ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS RESOURCES

APPLYING THE "-ISMS"

Planning Points

Approximate Time Needed: 3-5 days (block schedule)
Correlation to English I SCS 1.02, 4.01, 4.02, 5.01, 5.02
Correlation to NC High School Exit Exam Competencies: C-3, C-5, PI-9, PI-13

Lesson Objectives:

Students will begin to understand three basic critical approaches to literature: Formalism, Marxism, and Feminism. Students will apply these critical stances to relevant British literature.

Materials Needed:

Handout explaining each approach (see attached example);texts that lend themselves to the critical approaches to be discussed (suggestions include the following: "Ode to the West Wind," "She Walks in Beauty," "Two Sheep," "Follower," "That's All," "Their Lonely Betters," "Pretty," "The Darkling Thrush")

Description:

• Students should be introduced to the three critical approaches. The implications and limitations of each approach should be discussed in class.
• The teacher should model applying each stance to a particular work and have students explain how the stance changes the interpretation of the work in question.
• After the class discussion, each student should write a "cheat sheet" outlining his/her understanding of each critical approach. The teacher should check these and correct any misconceptions before the activity continues.
• Student groups should be assigned a particular work and a critical stance to assume.
• Students should write journal entries discussing their group's progress, problems, and their own issues relating to the use of literary theory.
• The teacher should meet with each group to help refine its interpretation.
• Each group should present its findings to the class.

Assessment:

Informal assessment should take place throughout the process. Group presentations may be assessed formally (see attached rubric).

Additional Notes:

This activity is designed for honors or AP students. Students who are very advanced might be asked to work individually rather than in groups or to research the critical perspectives themselves rather than having the teacher explain them. It is very important to make sure the students have a good understanding of the basic critical concepts before they begin to apply them.

Note about ISMs handout: These descriptions may be oversimplified and are certainly not comprehensive. Students can do a little research to gain a better understandings of these theories before they are asked to apply them.

Teacher's Notes:

-Isms

Feminism - A school of criticism that focuses on women and women's issues. Its concerns include gender and identity, women's creativity, and the role of women in society. This type of criticism may take two major forms: 1) the analysis of the depiction of women by male authors, or 2) the study of works written by female authors. Feminism is closely related to and takes some of its principles from Marxism.

Marxism - A type of criticism based on the theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. These ideas are rooted in economics and focus on the idea of class struggle and the relationship of the worker to his product. Marxists believe that the upper classes use the product created by the workers (lower classes) for their own benefit, thus taking the product from its creator and perpetuating a sense of alienation in that creator (the worker). For the Marxist, the worker must ultimately rebel and take back his product (revolution) and in doing so create a classless society in which all contribute and from which all benefit.

Formalism - The emphasis of this school of criticism is the form of the literary work in question. It may deal with syntax, rhetoric, verse form, etc. The form creates (or at the very least enhances) the message of the literary work. A formalist would look at rhyme scheme, diction, and other literary devices for explaining meaning. Meaning is inherent in form (structure). The idea is to examine the work objectively. The author's purpose and the reader's reaction are secondary to the structure of the work itself.

Rubric for - Isms Presentation

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