Literary theory

The psychoanalytical lens is a way of understanding the human mind and the characters within a story. Many different theories have contributed to psychology, but “most psychological criticism of the last century lands at the doorstep of Sigmund Freud” (Gillespie 1). Freud was the father of a psychoanalysis, helped explain human behavior, and came up with a way to treat mental illnesses. Freud focused much of his ideas on psychic forces having an influence on human behavior (Gillespie 2). He had…

point that they all makes sense, no, both of these theories come together head on and they come to be in mutual recognition of each other. They both know that they exist, and they have placed their ideas on the table, and leave the reader to choose what he believes by himself. But the real question is how can Tolkien and a 400 year old essay connect? In Tolkien’s mind, an allegory is something simple, not something as complex as the conspiracy theory of Lord of The Rings being an allegory to…

How does an individual adapt to change? How does adapting to this change affect his relationships, his perspective, or his life in general? These are questions that are answered thoroughly in The Accidental Tourist, as they are relevant to the text thematically. In the novel, the focus is placed primarily on protagonist Macon Leary; special attention is given to his adjustment to the loss of his son and an impending divorce from his wife, Sarah. Through this focus on Macon’s changes in life, the…

It is not often in a class based on literary analysis and critical thinking about classic literature that a student is asked to reflect on him or herself. It only makes sense, however, when called upon to do so, that this reflection is related to British literary history. I am a Neo-Classic, through and through, but as much as I would like to deny it, I cannot repudiate the claim that I have a touch of Romantic in me as well. As there exists parts of both philosophies within me, it becomes…

I will be analyzing and comparing how Jose Saramaga and Max Brooks portray multiple perspectives in their novels, Blindness and World War Z, and the importance the literary element had on the work as a whole. The novel, Blindness, was originally written in a different language and had been written much earlier than the novel, World War Z so it is important that we gain an understanding of how different languages display and bring to life different point of views, because both books heavily rely…

Allusion is a "reference to a statement, a person, a place, or an event from literature, history, religion, mythology, politics, sports, science, or pop culture" (Schemer). Allusions are very obvious in Huxley's Brave New World. Shakespeare is the one who inspires Huxley while writing this novel. The name of the novel is taken from Shakespeare's the Tempest as John says "o brave new world, that has such people in it" when he is forced to discover the new world (139). This is originally Miranda…

Journal Entry #1 The use of a quest in order to progress the development of a character is shown not only in How to Read Literature Like a Professor, written by Thomas C. Foster, but also but Aleksandr Pushkin in his novel in verse, Eugene Onegin. In Foster’s novel, he stresses the importance of a quest to further not only the character’s plotline, but also building a character arc, determining who they will be at the conclusion of the work. Pushkin, by creating a character so stereotypical to…

The symbol I created to represent myself contains a wide variety of different drawings and words. The drawings represent activities or specific components of my life that are important to me. The different words that go around the inside are values that I believe to be important, as well as traits that I possess. The most important words on my symbol to me are family, friends, honesty, dedication, respect, appreciation, forgiveness, caring, sacrifice, and patience. Family and friends are by far…

In the first chapter of, “Perspectives on Contemporary Issues: Seventh Edition” by Katherine Ackley she teaches us how to read critically. The definition that Ackley gives us is as follows: “The process of making a careful, thoughtful, and thorough consideration of a piece of writing by looking at its different parts.” The reader should be able to decipher what the author’s argument or thesis is, so they are able to write things like summaries. When reading critically you have to analyze the…

What would you think if someone told you that you were round? Would you look at them weird then walk away? Would you say ‘thank you’? Or would you punch them in the face because you thought they just called you fat? Well, you should say thank you since they just confirmed that you are a real person. Round characters are like real people, with many different traits. This is an example of a symbol. Symbolism is an object or symbol used to represent another idea, trait, or quality. When you give…