical traits of the characters (except those aspects described
specifically in the text.)
A formalist critic examines the form of the work
as a whole, the form of each individual part of the text (the individual scenes
and chapters), the characters, the settings, the tone, the point of view, the
diction, and all other elements of the text which join to make it a single text.
After analyzing each part, the critic then describes how they work together to
make give meaning (theme) to the text.
Point
of View
Setting
Characters
Plot
Symbols
Theme
A thorough analysis of the text is important to
write a good paper here. Remember the judgment you make about a literary work
will reflect your own values, biases, and experience; however, you MUST respect
the author
· Before
you begin to write, re-read your notes, considering which approach seems most
appropriate. Write your answers to the following questions in FULL sentences.
o Did
a particular aspect (literary element) of the novel make an impact on me?
o What
relationships between the various parts of the novel (and literary elements) do
I see?
o
What lesson (meaning or theme) did the
author want me to learn from reading this novel?
· Write
a thesis which clearly and directly states the point you want to make about the
novel. Consider this example of a thesis statement:
Example 1:
Setting in "A Worn
Path" by Eudora Welty is effective: the
descriptions are beautiful.
· Next
underline key words:
Setting in "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty is effective: the descriptions are beautiful.
· Answer
these questions about the example:
1. Does this thesis limit and focus what the writer has to say
about the story?
Definitely not! This thesis (and I use
the term loosely) is very vague. The key terms are so general that they fail to
provide any focus for the paper. To provide specific examples to support this
statement will be very difficult.
2. Can this thesis help to explicate the novel
Again, this statement has no real connection to what the
author is saying (the meaning) in the story.
Example 2:
Eudora Welty uses the setting
of "A Worn Path," presented in the vivid descriptive phrases
of the protagonist
1. Does this thesis limit and focus what the writer has to say
about this story?
Yes! This paper will be give examples from the
text which show how the description of the setting (during
this character
2. Can this thesis help to explicate the novel
No, at least not directly. While connecting
the setting along the journey to the main character will definitely get at the
author
Example 3:
Through
1. Does this thesis limit and focus what the writer has to say
about this story?
Yes! This paper will give examples from the
text showing how the character
2. Can this thesis help to explicate the novel
Yes! It connects the setting with the symbolic
journey to get at the author
Once you have arrived at the thesis, make a brief
outline of the examples (including quotes and paraphrases--and page numbers for
each) which will support the thesis you have written.
After preparing an optional outline, complete with
examples, begin writing the paper. Always avoid allowing the quotes and
paraphrases from the text to take over the paper. You are the critic, and this
paper is YOUR formalist interpretation of the novel. Quote only the words
necessary to make your point; avoid long passage of diaglor,
etc. Also use the specific quotes and paraphrases as support for YOUR ideas and
always interpret them for the reader, by showing how the quoted material
connects to the point you are making. Do not expect a reader to interpret
a scene or event from the text in the same way that you have. Always make
the connections for the reader.
Point of view
is the viewpoint from which you view the setting, see the action, observe the
characters, and hear the conversations. Depending on the powers the author has
granted this narrator, you may even be able to see inside a character
Ask yourself the following questions in analyzing point of view:
Setting is more than
just the place and time a story takes place. Setting also includes
the atmosphere: the social and cultural context of the story. A novel may
have many settings or occur at different times; however, each time and place were selected by the author for a particular reason. As
yourself the following questions:
Characters
are the lifeblood of every novel, and some characters are more important than
others. Characters may be round (more like real life with positive and
negative traits) or flat (usually stereotypes that symbolize a certain
type of person/place/thing). Characters may also be dynamic (changing
and growing as the novel
In addition, note the following important character types as you read
through the novel:
Ask yourself the
following questions about the important characters of the novel?
4.
Are the character physically described? How
detailed are these descriptions, and who gives them to you? (a
narrator? or another character? reliability?)
5.
How do the character
6.
What is the character
7.
Are the character
8.
How do the characters, their actions and
motivations, contribute to the novel
Symbols extend beyond one-to-one comparison. Be
cautious when looking for symbols. A symbol is a like signpost, used and
oftentimes repeated at key junctures, that alludes to a larger meaning than the
signpost normally would indicate. Symbols can be public or private.
Public symbols have traditional meanings. The rose which is a
well-known symbol of love, and the apple is a religious symbol for forbidden
knowledge as in the Adam and Eve story.
Private symbols can mean anything the author wishes them to
mean, and this meaning is only apparent from the way in which they are used in
the novel. Sometimes authorial and traditional symbols merge having both the
traditional meaning, and one that is more closely related to the novel.
Symbols most often reveal characters to us and/or strongly
allude to the theme of a novel. Readers of a novel may not always agree on a
particular symbol
Theme is the point of
the book, the author
Hence, theme is a matter
of individual interpretation. However, the interpreter must not be too cavalier
in assuming he/she can choose any theme whatsoever. The theme must
logically come from the text; therefore, the theme must be supportable by using
specific text examples. Care should be given to interpreting these
specific text examples in the context that they are used in the novel.
Care should also be given to avoid "stretching" or
"reaching" too far to make a text example fit into our interpretation
of the theme. In addition, the wise reader/interpreter will avoid
associating the author or the author
Questions to ask to get
to the theme:
1. What lesson does the author want me (the reader) to
learn from this book?
2. What lesson does the author want me (the reader) to learn about life?
* Important note - Be
doubly sure to state the theme in an arguable statement. See the
following examples:
In Way of the
Peaceful Warrior, Dan Millman writes about living
in the present.
(This statement is not a theme; it announces the topic but does not make an
arguable statement about it.)
In Way of the
Peaceful Warrior, Dan Millman concludes that
living in the present is the key to unreasonable happiness.
(This statement gives us the topic "living in the present" and
makes a point about it "is the key unreasonable happiness")