Theories of Criticism: Formalism, Structuralism, and Post-Structuralism

Formalism is a theory of criticism that emphasizes the importance of the form of a work of art over its content. Formalists believe that the meaning of a work of art is determined by its structure, its use of language, and its overall design.

Structuralism is a theory of criticism that emphasizes the importance of the structure of a work of art. Structuralists believe that the meaning of a work of art is determined by the way its elements are arranged and interrelated.

Post-Structuralism is a theory of criticism that emphasizes the importance of the structure of a work of art. Post-Structuralists believe that the meaning of a work of art is determined by the way its elements are arranged and interrelated.

Roman Jakobson was a Russian linguist and literary theorist who is considered one of the founders of Formalism. He developed a theory of poetic language that emphasized the importance of sound patterns and other formal elements.

Ferdinand de Saussure was a Swiss linguist who is considered the founder of Structuralism. He developed a theory of language that emphasized the importance of the relationship between signifiers and signifieds.

Jacques Derrida was a French philosopher who is considered one of the founders of Post-Structuralism. He developed a theory of deconstruction that emphasized the importance of the play of signifiers and the indeterminacy of meaning.

Defamiliarization is a key concept in Formalism that refers to the process of making something strange or unfamiliar in order to highlight its essential features.

Binary opposition is a key concept in Structuralism that refers to the way in which meaning is created through the opposition of two terms, such as good and evil, male and female, or nature and culture.

Intertextuality is a key concept in Post-Structuralism that refers to the way in which texts are connected to and influenced by other texts.

Close reading is a key method used in Formalism that involves careful and detailed analysis of a text in order to identify its formal features and their relationship to its meaning.

Structural analysis is a key method used in Structuralism that involves analyzing a text in terms of its structure and the relationships between its elements.

Deconstruction is a key method used in Post-Structuralism that involves analyzing a text in order to reveal its hidden assumptions and contradictions.

Formalism is most commonly applied to literary criticism, where it is used to analyze the formal features of a text in order to understand its meaning.

Structuralism is most commonly applied to anthropology, where it is used to analyze the structure of social and cultural systems.

Post-Structuralism is most commonly applied to literary criticism, where it is used to analyze the way in which texts are constructed and the way in which they produce meaning.