Analytic Approaches to Literature Overview

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Analytic Approaches to Literature (Overview)
Definition of Analysis the examination of
smaller parts and their relation to the larger
whole.
The Major Approaches Psychological examines
the inner mind (motivations) of the characters
and/or author. Mythological/Religious examines
cultural universalities (myths, morals,
conceptions of the universe) Literary/Textual
examines how the writing is structured and what
techniques are being used. Sociological/Historical
examines how groups in society operate over
the course of time
Horner 2007
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Assignment (Practice)

• Actively read the Story The Ant and The
  Grasshopper on pages 8-11 in your textbook.
• Create two questions for each analytical approach
• (Imagine what someone from each of these
  perspectives would ask about this story)
• (8 questions total)

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Group Compilation
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The Ant and The Grasshopper Analytic Approaches-
Some Primary Questions
Psychological What events in the authors life
may have inspired the theme of this
story? Mythological/Religious Does this story
reflect the dominant religious viewpoint? What
and how are symbols employed? Literary/Textual
How have the authors choices regarding literary
techniques shaped this piece? Sociological/Histor
ical - When and where was this story written and
what can be derived from the culture of that
period?
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Journal 10 min.
What do you know about psychology and Sigmund
Freud and his theories? Describe your dream life.
Do you usually remember your dreams? Do you have
recurring dreams/nightmares? Whats the last
dream you remember? What did it mean?
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As you watch the film clip, be able to answer the
questions and define the terms.
Questions
Vocab

• According to Freud, what is the purpose of
  dreaming?
• 2. What are the four components of dream work?
• 3. Why did Freud believe that studying dreams was
  so important?

• Consciousness
• Ego
• Id
• Latent
• Psychoanalysis
• REM
• Superego

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Psychological Analysis

•   The father of modern psychology
•  Known for his studies of the repression, sexual
  desire and the unconscious mind

•        He believed the mind could be divided
  into 3 categories
• The id contains "primitive desires" (hunger,
  rage, sex),
• The super-ego contains internalized norms,
  morality and taboos.
• The ego mediates between the two.

Doodles of flowers indicate a gentle personality
Roses with sharp thorns can indicate betrayal of
love
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Review/ Key Ideas
Freud believed that the psyche, or "soul" of an
individual was shaped like an iceberg. The small
part that remained above the surface for all to
see was the ego, the individual's self image that
he projected to the world.
People who draw arrows have direction and
ambition.
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Thus, psychoanalyzing a work of literature can
give us great insight into the unconscious of the
author. (psychological approach)
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• From The Ant and the Grasshopper analyze the
  short story from a strict Freudian perspective.
• What might represent the id, ego and superego?
• Identify a minimum of two pieces of evidence for
  each element to support your interpretation.

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Journal
What do you associate with each of these
images? When and where have you seen them?
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Carl Jung
Mythological Analysis

• A student of Freud who differed in views of human
  nature.
• Jung believed that human nature was more than a
  collection of repressed desires and fears.
• He was influenced by religion, art and mythology.
  
• Jung divided the mind into the ego, the personal
  unconscious and the collective unconscious.

is the reservoir of all human experience.
According to Jung all people were connected at
this level .
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Mythological Analysis

• Archetypes comes from the Greek word archetypos,
  meaning first of its kind.
• They are universal images/concepts/ ideas that
  come from shared common experiences, which
  transcend time, place and culture.
• The value in using archetypal characters in
  fiction derives from the fact that we
  unconsciously already recognize the archetype,
  and thus the motivations, behind the character's
  behavior.

examples
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Read through the descriptions of the hero and
villain archetypes. 1. Decide on five of the
archetypes that fit your personality best and
draw and label a pie chart representing these
archetypes proportionately.
2. Write in paragraph format about how the three
most dominant archetypes show up in your
personality. Be specific by giving multiple
examples.
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the charmer