LITERARY THEORY - basics

Feminist/Gender Criticism (they are separate but I’m simplifying)When reading literature you see it as not being inclusive. You think that literature excludes women’s point-of-view and is mostly written to privilege men who are heterosexual. When reading literature you claim that women and homosexuals are viewed negatively, inferior, or as “the other.”

         Consider the gender/orientation of the author, characters         What roles does gender or sexuality play in this work? (Examine

power relations)         Look for sexual stereotypes either reinforced or contradicted         Imagine yourself as the opposite gender reading the text

SO… as the ‘text’ we are looking at here involves ‘chocolate’ consider writing about it in the following ways. How are women constructed in the advertising of this product? What are the beliefs in society about women and chocolate?

Cadbury is a British multinational confectionery company owned by Mondelēz International. It is the second largest confectionery brand in the world after Wrigley's.[2] It is headquartered in Uxbridge, Greater London and operates in more than fifty countries worldwide. It is famous for its Dairy Milk chocolate, the Creme Egg and Roses selection box, and many other confectionery products. (Wikipedia)

Cadbury is American owned and was begun by a man. The board of directors are men. 

Marxist CriticismViews society based on the economic and cultural theory of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles. Assumes that each society is made up of a set of concepts, beliefs, values, and ways of thinking influenced by economic and class structures. When reading a text you will notice that it often privileges the upper-classes or those with money. Those who are poor do not have a voice. Look for stereo-types and consider whose point-of-view is represented.

         Consider who has the power/money and who doesn’t         What role does power, money, or class play in this work?         What happens as a result in differences in power/money?         Relate context of work to social-class of author and/or time

periodSO… to read chocolate through a Marxist lens you would need to

consider who owns Cadbury chocolate and where they source the coco beans. You would consider whether it is a product that

is for the wealthy or the poor? Who is exploited and who benefits?

   Narratology/Archetypes: A form of Structuralism that focuses on the structure of stories. Identifies 31 actions that a story can contain and claims all stories pick from this list. Also focuses on the specific character types that are repeated within all stories—hero, villain, trickster, orphan, mentor etc. When reading a text you see it for its conventional structural qualities. Does it break with convention or comply?

So… when considering the chocolate ask yourself whether it fits the stereotype of proper chocolate. What are the ingredients? What is its shape? When you eat it and smell it does it do what it is supposed to do?

 Historical Criticism/Post-ColonialViews text as a closely related to the time during which an author wrote. Focused on the social, political, economic, cultural, and/or intellectual climate of the time. Examines how other cultures are viewed in terms of an overpowering Western literature base. When you read literature you think about Western culture and whether it dominates. Is it predominantly concerning white people and there culture? Are western behaviours and concerns at the forefront of the text?         Looks at issues of colonization and imperialism         Rejects the idea of marginalized people as “others”         Celebrates “hybridity” (existing in two cultures at once)

SO… when you are reading the ‘chocolate’ consider whether it is a predominately western and whether it acknowledges other cultures… Look at the advertising. Is it predominantly white? Does it acknowledge other cultures in making it?

 

ECO-CRITICWhen you read literature you look at how ‘man’ has treated the environment. How is the environment connoted? Does man destroy the environment? Is nature celebrated or ignored?What do our different approaches to the natural world—e.g., Rape and pillage? Preserve? Adore? What?—and to writing about the natural world, tell us about human development throughout history? What do they tell us about nature itself? About subjectivity and objectivity?So… when you are reading ‘chocolate’ you will need to consider whether the environment has been exploited. Is the chocolate environmentally friendly? Is the packaging?