The Literary Theory Of Structuralism - 1203 Words

The literary theory of Structuralism attempts to explain the connections between concepts, images, and people. Particularly, the French Structuralists utilize the concept of binary comparisons in order to explain how everything relates to each other. This theory argues that people comprehend the world around them by the understanding the differences between objects or ideas and other objects or ideas, e.g. understanding the dark because it is not light. Children learn the concept of opposites so that they can describe things; they discover the difference between big and small before they understand the notions themselves. Therefore, by using the literary theory of French Structuralism, readers can establish the binary differences between the two sets of lovers in Much Ado about Nothing, explaining how the use of contrasting characters reveals the complexity of love, and comments on society’s conventions in Shakespeare’s day. A leading Structuralist Ferdinand de Saussure ascertains in â€Å"Course in General Linguistics† that â€Å"in language there are only differences† (70). These differences make up the world, and comparing them allows readers to have a deeper understanding of life. However, binaries must play off each other within a context in order to have meaning. Gregory Castle offers the goal of Structuralism: â€Å"Functional Structuralism is primarily concerned with language as it is manifested in social contexts† (186). The social context is the construct that illuminatesShow MoreRelatedSigmund Freuds Theory Of Psychoanalysis1636 Words   |  7 PagesThis passage from â€Å"Psycho-analysis,† Sigmund Freud’s essay detailing the origins, methods, and applications of his theory of psychoanalysis, reveals the utility of his approach in understanding what lies beneath the surface through the interpretation of dreams, which later psychoanalytic critics related to the interpretation of literature. Freud’s description of his psychoanalytic theory considers it an approach to unlocking knowledge that is impossible to discover through prior methods of psychologyRead MoreYellow Wallpaper1673 Words   |  7 PagesSvetlana Kryzhanovskaya Prof. Grajeda ENC 3014-MidTerm Paper March 12, 2012 Structuralism amp; Feminist Theory ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ written by Charlotte Gilman can be affectively analyzed from two schools of thought structuralism and feminist theory. Though structuralists’ deny the work of literature any connection to its author (it must be what it is, no underlying meaning) feminist theory must first and foremost be understood in its historical framework. By the turn of the century,Read More5 Critical Approaches to Literature853 Words   |  4 Pages5 Critical Approaches to Literature Structuralist- Is a theory of a human kind thought to be parts of a system of signs. It is described as a reaction to modernist alteration and despair. It is heavily influenced by linguistics especially by the work of Ferdinand de Saussure. Useful was Saussures concept of phoneme which is the smallest basic speech sound or unit of pronunciation, the idea that phoneme exists in two kinds of relationships (diachronic and synchronic). Diachronic is a horizontalRead MoreResearch Paper on William James and Functionalism1230 Words   |  5 Pagesthe son of Henry James Sr., a noted and independently wealthy theologian well acquainted with the literary and intellectual elites of his day. The intellectual brilliance of the James family milieu and the remarkable epistolary talents of several of its members have made them a subject of continuing interest to historians, biographers, and critics. James also worked on many theories included functionalism which is the second paradigm in Psychology. According to William James, functionalismRead More Edgar Allan Poe Essay1545 Words   |  7 Pagesamount of interpretations of any given text might be drawn from a variety of perspectives, a structuralist analysis of two of Poe’s works help place their symbols within a theme related to myth and heroism. Peter Barry attempts to define structuralism succinctly by narrowing it down as â€Å"the belief that things cannot be understood in isolation—they have to be seen in the context of the larger structures they are part of†; he goes on to add that â€Å"meaning is always an attribute of things, in theRead MoreDevelopment Of Media And Communications Study1481 Words   |  6 Pagesessay I shall analyze the development of media and communications study and the themes that have helped it to improve during the last century. A persistent concept in this field is equality because theories like Marxism, Cultural Studies, Feminism, Structuralism and Post-structuralism, Subcultural Theory and Postmodernism examined this notion and gave it a meaning in that period of time. Against this background, a central question that motives this paper is: ‘How is equality developed by each ideologyRead MoreTerry Eagleton and Literature Theory3622 Words   |  15 PagesTerry Eag leton What is Literature Doing a polemical study of contemporary literary theory, Eagleton introduces us in this world explaining what is actually fiction. a. Imaginative writing One definition is that literature is imaginative writing, based on its fictionality and do not engage in the literal truth. However, Eagleton rejects this theory, since the literature also includes nonfiction genres such as essay and autobiography. 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The paper will be divided into three parts, definitions, the comparison of their difference and the conclusion. 1. Definition New Criticism The word New Criticism was appearing on the book, The New Criticism, written by John Crowe Ransom. In his book, The New Criticism, Ransom came up with a new formalist current, which emphasized close readingRead MoreMark Twain And Slavery Essay1356 Words   |  6 PagesMark Twain and Slavery Mark Twain, a famous American writer wrote many books highly acclaimed throughout the world. For his masterpiece, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the literary establishment recognized him as one of the greatest writers America would ever produce. This novel is about a teenage boy by the name of Huck Finn. He is living with Miss Watson and Widow Douglas who have adopted him. He decides that civil life is not for him and that he is going to run away. At the beginning of