KIM WOODS

Christina Ham

Formalism or New Criticism: This is when a text is analyzed only by what is present within the text. So, the structure, tones, word usage, etc can all be examined to determine theme and find meaning. Stuff outside the text, such as the author's background or the time period in which the text was written, is not taken into account.

Reader Response Criticism: This criticism allows readers to interpret the text based on their own background and beliefs. The theory states that there is a relationship created between a person and the text that causes a book's meaning to change depending on the lens it's viewed under (the reader.)

With both of these types of criticism, meaning is derived from the text and only the text. There's no outside information wanted or needed. However, there's a more personal component to reader response. It's not just asking "what does that mean based on the words used" but "how do you interpret what those words are saying."

Most Useful
I think reader response criticism is the most useful. This is because I think a text should be seen independently of it's writer or time period. Stories have a message that lasts throughout the generations. They do this because each new generation or foreign people find something relatable, something common to humanity. However, formal criticism views it independenty of the writer without considering how that second human component can change and twist meanings until people from vastly different backgrounds can see the same thing in vastly different ways.

Deutsch, A. (2014). Types of Conflicts Found in Literature [PDF file]. Retrieved from http://bridgepoint.equella.ecollege.com/curriculum/file/69978e52-f685-47f0-acd8-bcf20defc943/1/ENG125%20-%20Types%20of%Conflicts%20Found%20in%20Literature.pdf

Lindsey McNeil

Reader Response Criticism: This approach allows the reader to view the literature personally. Each reader may interpret the literature differently based on their cultural, religious, economic, etc. background. This approach allows readers to interpret the text using their own thoughts, views, experiences, etc. to provide their own insights on the literature. 

Psychoanalytical Criticism: This approach is based on the theories of Freud. This approach focuses on the psychology of the characters and analyzes them based on their actions, choices, behaviors, and motivation. You can also use this criticism approach to analyze the psychology of the author's state of mind while writing the literature. 

The two critical approaches are different because Reader Response Criticism allows the reader to analyze the literature personally while Psychoanalytical Criticism analyzes the literature based on the psychology of the characters or the author. The two are similar because they both allow you to analyze the reasoning behind the literature. When analyzing the literature, both approaches allow the reader to see why and how the literature is the way it is. 

I find psychoanalytical criticism to be most useful. I enjoy psychology, and I find it easy to analyze characters and the author based on their psychology. It's especially important to analyze the author's mental state to distinguish whether or not it has any impact on the literature.