MindMap Gallery Selected Readings on Western Literary Theory
This is a mind map about the selection of Western literary theories. The book selects important and representative literary theorists and literary theories in various historical periods. It only selects the parts that must be mastered in each literary theory and omits those that are not A must-read passage to help readers understand the core content of Western literary theory more efficiently.
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Selected Readings on Western Literary Theory
Russian Formalism
organize
Moscow
Jacob, Boga, Vino
saint petersburg
Brick, Eichenbaum, Schick, Thomas
What they have in common is that they are committed to scientific foundations, limiting literary objects, and determining methods and procedures. They all disapprove of art reflecting real life. Art is an aesthetic entity with inherent laws.
To put it bluntly, it means focusing on the artistic form and technique of literary works, but not on the theme and meaning of the work.
Two stages of production, theoretical research on poetic language in the early 20th century
The first stage, 1916~1921, Ahern’s narration, Schick’s bizarre plot composition, and Jager’s poetry’s division of language and practical language
The second stage, 1921~1926, Turney’s poetic language issues, formalism to structuralism
Defects in Early Formalist Literature Research Methods
Conceptual mechanics for literary works
Tends to be a static rule system, existing only at one point in time
Separating literature from life too absolutely
Basic arguments of formalism
Shik, the theory of strange words, what is strange
Defamiliarization theory (art is technique) makes familiar things strange and novel, increases the difficulty of understanding, and prolongs the understanding process. The understanding process is an aesthetic process. For example, in advertising, a dog's perspective is used to describe products, and in literary writing, changing the narrative perspective is used. to describe
Jacobson, Poetic Language Versus Pragmatic Language, Ya Poetry
Effective communication of references to things and ideas in daily language, speaking in plain English is the main thing.
The language of poetry pays attention to its own texture, not the things and concepts represented by words, but to the beauty of language, literary talent and rhetoric.
Eichenbaum, Story and Plot, Eichenbaum
Story, a sequence of events linked together causally
Plot, the artistic arrangement of events in a text, without sequence or causality
Speaking, a special type of discourse in which vocabulary and intonation guide the narrator's spoken language
Narrative storytelling relies on verbal jokes and double-headed semantics. It is more like creating a story. It processes, selects and organizes events, highlights certain plots, downplays minor parts, and processes and renders the story to tell it.
It's like telling a story. It's not just about narration. It's about telling stories or conveying information in clever ways. You have to consider methods and strategies, how to organize the language, and arrange the plot sequence to make it easier for people to accept. You can't tell the ending at the beginning.
Cleverly tell the story
Copy narration, introduce imitative elements and gestures, create some kind of comic connections and voice puns, copy reality, objectively present things as they are, without making too many processing changes, and retell the story directly
Tenyanov, literary agency, special literature
Four Steps to Literary Agency
Resisting the formation of new compositional principles in the compositional principles of automation
Apply new composition principles to new works
New principles are widely used
The new principle becomes automatic again, and new constitutive principles appear that resist its renewal.
Resistance... forms new ones... acts on new works... is widely used... and automatically forms new composition principles.
Just like literature affects you, when you read a piece of prose, the stories and thoughts in it will touch you, make you think happily or sadly, change your mood and thoughts, and can also influence society. Excellent literary works can draw everyone's attention to some issues. Thinking, such as protecting small animals, etc.
People and society are influenced by literature and produce thinking
formalism
Meaning, it tried to break away from the revolutionary politics of Russia at that time, and breaking away itself was also a political act, and opposed literature becoming an ideological tool
Oppose literature to reflect reality and focus on the artistic beauty of literature itself
Influence: In the 1930s, the development of the Polish Holistic School was greatly influenced by Russian Formalism, which had a major impact on French structuralism. In the 1960s and 1970s, form played an important role in the development of Soviet structuralism.
Limitations, insisting on the autonomy of art, refusing to consider the interrelationship between literature and other social systems, one-sided obsession with artistic techniques, ignoring literary themes and emotional content, rejecting critical evaluation in literary criticism, leading to extremism, and being unable to correctly treat the aesthetic characteristics of literature
Being too obsessed with artistic techniques, ignoring literary themes and criticism, and being too extreme in treating literary aesthetic characteristics
Objective questions
Yaku, poetic language sound
Jacob, Recent Poems
Ahern, Lyric Poetry
Turney, problem, evolution, counterfeit, fact
Shik, Prose Theory
criticism
1923, Literary Revolution
1924, Ann Art Theory
1928, Miha, formal method
In the Soviet Union, formalism was a derogatory term for writers and artists
Anglo-American New Criticism
three stages
The first stage, in the 1920s, Eliot, Li, Yan, and Lan put forward basic ideas and put them into practice
The second stage, in the 1930s and 1940s, saw a surge in supporters and a rapid expansion of opinions, affecting literary journals and university textbooks.
20 proposed, 3040 expanded, 4050 mainstream lost innovation
Third, in the 1940s and 1950s, it occupied the mainstream position and lost its innovative spirit and vitality.
feature
Being separated from the social background and political society, focusing only on the literary object itself, and seeking pure literary criticism that does not consider external factors.
Focus on the structure of the work
Advocates an organic literary theory that focuses on the contextual relationship between words and works, believing that every word has a role and meaning in its context
Detached from the reality of social background, only emphasizing the structure, context, words and rhetoric of the work itself
Emphasis on textual detail, attention to word nuances and rhetoric, meaning
Distinguish between literature, religion and morality
Basic argument
Eliot, Impersonal Art. Richards, Inner Necessity. Ransom, the ontological slogan. Li Te, close reading method. Wissam specifically addresses the fallacies of emotion. Brooks, paradoxical language, paradoxical irony
The fallacy of intention is that the meaning of the text exists in the language design of the literary work and is not in the original intention of the author. The core is to cancel the study of the author in literary criticism.
The fallacy of intention is that we cannot judge the quality of a work solely based on the author's intention when creating it. For example, the author may have originally intended to write a very profound story, but the actual work he wrote feels very bland. Just because the author has good intentions does not mean that the work must be good. Just like a person wants to make a delicious meal, and the idea is very good, but the taste is not very good. We cannot say that the meal is delicious just because his idea is good.
Just because the author's intentions are good doesn't mean that the work is well written.
The emotional fallacy, the subjective reading effect of readers, and the emotional experience caused by the author have nothing to do with the author's own research.
The emotional fallacy means that just because we have a special emotional response to a work, we cannot think that the work must have some specific value. For example, just because you cried when watching a movie, you cannot say that the movie must be a great work of art. Maybe it's just that you yourself are more easily moved at that time, and the movie itself may have many shortcomings. Just like you may particularly like a song because it reminds you of good memories, but from an objective point of view, the song may not be as musical or otherwise.
Just because you cried while watching a movie doesn’t mean it’s a great and touching work.
Eliot's impersonal art is divorced from personal emotions and experiences and should reflect common human experiences and emotions.
Close reading method, a closed and detailed reading analysis of the work, and an objective and careful reading inspection of the text
Read the work with a magnifying glass, think about each word, and think about why the author used this word and what important information and intentions the character's detailed actions reveal.
What New Critics Do When Reading Closely
Choose short text, such as modern poetry
exclude historical criticism
Avoid Acceptance Exploration
Conceive of texts as independent, autonomous objects
The default text is complex, comprehensive, and effectively unified
Multiple back-reading
Contextualism, the core issue of semantic analysis of New Criticism, the premise of New Criticism method, proposed by Richard
A stage is set for a word, a sentence, and an event, such as Apple. I bought an apple in a supermarket or an apple in an Apple flagship store. It emphasizes that one thing cannot be understood in isolation, but must be understood in conjunction with time, place, and people.
refer to
What you say can be compared and associated with objective facts one by one.
One thing is connected to another, one thing reminds of another. For example, if you see a painting with a red apple in it, you will associate it with real apples in life. At this time, the apple in the painting will have a referential role. For example, the sun will associate with warmth and brightness.
The sun thinks of warmth
Vimpart, Bill's basic point, that the basic characteristic of poetry is the reconciliation of opposing elements, making them harmonious and unified, requires some form of objective organization of the objective meaning of words
limitations
Cutting off the connection between the text and the author, canceling external factors, blindly pursuing structural unity, emphasizing language mechanism, greatly limiting the understanding of meaning
Focus on literature itself, regardless of social background, history, politics, and social effects
Completely separated from the author and society, focusing on the context of literature itself
Emphasis on the relationship between words and the context of the work, believing that the meaning of words is determined by the status of the context
Phenomenology and Hermeneutics
Phenomenology
19th century Europe, text modern philosophical thought, founder Husserl
advocate core
Personal thought is the center and source of all meaning
Phenomenology can be understood this way. Imagine you are looking at an apple. Normally we might simply say "This is an apple" and let it go. But phenomenology requires you to observe the apple more carefully and pay attention to the specific experience of seeing the apple. For example, how red is the color of the apple, how does red make you feel; what is the shape of the apple, what texture it feels like; what does the apple taste like when you smell it, etc. Phenomenology allows you to focus on the phenomena you directly feel, rather than only understanding things based on previous knowledge or concepts. It emphasizes your current, real experience, just like you are re-understanding the world, letting go of those preconceived notions and purely experiencing things as they appear to you. Simply put, phenomenology allows you to observe and experience the things around you more carefully, and discover those details and feelings that we usually ignore.
Observe the things themselves in more detail, such as the color, texture, and taste of the apple itself
Gadamer's Truth and Method, developed from a reexamination of Dilthey's themes ~ object dualism, and Schreyer's
feature
Emphasis on the central role of the subject in determining consciousness
Emphasis on the subject's various objective feelings about things and phenomena
Four levels of Roman works
The special name of material, the meaning of words, the meaning of expression, the goal of imagination
Roman Ingarten proposed that there are four levels of literary works. The first level is the phonetic level, which is the pronunciation of the text of the work. This is the most basic level. The second level is the meaning unit level, which is composed of words combined to express specific meanings. The third level is the layer of objects being expressed, which is the characters, scenes and other images depicted in the work. The fourth level is the schematic appearance layer, which is the rough picture and outline formed in the reader's mind based on the description of the work. Simply put, these four levels together constitute the feeling that a complete literary work gives readers.
phenomenological literary criticism
Heidegger denied Husserl's objective view, developed the theory of situation, and applied it to literary theory, pointing out that literary works do not throw the completed and closed meaning to the world, but its meaning depends on the interpreter's situation. historical circumstances and changes in time and space
Phenomenological literary criticism is a critical method that analyzes literary works based on the reader's reading experience. It emphasizes that readers should eliminate preconceptions as much as possible, face the literary work itself directly, and feel and describe the phenomena presented in the work. For example, readers should pay attention to how the characters, plots, scenes, etc. in the work are directly presented in their consciousness, rather than judging based on previous concepts. This critical method focuses on the intuitive feeling and detailed description of the work to reveal the unique charm and significance of the work.
Phenomenological induction includes
The suspension of one's naive conception of existence is the presentation of things to consciousness as pure phenomena
Summarize the cultural world into the life world formed by direct experience
Phenomenological induction mainly includes the following points: First, intuitive observation. See and feel the phenomenon itself directly, without preconceived notions and prejudices, and record everything observed truthfully. Second, describe the phenomenon. Use clear, specific language to describe the observed phenomenon, showing all aspects of the phenomenon in as much detail as possible. Finally, summarize the essence. From many specific phenomenon descriptions, find common and essential characteristics and summarize the general understanding of this phenomenon.
Connect the self in the category of phenomena with the subject of transcendent experience to form a transcendental induction
phenomenological purpose
By grasping what can be determined by experience, it forms the basis of a kind of knowledge so you can rely on it.
Returning to the thing itself, we should not only regard apples as a kind of fruit, but also observe the color and taste of the apple itself.
Basic viewpoints of phenomenology
Reject the natural attitude and pursue certainty
Objects on the day of consciousness have a stable structure
The basic point of phenomenology can be understood in a popular way: First, phenomenology emphasizes “returning to the thing itself.” This means not being swayed by various preconceived ideas and theories, but directly facing and observing things as they are. For example, when you see an apple, don't immediately think of concepts such as "an apple is a fruit with such and such nutritional value." Instead, simply observe the most direct phenomena such as the color, shape, and texture of the apple. Secondly, phenomenology focuses on the study of subjective experience. It believes that each of us has a unique experience of the world, and we cannot only understand things from an objective perspective, but also pay attention to our own feelings and consciousness. For example, when watching a movie, different people will have different feelings and understandings. Phenomenology will study how these subjective experiences are generated. Furthermore, phenomenology emphasizes the description and analysis of phenomena. Rather than making a simple judgment or conclusion, we describe the phenomena we observed in detail and conduct in-depth analysis. For example, when describing a person's behavior, you should not only say what he did, but also analyze why he did it and the possible meaning behind this behavior. Finally, phenomenology holds that the world appears through our consciousness. The world we know is not a completely objective entity, but is constructed in our consciousness. So we need to better understand the world through reflection on our own consciousness. In short, the basic point of phenomenology is to allow us to pay more attention to the direct phenomena and subjective experiences of things, to deeply understand the world through description and analysis, and to realize that the world is closely connected with our consciousness.
Don’t preconceptions and give a specific impression to something, but observe the thing itself objectively and meticulously.
Phenomenology is committed to constructing concrete worlds and research methods
Apply phenomenology to interpret literary works
Both authorial conditions and readers can be ignored, and the real goal is a completely inner reading of the text.
Language is only the expression of the inner meaning of the text
Find the author's mental structure in the text
Phenomenology's failed attempt at neutrality
Using phenomenology to interpret literary works requires you to put aside your preconceived notions and directly face the literary works themselves. It's like seeing something for the first time, feeling it without any presets. You need to carefully understand the various details in the work, such as the words and deeds of the characters, the description of the scene, etc. Imagine that you are in the world of the work and feel what that world really looks like. Pay attention to the phenomenon presented by the work instead of rushing to judge. Think about what kind of experiences and feelings these phenomena bring to you, and understand the meaning and value of the works from these experiences. For example, when reading a novel, don't think about the big truth it wants to express at the beginning, but feel the characters and stories in the novel as if you are experiencing those things yourself, and then slowly understand the connotation of the work.
Phenomenology believes that works have a stable archetypal structure
Hermeneutics
Nineteenth-century extension to general textual interpretation
limitations
It does not pay attention to the historical background and emphasizes the understanding of the text within consciousness. The text is summarized as a manifestation of consciousness and a subjective idealistic criticism.
The significance of literary criticism
One is to deny the works they read and think that they deviate from tradition.
Readers are passive and conservative and may regard the work as inferior because it does not conform to tradition.
The second is to modify the original overall concept and summarize it into a new way of expression to adapt it to the work.
Readers are proactively open and will try their best to change the force field and break through concepts.
Both promote reader attitudes and reading behaviors and reflect criticism
Hermeneutics is of great significance to literary criticism. It makes critics understand that understanding of literary works is not fixed. Different people and different eras will have different interpretations of the same work. This encourages critics to analyze the work from multiple perspectives, taking into account factors such as the author's intentions, readers' feelings, and social culture. At the same time, hermeneutics also reminds critics that understanding a work is a process of continuous exploration and cannot simply give the only standard answer, thus making literary criticism richer and deeper.
psychoanalytic theory
Freud, the core is the concept of the unconscious
The main route to the unconscious is through dreams, which are symbolic realizations of unconscious wishes
Three psychological mechanism models
Power mode
The conflict between unconscious desires within the psyche and the forces that suppress them. The unconscious desires want to be released, while the suppressive forces try their best not to let them appear.
Power Mode: Like a car engine. It powers our mental activities. The motivation here mainly comes from instinctive desires, such as survival instinct and sexual instinct. These instincts drive us to act and pursue satisfaction. Just like a car engine drives a car forward, our instinctive desires drive us to do various things to satisfy our needs.
pursue instinctive desires
economic model
The distribution of mental energy or excitement, attachment to certain ideas, objects, different parts of the body, etc.
Economic model: can be imagined as a financial management system. In this model, mental energy is divided between different mental activities, just like money. Sometimes we invest more of our mental energy into a particular activity, such as focusing on work or falling in love. It's like investing more money into a project. And sometimes we adjust the allocation of psychological energy and shift from one activity to another. Just like adjusting your portfolio based on market conditions.
Invest time and energy into a job or a relationship
geological theory
Divide psychological mechanisms into different subsystems based on spatial metaphors
consciousness, preconscious, unconscious
Geological Pattern: Kind of like an archaeological dig. Our psyches can be divided into different layers, like strata. The most superficial is consciousness, where we are clearly aware of what we are thinking and doing. But beneath the consciousness there is the subconscious and the unconscious. The subconscious is like a slightly deeper layer. We can sometimes feel its existence, but we are not very clear about it. The unconscious is like the deepest layer, which contains many desires, impulses and memories that we ourselves are not aware of. Freud believed that by analyzing our dreams, slips of the tongue and other phenomena, we can unearth these hidden psychological contents.
Self, ego, superego
Id mode is like a willful child. It only pursues happiness and satisfying its own desires, regardless of moral norms and reality. For example, you want to eat when you are hungry, regardless of whether it is the right time or place. The id acts completely according to instinct and goes for what it wants immediately. The ego model is like a sane adult. It wants to survive in the real world, so it has to consider various situations and coordinate the relationship between the self and the external world. I know that I can't just do whatever I want, I have to satisfy my desires based on the actual situation. For example, although I am hungry, if I am in class now, I will restrain my impulse and wait until get out of class is over before eating. The superego mode is like a stern teacher. It represents morality and conscience, supervises our own behavior, and allows us to abide by social norms and values. The superego makes us feel guilty and ashamed if our ego behaves unethically. For example, stealing can satisfy the desires of the ego, but the superego will prevent us from doing so because stealing is an immoral act. Simply put, Freud's three mechanism model is the interaction of different forces within us, affecting our behavior and decision-making.
child, adult, saint
Basic argument or contribution
Lacan ~ An introduction to structural psychoanalytic theory The unconscious is structured like language and provides an introduction to structural psychoanalytic theory. Lacan's mirror stage theory explains the development theory of traditional psychoanalysis
mirror stage
To identify the image in the mirror as another child is to identify oneself as another child, to identify oneself as an image, to regard the fantasy of the situation as reality, to confuse reality and fiction, and to become obsessed with one's own mirror image.
Lacan’s mirror stage theory can be understood in a popular way: Imagine a young baby, somewhere between 6 months and 18 months old. If you hold the baby in front of the mirror at this time, the baby will not know who the child in the mirror is at first. But slowly, the baby begins to realize that the child in the mirror is him. At this time, the baby will be particularly excited because he sees a complete self in the mirror. But in fact, the baby cannot control his body well at this time, but the image in the mirror looks so perfect. This is the mirroring stage. At this stage, the baby establishes a preliminary understanding of himself through the image in the mirror. But this understanding is actually imaginary, not the real self. Because the baby in reality is still very weak and cannot do many things well, but the "self" in the mirror is perfect. So Lacan said that in the mirror stage, the self we establish is actually an illusory self, formed by identifying with the image in the mirror. This self is like an ideal image that we strive for, but it is not really who we are. In the future, as we grow up, we will continue to pursue this ideal self, but often ignore our true self.
The illusory and ideal self in the mirror
Three stages of body erogenous zones
During the oral stage, most of the child's pleasure comes from sucking and biting the mouth.
In the oral cavity stage, children focus on the oral cavity and the pleasure of defecation
During the genital stage, young children enter the Oedipus complex, also known as the Oedipus complex. It originated from the Greek mythology of Oedipus who killed his father and married his mother. It occupies an absolutely central position in Freud's theory and marks the transition from the principle of imagination. The transformation to the reality principle is the beginning of all forms of power in morality, conscience, law, religion, and is called the core of psychoneurosis.
Sexual psychology refers to the psychological state and psychological process related to sexual characteristics, sexual customs, and sexual behavior on the basis of sexual physiology, including the psychological state of marriage and love when interacting with others.
psychoanalytic critical theory
Jung proposed the concept of collective unconscious
Refers to the universal human spirit that is inherited and retains the same type of experience accumulated in the deepest psychological level.
Jung’s collective unconscious can be understood this way: Imagine that there is a huge warehouse deep inside each of us. This warehouse is not built by ourselves alone, but has been passed down from generation to generation by humans in the long history. This warehouse contains some ancient and universal memory and emotional patterns. These things we may not be aware of, but they are affecting our behavior and way of thinking. For example, we may be born with some fear of darkness, snakes and other things. This may be because in the collective unconscious of mankind, darkness and snakes have been associated with danger a long time ago, and this memory has been passed down to the present. Or, sometimes we are inexplicably attracted to some mythical stories or ancient legends. This may be because these stories touch the collective unconscious deep in our hearts. The collective unconscious is like the common soul code of mankind. Although we may not necessarily be aware of its existence at ordinary times, it silently affects our feelings and reactions to the world.
How to prove the existence of collective unconscious? For example, people are afraid of disasters, darkness, and worship heroes
Klein elaborated on the object-head system theory, and Lacan proposed that the unconscious is the result of the human subject entering the language order. He believed that there are three orders of human experience: imaginary, symbolic, and real.
The influence of psychoanalytic theory
It not only affects literary criticism, but also has a huge impact on cultural studies. Many contemporary cultural discourse theories are derived from some basic concepts of psychoanalysis. The criticism of history, sexuality, identity and rights discourse also relies to a large extent on consciousness and psychoanalytic theory of its mechanisms
Michel's theory of discourse rights, feminist analysis of unconscious language structures ~ Jameson's discussion of the political unconscious ~ the role of the unconscious in body politics, etc...
Readers report criticism
Started in the 1960s, also called reception theory and reception aesthetics
three stages
Focus on the author, focus on the text, focus on the reader
reader, person who reads
virtual reader, the reader in the author's mind
Look for readers, insightful readers, who can fully and thoroughly understand the author's every intention and meaning.
Caller
reading convention
The form that a text presents to the reader is not determined by the text itself, but by the system of literary symbols that the reader uses conventionally.
Kahler's reading routine can be understood like this: When you read a book, an article, or any text, you do not passively accept the information conveyed by the author. Instead, interpret the text with your own experiences, thoughts, and expectations. First, you will form some preliminary expectations based on the title, beginning, etc. of the text. For example, when you see the title of a horror novel, you may expect a scary plot and tense atmosphere. Then, as you read, you will continue to interpret the content of the text based on your existing knowledge and understanding. If you encounter an unfamiliar word or concept, you try to guess its meaning from the context. At the same time, you will also pay attention to the structure and organization of the text. For example, the division of chapters, the logical relationship of paragraphs, etc., can help you better understand the author's intention. Finally, your reading experience will also be affected by your personal preferences, values and other factors. Different people may have different understandings and feelings about the same text. In short, Kahler's reading routine emphasizes the reader's initiative and creativity in the reading process, rather than just treating himself as a passive recipient.
Conventional reading experience, you can know the content just by looking at the title
book
Flaubert, structuralist poetics, tracing symbols, introduction to literary theory, etc.
Fish
Famous American critic theorist
book
Paradise Lost, Emphasis on the Reader, Trouble with the Principle of Self-Consumption Products, etc.
Experience
He believes that literature is an amazing feeling that eliminates the separation between the reader and the text, making the reader's response the focus of attention and determined by the reader's language and cultural abilities.
Fish’s experience and feelings can be understood this way: when we read, we do not simply obtain information from the text, but use our own previous experiences, emotions and cognitions to understand the text. For example, when you read a novel, if you have had similar experiences or emotional experiences, then you will be more likely to resonate with the novel and have a better understanding of the plot and characters in the novel. Deep understanding. Or, if you have special interest or expertise in a certain topic, then when you read a text on a related topic, you will use your existing knowledge and feelings to interpret it, and you may see things that others cannot. Details and meaning. In short, Fish believes that our reading is not an objective process, but is strongly influenced by our personal experience and feelings.
Feel the cognitive text with your own experience
Bleich
famous american critic
book
Reading and feeling, subjective criticism, etc.
subjective evaluation
Reading is the process of satisfying the reader's inner needs, one is the reader's spontaneous response to the text, and the other is the meaning the reader gives to the text. The latter is generally presented as an objective interpretation, derived from the reader's subjective response. The interpretation of the work must reflect the personality of the individual's subjective response.
Brecht’s subjective evaluation can be understood as follows: When we evaluate something, we cannot just rely on traditional, fixed standards or other people's opinions, but should use our own subjective initiative to think and judge from our own unique perspective. For example, when watching a play, you don't passively accept everything presented on the stage, but you need to actively think about the rationality of the plot, the actors' performance methods, and the values conveyed, etc. We can make our own evaluation of drama based on our own life experience, knowledge reserves, emotional tendencies, etc. Brecht's subjective evaluation encourages us not to follow blindly, but to have our own opinions, dare to question and challenge established concepts, and look at the things around us with more independent and critical thinking.
Don’t follow blindly, have your own subjective evaluation
Norman Holland
Famous American literary theorist and one of the founders of
book
Shakespeare's Imagination, the Dynamics of Literary Response, Five Readers of Reading, and More
Basic argument
People treat literature the same way they treat life experience
egocentric model
Works can only be completed by readers, and the task of criticism also needs to be redefined. The author of the work is no longer the main object of discussion, because the other person the reader encounters in reading is also the reader himself.
Norman Holland’s egocentric model can be understood this way: When reading or understanding things, we tend to be self-centered. This means that we interpret the information we come into contact with based on our own experiences, emotions, values, interests and hobbies. For example, when reading a book, we may be more likely to pay attention to plots that are similar to our own lives, or have a greater sense of identity with viewpoints that are in line with our own values. We will connect the content in the book with our own inner world and use our existing cognitive framework to understand new information. This self-centered mode is not completely bad. It allows us to understand and absorb some content related to ourselves faster, but at the same time it may also cause us to miss some different perspectives and viewpoints, so we also need to consciously Break through this self-centeredness and try to look at things from a more objective and diverse perspective.
Over-reliance on one's own experience to select and understand texts. Break through self-centeredness and look at things more objectively.
Iser
One of the core figures of the Constance School of Reception Aesthetics
book
Uncertainty, the hidden reader, the act of reading
Acceptance aesthetics
Represented by Iser, he determined the central position of the reader, believed that the reader has an important position in reading activities, and emphasized the central position of aesthetic experience.
Iser’s aesthetics of reception can be understood as follows: When we read a book, watch a movie, or appreciate any work of art, the work is not something fixed and has a unique meaning. Its meaning is generated during the interaction between us readers and viewers and the work. For example, different people may have different feelings and understandings after reading the same book. Some people may be deeply moved by the love story in the book, while others may be more concerned about the discussion of social issues in the book. This is because everyone reads works with their own unique experiences, personalities, interests, etc. In the process, we will "re-create" the works according to our own circumstances. Reception aesthetics emphasizes the importance of recipients such as readers and viewers. It no longer regards the meaning of a work as solely given by the author, but believes that the meaning of the work is jointly constructed with the participation of the recipient.
Different people have different feelings and understandings of the text
The meaning of the work includes
work itself
reader's gift
Yaus
Comprehensively explain the inner structure of aesthetic experience from the three dimensions of artistic creation, artistic acceptance, and artistic communication. The acceptance methods are divided into vertical acceptance and horizontal acceptance.
Jauss’s vertical reception and horizontal reception can be understood as follows: Vertical reception is how we receive the same work when we see it at different points in time. For example, when you read a fairy tale book as a child, you may only see interesting stories and cute characters; when you read it as an adult, you may realize the life principles and social significance contained in it. This means that as time goes by, different stages have different understandings and feelings about the same work, just like changing along a vertical timeline, so it is called vertical acceptance. Horizontal reception refers to the reception of the same work by different people at the same time. Because everyone has different backgrounds, personalities, interests, etc., everyone may have different reactions when watching the same movie or reading the same book. Some people may find it wonderful, while others may find it average. This is the different acceptance states of different people on the same level, so it is called horizontal acceptance.
Vertical: different understandings and feelings of the same work at different stages
Level: Different people have different understandings of the same work at the same time, and everyone has different experiences and perceptions.
Readers reflect on the significance of criticism
It gives readers an active role and breaks the long-standing notion that the author is the authoritative interpreter of the meaning of the work. Therefore, it is of obvious significance to enhance readers' awareness and expand the ideas of literary criticism.
The meaning of the criticism can be understood as follows: It makes us realize that readers do not passively accept works, but actively play a role in the reading process. Just like when we read a book, each of us will understand the content of the book based on our own experiences, thoughts, and emotions. In this way, different people may have different feelings and interpretations of the same book. This method of criticism reminds the author not to create solely from his own perspective, but to take into account the reader's reaction. Because if the work cannot arouse readers' resonance and thinking, its value will be greatly reduced. For readers, reader reflection criticism makes us pay more attention to our subjective experience in reading and encourages us to boldly express our opinions on the work. At the same time, by communicating with others about different reactions to the same work, we can broaden our horizons and understand the work from more perspectives. Overall, reader reflection criticism makes reading richer and more meaningful, and it transforms readers from passive recipients to active participants.
Authors should not just write based on their own feelings. Readers should value and dare to express their own feelings and opinions.
Readers' feedback on critical issues
In the act of reading, the subject is free. He cannot doubt everything about the subject, and cannot criticize the limitations of the subject's thinking. Readers will form anarchic or even nihilistic tendencies in their thinking as they interpret the works.
The criticisms raised by readers can be understood as follows: First of all, because readers' reactions are very subjective, and different readers have different backgrounds, experiences, and values, their understanding of the same work may vary widely. This makes the evaluation of works lack a certain degree of objectivity and stability. For example, some people may find a novel exciting, while others may find it boring. It is difficult to have a unified standard to measure the quality of a work. Secondly, overemphasis on the reader's reaction may ignore the author's creative intention and the artistic value of the work itself. Sometimes the author may have a specific theme, style or technique that he wants to express when writing, but if he only focuses on the reader's feelings, these important aspects may be ignored. In addition, readers' reactions may also be affected by external factors such as current popular culture and social atmosphere, and may not truly reflect the essence of the work. For example, if a specific type of work is popular during a certain period, readers may give this type of work a higher evaluation because they follow the trend, rather than based on the quality of the work itself.
Different readers have too different views on the work, and it is easy to ignore the author's own intentions
structuralism
1960s, France, Levi, Bart, Artou, Gray
Features: Interdisciplinary, Diversity
structural linguistics
Saussure
Viewpoint: Language is a system of symbols, composed of arbitrary and distinguishable symbols.
Every word in language is a symbol, consisting of a signifier (sound image) and a signified (concept). For example, the pronunciation or written form of the word "cat" is the signifier, and the concept of the animal cat in people's minds is the signifier. The relationship between the signifier and the signified is arbitrary, that is to say, there is no necessary connection between the form of the language symbol and the meaning it represents, and it is a social convention.
Language: language system
Speech is the specific words that each of us usually say, and they are all different. Language is a rule that everyone abides by and is relatively stable. For example, what you say when chatting with your friends is language, and the entire Chinese grammar and vocabulary system is language.
Speech: the sounds made by an individual, the words spoken
Signifier: something that can be spoken or written
The word cat, the sound of cat
Referent: mark what is thought of
Feline concept
The significance of Saussure's linguistic influence on structuralism
Linguistic theory has a direct impact on the emergence of structuralism. Structuralism applies the theory of structural linguistics to object activities other than speech.
People can regard myths, kinship relationships, clothing paintings, etc. as a symbolic system, and structuralism separates the underlying rules of these symbolic systems, ignores the expression of symbols, and directly studies their internal connections.
Structuralism covers a wide range of topics, including literature, history, philosophy, politics, etc.
Saussurean linguistics was of great significance to structuralism. First, Saussure proposed that language is a system composed of interrelated elements. This allows structuralists to realize that various cultural phenomena can also be regarded as similar systems and must be analyzed from the overall structure. Secondly, he distinguished between language and speech, which inspired structuralism to distinguish between the deep structure and specific manifestations of phenomena in research, focusing on exploring the stable structures hidden beneath surface phenomena. Finally, Saussure emphasized the arbitrariness and difference of symbols, and structuralism thus focused on how the meaning of symbols in a specific structure is generated through differences with other symbols, promoting in-depth research on cultural symbols. In short, Saussurean linguistics provides important theoretical foundation and methodological guidance for structuralism.
Levi
French cultural anthropologist who advocates differentiation theory, denies universalism, and analyzes phonemes into myths, rituals, and kinship relationships.
Lévi-Strauss’s theory of difference can be understood in a simple way: He believes that various cultural phenomena in the world are like a huge puzzle, and each part has its unique position and meaning. And the differences between these pieces are the key to understanding the entire puzzle. For example, different ethnic groups have different myths, legends, customs, etc. These differences are not random but reflect some deep structure of the human mind. By comparing and analyzing these differences, we can reveal the common cognitive patterns and cultural logic of human beings. Just like different languages have different vocabulary and grammar, there may be some common principles behind these differences. Lévi-Strauss believed that culture was the same, with superficial differences hiding common structures. He emphasized that we should not just look at individual cultural phenomena, but put them into a larger system, and understand the essence of human culture by comparing the differences between different cultures.
Different cultures and languages have common principles and structures behind them
Roland Barthes
A famous French literary criticism theorist and one of the first critics to apply structural linguistics to literature.
Works on mythology, fashion systems
basic principles
Human activity consists of a recognized system of relations that distinguish differences
clothing language
System: a collection of clothing that cannot be worn on the same part of the body (underwear, pants, outerwear), changes with the meaning of the clothing, military hat, straw hat
Roland Barthes’ clothing language can be understood this way: Clothing is like a special language. The clothes we wear every day actually convey various messages to others. For example, wearing a formal suit may mean "I am professional" or "I am going to attend an important occasion"; wearing a floral skirt may mean "I am in a good mood" or "I have a lot of personality" . Just like we use words and sentences to express meaning when we speak, clothing uses elements such as color, style, and material to convey information. Different combinations have different meanings. And this language is not fixed, it changes with the times, culture and personal preferences. For example, a certain color of clothes is popular in a certain period, or a certain person particularly likes a certain style of clothing. This is because the language of clothing is constantly evolving and developing. In short, Roland Barthes believed that clothing is a silent language that can tell others who we are, our mood and our environment.
What clothes and colors to wear represent what occasion and mood
Words: Dress up in a suit, dress up in a floral skirt, wear pink, wear black
Greymas
It is proposed to find a universal narrative grammar through semantic analysis of sentence structure.
Greimas is an important structuralist scholar. One of his major contributions was the "symbolic matrix" theory. It can be generally understood that he places various narrative elements in a matrix-like structure for analysis. For example, in a story, there are different roles such as protagonist and antagonist, people who help the protagonist and people who hinder the protagonist. By analyzing the relationships between these characters, the structure and meaning of the story can be better understood. Greimas believes that all narratives can be dismantled and analyzed in this way, thereby revealing the deep structure and logic hidden behind the story. His theory provides a powerful tool for the analysis of various narrative works such as literature and movies.
By setting up a role matrix such as protagonists, opponents, and supporting roles, you can better understand the structure and meaning of the story.
The meaning of structuralism
There is a pursuit of scientific revenge, an attempt to discover the rules and systems that govern all human social and cultural practices
Geology and archeology are often used as structuralist analysis paradigms. What people see are only traces of history. Only by digging below the surface can we understand the deep details and provide evidence and scientific explanations for what we see on the surface.
The meaning of structuralism can be understood as follows: laws and systems In terms of understanding the world, structuralism is like providing us with a special pair of glasses. It allows us to see the structure and laws behind various phenomena, not just the chaos and disorder on the surface. For example, when learning a language, structuralism allows us to understand that language is not a bunch of random combinations of words and sentences, but has an inherent set of grammatical structures. By mastering this structure, we can better understand and use language. When studying culture, structuralism helps us discover underlying connections and common patterns between different cultural phenomena. For example, the myths and stories of different nations may have similar structures, which reflects certain commonalities in human thinking. For social sciences, structuralism allows us to analyze the systems, rules and other structural factors behind social phenomena, so as to better understand the operating mechanism of society. In short, structuralism allows us to understand the world in a more systematic and in-depth way, and provides us with new perspectives and methods for understanding various complex phenomena.
Establish rules and systems for things, without chaos or disorder, and with traces to follow, such as grammar in language, social systems and rules
All science can be used in structuralism
limitations of structuralism
Language precedes personal language. The text is composed of a given text. The author is not the creator of the text, and the meaning has nothing to do with the author.
Since structuralism emphasizes systematic and synchronic research, it actually cancels history, because the structure he wants to discover is universal and eternal.
The limitations of structuralism can be understood this way: too rigid and dogmatic 1. Too much emphasis on structure and neglect of individuals Structuralism tends to focus on universal structures, which may ignore the uniqueness and creativity of individuals. It's like looking at a puzzle and only focusing on the overall pattern of the puzzle, while ignoring the unique shape and color of each piece. For example, when studying literary works, you may pay more attention to a certain literary structure embodied in the work, while ignoring the impact of the author's personal emotions, experiences, and creativity on the work. 2. It may lead to rigidity and dogma Because structuralism pursues definite structures and laws, it can sometimes become too rigid and dogmatic. It's like looking at everything according to a fixed template, lacking flexibility. For example, when analyzing social phenomena, if you only rely on an established structural model to explain it, you may ignore some special situations and changes, and fail to fully understand the diversity and complexity of society. 3. Difficulty explaining changes and developments Structuralism usually pays more attention to static structures and has relatively weak explanatory power for the changes and development of things. It is like seeing only the current form of a building, but it is difficult to explain how the building developed from the past to the present, and what it may become in the future. When studying fields such as history and culture, the constant changes and innovations in these fields may not be well explained. 4. Ignore subjective feelings and meanings Structuralism often focuses on objective structural analysis and may ignore people's subjective feelings and the meaning they give to things. For example, when appreciating a painting, one only analyzes the structure and color matching of the painting, while ignoring the viewer's emotional experience and personal understanding of the painting. This may make the understanding of things more cold and mechanical, lacking humanistic care.
Too much emphasis on structure, ignoring the uniqueness of individuals, being too rigid and dogmatic, lacking flexibility, not explaining changes in things, ignoring subjective and individual feelings, understanding things mechanically and indifferently, and ignoring emotional experience and humanistic care
Structuralism emphasizes rules, but when rules are applied to text, it will change during reading. If you continue to read with the same rules, different texts will be produced, and the text will in turn change the rules of reading, and the cycle continues.
poststructuralism
Emerging in the 1970s, it generally refers to various critical theories and methods that replaced structuralism.
deconstruction
Believe that the text does not express any definite meaning
Deconstruction can be understood this way: dismantling the various components of structuralism, questioning whether the tradition is absolutely correct, and re-examining Imagine you have a constructed tower of blocks. Deconstruction is to take apart this building block tower and see what is going on with each building block, why they can build this tower, and whether there are other ways to build it. In various fields, deconstruction is the dismantling and analysis of existing concepts, theories, and structures. For example, in literature, deconstruction may question traditional classifications of literary genres, fixed patterns of stories, authoritative status, etc. It does not believe that there is one absolute, only correct explanation or structure, but encourages viewing and interpretation from different perspectives. It emphasizes that nothing is fixed or permanent. Everything can be re-examined and recombined. It's like you can rearrange those building blocks into a completely different shape and give them new meaning. In short, deconstruction is a critical and creative way of thinking that challenges traditional concepts and structures and allows us to understand the world from a more open and diverse perspective.
Dismantle, analyze, question, and re-examine each component of the composition, be creative, and look at the world in a diverse and open manner
pragmatism
Believe that text can mean anything
The pragmatism of poststructuralism can be understood this way: to be flexible and not to follow traditional Poststructuralist pragmatism does not pursue absolute truth and fixed rules. It's like in life, we don't stick to a single method of doing things, but we adapt flexibly according to the specific situation. For example, when solving a problem, the traditional method may be to follow established steps and principles, but poststructuralist pragmatism will say that these steps and principles may not necessarily apply to all situations. We need to try different methods based on the actual characteristics of the problem to see which method is most effective. When looking at a point of view or theory, it is not to blindly accept it, but to analyze its practicality in specific situations. If a theory cannot solve a practical problem in a certain situation, don't be bound by it and find a more appropriate way. It emphasizes finding the most suitable way of action for the moment through practice and experimentation in an ever-changing reality, rather than relying on abstract, universally applicable ideas.
Be flexible, analyze specific contradictions, and find the most suitable method
Roland Barthes
Concern with the conventionality of themes, language and all forms of representation
Barthes's transition to poststructuralism
He gave up the pursuit of so-called science
During the structuralist period, Barthes tried to use scientific methods to find the fixed structure and laws of texts. But in "S/Z", he no longer pursues this deterministic scientific interpretation. He split the text into many small units and found that the meaning of the text was not single and fixed, but complex and constantly changing. At the same time, he emphasized the important role of the reader in interpreting the text. The reader's participation prevents the meaning of the text from being scientifically determined. In short, "S/Z" no longer analyzes the text in a scientific way, but embraces the uncertainty and diversity of the text.
Semiotic elements, he believed that the structuralist approach could explain all semiotic systems
five codes
The author's death marked his complete shift from structuralism to poststructuralism
The meaning of the work lies in the readers’ feelings
The joy of text, the freedom and pleasure of good readers
General pleasure - a variety of feelings beyond a single definite meaning intensified ecstasy
The most prominent structuralist work sz
The manuscript exists only in theory, Barthes alluding to the modernist text as an ideal text, like a galaxy of signifiers, without beginning or end, that can be understood in many ways, that can mobilize various codes, none of which is authoritative.
Reading text is a text that makes readers become consumers of a certain fixed meaning. This type of text is called a reader, a readable text. The readers themselves also form the text. The readers become the producers of meaning. Someone must write and produce
"S/Z" is an important work by Roland Barthes. In this book, Barthes conducts a detailed analysis of Balzac's novel "Sarrazin". It breaks the traditional way of text interpretation and no longer pursues a single fixed meaning. Barthes split the text into many small units and introduced multiple codes for analysis, showing the richness and ambiguity of the text's meaning. At the same time, it emphasizes the important role of readers in text interpretation. Readers are no longer passive recipients, but actively participate in the creation of text meaning. This book marks Barthes's transition from structuralism to poststructuralism.
Code refers to the unit of reading that produces meaning, Bart’s Five Codes Network Reading
Semantic codes are used to describe the meaning of
Finally, there is the "element code", which is mainly about emotions, atmosphere, etc. It allows you to feel the emotion of the story, whether it's sad, happy or tense.
emotion emotions
Symbolic code webs refer to ambiguous or reversible polar opposites, often used to represent sexual relationships or psychological analysis.
"Symbolic code" is more abstract. It involves some elements of symbolic meaning. For example, a certain color or item may represent a specific meaning, just like red may symbolize passion or danger.
Red symbolizes passion
Interpretive codes are used in discourse puzzles or unclear meanings.
The first is the "interpretation code," which is like a clue to a mystery. As you read, you will find hints and suspense that keep you guessing what will happen next, just like a detective looking for the truth.
Clues suggest, detective guides
Code of action refers to the basic logical sequence of actions or behaviors
"Action Code" focuses on the actions and behavioral logic of the characters in the story. For example, why the characters do what they do and what consequences their actions will have.
motivation for behavior
Cultural codes are references to various common knowledge formed by society, such as physics, medicine
"Cultural code" is related to our cultural background. Some specific cultural symbols, customs, etc. may appear in the book. Only by understanding these cultural backgrounds can we better understand the meaning of the work.
specific cultural symbol background
Reading with these five code nets is like looking at a book with a multi-faceted magnifying glass. You can analyze and understand the works from different angles and discover the rich connotations and meanings hidden behind the words. This way of reading can make your reading experience more in-depth and interesting.
Analyze reading works from multiple angles and read in depth
Jacques Derrida
Founding philosopher, founder of deconstructive criticism theory, writings on philology, images
Basic argument
Writing is the root of language, not the sound that transmits spoken words
Symbols and Playfulness ~ A landmark paper whose innovation lies in its bold doubts about the traditional thinking of Western philosophy, especially metaphysics since Plato. A new criticism movement has launched in the United States ~ Deconstructing criticism
Derrida theory (deconstructive criticism)
deconstruction center
Starting from opposing logocentrism, denying the traditional binary opposition theory
Imagine that we usually feel that there is something particularly important, like a center, and everyone revolves around it. For example, in a story, we may feel that the protagonist is the center, and all the plots are to highlight the protagonist. But deconstructing the center is to break this idea and make us realize that there is no absolute center. Maybe the character we think of as a supporting character can be very important from another perspective, and can even challenge the status of the protagonist. Just like in a class, we usually think that students with good grades are the center, but after deconstructing the center, we will find that those students with special talents or good personalities are equally important. The class should not have only one center.
Break that the protagonist is the central character, there is no absolute center
deconstruct structure
Deny the integrity and certainty of the content of literary works, and oppose the depth model
The structure is like the frame used when building blocks. We are accustomed to certain structures, such as stories that always have a beginning, middle, and end. Deconstructing a structure means taking down these fixed frames and seeing if they can be combined in different ways. Maybe a story could start from the end, or intersperse many different timelines. Just like building a house, you don't have to build it in a traditional way. You can try some strange shapes and layouts to make the house more unique.
Break the total score and overall narrative structure
deconstruct text
Opposition to the definite value assessment and concern for ultimate meaning of texts
Text is the books, articles, etc. we see. Usually we understand the meaning of a text according to the author's intention. But to deconstruct a text is to question the authority of the author. Maybe the author has his own ideas when writing, but readers can also have their own understanding. A text may have many different interpretations, not just the one the author intended. For example, for a poem, different people may feel its beauty from different angles, or even read it with completely different meanings.
Break the author's authority over the text's intention and read different ideas and intentions
deconstructive reading
Emphasis on readers’ subjective creativity
When we read, we usually understand words in a habitual way. Deconstructive reading is about breaking this habit. Don't just passively accept the content of the text, but actively think and ask questions. Like why did the author use this word instead of that word? Are there any other possibilities for this plot? Through deconstructive reading, we can discover the contradictions and complexities hidden in the text and gain a deeper understanding. Just like a detective solving a case, don't miss any detail, analyze the text from different angles, and find more clues.
Don’t read superficially, but actively think about various reasons why
Derrida points out three characteristics of writing
Written symbols can be repeated, even when the subject and recipient of the symbol are not present.
Written symbols can break out of their real context and can be read in different contexts regardless of the author's schematics.
Written symbols are separated in two senses, one is separated from other symbols in a specific symbolic relationship, the other is separated from the current referent, which can only refer to things that do not actually exist.
Michel Foucault
Another representative figure of post-structuralism, whose works include Madness and Civilization, The Doctor in the Clinic, The Order of Things, etc., inherited and developed Nietzsche's ideas.
self-dissociation effect theory
It refers to allowing the audience to watch a play without being integrated into the plot. It is a term specially coined by Brecht.
Foucault's theoretical significance
It makes people aware of themselves and their collective destiny and its impact
He enables people to give history its due evaluation and recognize the power potential of historical changes in reality.
He inspires people to use the power of knowledge and understand that knowledge work is not only a practice, but also relates to ethical and moral issues of power and knowledge, and affects the relationships between people and society.
ethics
In Foucault's History of Sexuality, Foucault proposed an analysis method of ethics and morality. Human morality is mainly used in the relationship between the self itself. How does an individual construct himself as a moral subject of personal behavior?
four aspects
Ethics ontology
You can think of an ethical entity as a large container that contains various moral-related things. For example, in a society, families, schools, workplaces, etc. are all ethical entities. These places will have various rules, values and behavioral norms, which affect people's moral concepts and behavioral choices. For example, at home, filial piety and caring for family members may be emphasized; at school, discipline and hard study may be emphasized. These ethical entities provide a specific scene and background for people's moral behavior.
Society, family, school, work unit
Ways to be ethical
actions and choices to shape one's own moral image. For example, if a person decides to get up early every day and exercise, this is not only responsible for his own health, but can also be seen as an act of self-shaping, embodying moral qualities such as self-discipline and persistence. We can actively choose to do something to make ourselves a better person and have a higher moral character.
Exercise and study to make yourself a better person
The method of self-shaping and self-improvement into a qualified moral subject
Codes of ethics are generally accepted codes of conduct and standards. For example, you must not lie, you must be helpful, you must respect others, etc. These principles are like traffic rules, telling us how to walk on the moral road. But Foucault believed that these norms are not fixed and change with time and society. Furthermore, these guidelines may be understood and implemented differently by different individuals.
Be helpful and respectful to others
The existence that the self pursues when acting according to moral norms
Things related to morality that are actually done in daily life. Such as helping neighbors, participating in volunteer activities, being honest and trustworthy at work, etc. These practical activities not only reflect our moral concepts, but also affect our moral concepts in turn. Through continuous ethical practice, we can better understand moral principles and better shape our own moral image. In general, Foucault's ethical and moral analysis method allows us to think about moral issues from different perspectives and makes us realize that morality is not a simple and fixed thing, but a complex and dynamic process that requires us to Constantly explore and practice in life.
post-structuralist influences
Feminism attempts to subvert the traditional male-dominated society in which men and women are opposed to each other.
Postcolonialism attempts to subvert Eurocentrism in traditional culture
The development of feminism and postcolonial studies has influenced identity studies and minority discourse studies, and the study of church literature has opened up new fields and paths for literature.
He also had a positive impact on cultural studies
Genealogy
The concept Foucault borrowed from Nietzsche, and was an approach often used in his later work, is broader in scope than archeology, focusing on the interrelationship between systems of truth and forms of power.
archeology
The metaphor of Foucault's methodology is to study history to find traces of civilization and identify different periods. Foucault believes that discourse exists as a sedimentary layer of the past, accumulated in cultural archives. Discourse is easily understood as the material expression of ideas, which allows ideas to be retained, spread and still influence today's ideas.
On the one hand, by finding the common patterns of discourse, it explains the same-sex relationship between discourses.
On the other hand, he studies the relationship between discourse and non-discourse research fields, such as the relationship between customs and social economics and politics.
Western Marxism
Marxism popular in the West since the 1960s
Basic principles take two arguments as the starting point for research
So far philosophers have only explained events in various ways, the point is to transform the world
It is not people’s consciousness that determines their existence, but their social existence that determines their meaning.
Lukács is one of the main representatives of West Malaysia and the father of Western Marxism.
reflection theory
A realist methodology developed by Lukács with great flexibility, emphasizing literature as the reflection of an unfolding system
Lukács’s theory of reflection can be understood in a popular way: It's like when we look into a mirror, what we look like will appear in the mirror. In Lukács’ theory of reflection, social reality is like the object we want to look at, and human consciousness, literary and artistic works, etc. are like mirrors. Lukács believes that our consciousness and works do not arise out of thin air, but are a reflection of social reality. For example, when a writer writes a novel, the characters, plot, social background, etc. in the novel actually reflect the social reality of the era in which the writer lived to a certain extent. But this reflection is not a simple, mechanical copy. Just like us in the mirror may look a little different due to factors such as light, angle, etc., the reflection of consciousness and works on social reality will also be affected by many factors. For example, the writer's personal experience, values, creative intentions, etc. will make the novel's reflection of social reality more complex and diverse. Moreover, Lukacs also emphasized that this reaction is not passive. We are not like mindless mirrors that simply reflect reality. We can actively understand social reality through consciousness and works, reveal the problems and contradictions in social reality, and even promote changes in social reality. In short, Lukács’ theory of reflection tells us that there is a close connection between our consciousness and works and social reality, through which we can better understand and change the world we live in.
Fiction reflects reality
Books, historical novels, studies of European realism, significance of contemporary realism
Brecht was a famous German dramatist and theorist, famous for his theory of alienation effect
Evolved from the concept of flagization in Russian Formalism
Hey, imagine you're watching a magic show. Usually, you will be attracted by the magic of magic, immersed in it, and feel that everything is so magical, you may even forget that it is just a performance. But Brecht's alienation effect is like when you are watching a magic trick, someone will remind you from time to time: "Hey, this is just a magic trick, don't take it too seriously." Its purpose is to break your A state of complete immersion that allows you to maintain a certain distance from the performance. It's the same thing in drama. If there is no alienation effect, the audience may be completely immersed in the plot, crying and laughing with the characters in the play, as if they are experiencing those things themselves. But with the alienation effect, the actor may suddenly jump out of the role and speak to the audience, or use some special performance methods to make the audience realize that this is just a play. What are the benefits of doing this? On the one hand, it allows the audience to think more rationally about the content of the drama. For example, in a play about a social problem, the audience will not just be carried away by emotion, but will stop and think about what the problem is and what the solution is. On the other hand, it can also make the audience less easily bound by traditional concepts and ways of thinking. Because the alienation effect breaks the usual viewing experience, making the audience more open to accept new ideas and perspectives. Simply put, Brecht's alienation effect is to keep the audience clear-headed when enjoying the drama, and not to be carried away by emotions, so that they can better understand and think about the message conveyed by the drama.
Don’t get too involved in the drama, detach yourself and think rationally and objectively
Frankfurt School figures
Hawke, O'Donogh, Marr, Benjamin
Adorno
Writings on Modern Musicology
point of view, Adorno adheres to Hegel's dialectical point of view, believing that the development of things depends on the resolution of the inherent contradictions in a specific aspect of reality.
Benjamin
Artworks from the period of mechanical reproduction of works
Gorman
structuralist marxist
Writings on the Sociology of Fiction
Based on the relationship between the superstructure and the economic base, he believes that literature and economic structure correspond to each other. Althusser emphasizes the constitutive nature of society, and society is a centerless structure.
political unconscious concept
Drawing on Freud's concept of repression, when he raised it from the individual level to the collective level, the conscious level functions to suppress and suppress resistance, a deep unconscious suppression, also called political unconsciousness
The political unconscious can be understood this way: In our daily lives, many times we may not be explicitly aware of the existence of politics, but in fact politics affects our behaviors, concepts and choices in a potential and not easily noticeable way. For example, the stories in the movies and TV series we watch may seem to be about love, adventure, etc., but in fact they may contain specific values and political tendencies behind them. These values may subtly influence our views and attitudes toward the world. For another example, when we choose to buy a certain product, we may be influenced by advertisements, and these advertisements may also have certain political or social significance. The political unconscious is like an "invisible hand" hidden behind our lives. Although we may not necessarily see it directly, it is quietly shaping our lives and ways of thinking.
Four of James’s theoretical thoughts levels
Insist on historical references to various things such as human suffering, struggle
Propose your own rules of interpretation, which are the coordination rules of the process of capitalist reification.
The four levels of Fredric Jameson’s theoretical thought can be understood in a popular way: 1. Political and historical perspective: Imagine we are watching a very long historical documentary. Jameson's view of political history is like reminding us that every scene and every event in this documentary does not exist in isolation, they are all related to the larger political background. For example, when a revolution occurs in a country at a certain period, it is not just a group of people suddenly deciding to change the status quo. There may be various political factors at work behind it, such as economic problems, social conflicts, power struggles, etc. Therefore, this level allows us to think of the political and historical background behind anything when we look at it, and understand how things happened in a specific historical environment. 2. Social outlook: It's like observing the lives of people in a large community. The social perspective allows us to see that everyone's behavior and choices are affected by social structures and social relationships. For example, a person may choose to engage in a certain career not only because of personal interest, but also because of family background, educational opportunities, social needs and other factors. Jameson makes us understand that society is not a simple collection of isolated individuals, but a complex system of interconnections and mutual influences. All aspects of our lives, work, entertainment, etc. take place in this social system, and they are all restricted by social rules and social forces. 3. Cultural outlook: Culture is like a big garden with all kinds of flowers. Jameson's view of culture allows us to see that culture is not static, but is constantly developing and changing. Different cultural elements collide and merge with each other to form new cultural phenomena. For example, the current popular music, movies, literary works, etc. all reflect the cultural characteristics of the current society and people's thoughts and emotions. Moreover, culture is not purely artistic expression, it is also closely connected with political, economic and other factors. The cultural works of an era often reflect the social problems and people's demands of that era. 4. Text interpretation: When we read a book, watch a movie, or appreciate a painting, Jameson's level of textual interpretation is like providing us with a key that allows us to unlock the deeper meaning of these works. This level allows us not only to stay on the surface plot and beauty of the work, but to deeply analyze the language, symbols, structure and other elements in the work, revealing the hidden political, social and cultural significance behind the work. For example, the fate and choices of characters in a novel may reflect social contradictions and people's value conflicts in a specific historical period. Through in-depth interpretation of the text, we can better understand the message conveyed by the work, and we can also better understand the era and society we live in.
He constructs a moral or spiritual understanding
He proposed that the political understanding of collective historical significance is inseparable from the first three levels.
They are: the subject self, that is, the self-subject who actively experiences the world; the material self, the awareness of one's own body, external objects, etc.; the social self, including macro group belonging and microcosmic recognition of one's status in the group; psychological self , awareness of one's own intelligence, interests, personality and other psychological characteristics.
Eagleton
criticism and ideology
Emphasize that all criticism is political, because all cultural activities have some connection with political activities, including four aspects
People working in the field of cultural practice cannot make their activities absolutely central
Cultural and political activities were closely integrated in the civil rights and women's movements
Communication media is forming a cultural industry
emerging working class writing
The influence of Western Marxism
The most obvious is in terms of methodology, mainly dialectics and historical method
Western Marxism has had an important impact on methodology, dialectics and historical law. The following is a simple explanation for you: 1. Impact on methodology: Western Marxism has broadened the methodological approach to studying social issues. Traditional research methods may analyze problems from an economic perspective. Western Marxists, on the other hand, introduced more interdisciplinary approaches. For example, they will combine psychological methods to analyze people's psychological state and behavioral motivations in capitalist society. Just like if we want to understand why a person is always anxious, we must not only consider his financial situation, but also see whether his psychological needs are being met. They will also use cultural studies methods to explore how cultural phenomena in capitalist society affect people's thoughts and behaviors. For example, how cultural products such as advertising, movies, and music shape people’s values and consumption concepts. This provides us with a richer and more comprehensive methodological toolbox for studying social issues. 2. Influence on dialectics: Western Marxists re-examined and developed dialectics. They no longer just regard dialectics as a simple law of the unity of opposites, but pay more attention to the critical and revolutionary nature of dialectics. They believe that dialectics should be a powerful tool that can reveal social contradictions and promote social change. For example, when analyzing problems in capitalist society, they will use dialectics to reveal the interrelationships of various contradictions in capitalist society.
The huge influence of Marxist problem consciousness is manifested in two aspects
The concept of goods
The concept of economic system
postmodernism
consumerist ideology
The consciousness of consumer society reflects the history of popular culture
Another location of socialist cultural ideology makes the human body
Consumer culture and technology are also closely related. In the postmodern era, technology is intertwined with ideology to a great extent, making it difficult to separate the two.
postmodernism influence
It affects many aspects and involves almost every aspect of society.
The cultural ideology of consumerism can be understood this way. It is like a voice that keeps nagging in your ears, constantly telling you: buy more things, and you will be happier, more successful, and more statusful. Under the influence of consumerism, people often feel that owning more goods, especially brand-name goods and fashion goods, means they are living a better life. For example, having the latest mobile phones, the trendiest clothes, and the most expensive bags makes you feel like you are at the pinnacle of your life. Consumerism also creates needs and makes you feel like you have to have certain things. For example, merchants will launch various new beauty products and tell you that you can become more beautiful with this; they will launch new electronic products and tell you that you will be more efficient with this. It also allows people to define their identity through consumption. What kind of things you buy represents the kind of person you are. For example, those who buy high-end sports equipment may be considered as people who love sports and pursue a healthy life; those who buy luxury goods may be considered as people with taste and wealth. Consumerist cultural ideology will also turn consumption into a form of entertainment and enjoyment. The mall is beautifully decorated, the shopping environment is comfortable, and various promotional activities make shopping feel as exciting as playing games. In short, the cultural ideology of consumerism encourages people to continue to consume and regard consumption as the core of life and the main way to pursue happiness. But in fact, many times we buy a lot of things, but we don’t really get happiness and satisfaction.
Collage, parody, irony, personalization in literary style techniques, image culture or vision replacing text culture, advertising and symbolization in the consumer field, copying and practicality in architecture
The main characteristics of postmodernism
A new flatness or depthlessness of images (the disappearance of emotion)
The disappearance of historical consciousness (patchwork)
A new emotional tone
A new relationship with technology (geopolitics)
Postmodernism is like a big challenge to traditional concepts. In life, traditional concepts may tell us what is beautiful, what is right, what is a good lifestyle, etc. There are relatively fixed standards. But postmodernism says, no, these standards are not absolute. For example, in terms of beauty, tradition may believe that a painting must be realistic to be beautiful, but postmodernism believes that a messy graffiti can also be beautiful, because beauty is diverse and there is no unified standard. Postmodernism also does not believe in any absolute authority. Tradition may believe that what experts, teachers, and leaders say must be right, but postmodernism believes that everyone has his or her own opinion, and no one can be absolutely correct. Postmodernism has also made many things "fragmented". Unlike before when there was a complete story or theory, now there may be pieces here and there, without a clear main line, for you to piece together and understand on your own. In terms of consumption, postmodernism believes that we buy things not just for practicality, but more for the symbols and meanings represented by that thing. For example, buying a brand-name bag is not just to carry things, but also to show your identity and status. In general, postmodernism allows us to look at the world with a more open, pluralistic, and skeptical eye, and not to be bound by traditional concepts and authorities.
Consumerism is not about practicality but a status symbol, breaking the absolute standards of good, bad, right, wrong, beauty and ugliness, losing the main thread and allowing for fragmented understanding.
and changes in architectural space (hierarchical mapping)
Three forces of cultural critical trends
Represented by Foucault and Frieda, they strive to reveal a centerless subjectivity, liberate themselves from the necessity of works and practicality, and use this experience to get rid of the shackles of realism.
Postmodernists, who welcome the development of science and technology, believe that any development should be welcomed as long as it can achieve growth and rational administration.
Lévi-Strauss, Hans Jonas, and Robert Spemann, who were full of sadness about the decline of reason, morality, and art, suggested returning to before realism, proposing neo-Aristotelianism, and Based on the concept of ecology, a cosmological ethics is proposed, emphasizing that each part is a mutually restrictive whole.
What is the relationship between “modern” and “postmodern”?
Whether the latter is a destruction or a continuation of the former is a question that has not yet been resolved.
"Modern" and "postmodern" are similar terms, both encompassing the more important realities of the times they seek to explain.
Modernity and postmodernity are like a pair of partners walking in front and back. In the modern era, people are full of desire for progress and the pursuit of rationality. We work hard to develop science and technology, believing that all problems can be solved through science and rationality, and a better world can be built. All kinds of grand plans and large-scale construction are constantly emerging, like an effort to build a solid edifice. Postmodernity is like the thinking partner walking behind modernity. It saw some of the problems brought about by modern development and began to reflect on those concepts that were considered absolutely correct. Postmodernism no longer blindly believes in reason and authority, but emphasizes plurality and relativity. It feels that there is not only one right answer to the world, but that different cultures and perspectives have their value. Postmodernity is like adding various colorful decorations to the modern building, or remodeling some places to make it richer and more complex. In general, postmodernity is developed on the basis of modernity, criticizing and supplementing some modern concepts and practices, allowing us to have a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the world.
Modernism pursues scientific and rational solutions to problems and builds the foundation before building the building.
Postmodern people love to think, reflect, question tradition, do not blindly believe in rational authority, emphasize pluralism, relativity, and openness, and transform and enrich modernism.
The relationship between "modern" and "postmodern" is as follows: 1. Inheritance and Criticism 1. Postmodern inheritance of modernity - Postmodernity inherits the achievements of modernity to a certain extent, such as technological development, rational thinking, etc. Scientific and technological innovation in the modern era provides the material foundation and technical means for postmodernity. - For example, the development of the Internet originated in modern times, but has been more widely used and expanded in the postmodern period. 2. Postmodern criticism of modernity - Postmodernism criticizes modern concepts such as grand narratives, absolute truth, and the supremacy of reason. Modernity emphasizes reason and order, and pursues universal values and certainty, while postmodernity questions these concepts and considers them to be limiting and oppressive. - For example, postmodernism criticizes the uniformity of modernist architecture and advocates diversified and individualized design styles. 2. Opposition and complementarity 1. Opposition - In terms of values, modern times tend to pursue progress, development, and unity, while postmodern times emphasize diversity, difference, and fragmentation. Modernity pursues a linear development model and believes that human beings can continue to progress through science and technology; while postmodernity believes that development is not linear and questions the concept of progress. - For example, in the field of art, modern art emphasizes the innovation of forms and techniques, and pursues the purity of art; while postmodern art breaks the boundaries of traditional art, integrates various elements, and emphasizes the diversity and uncertainty of art. 2. Complementary - Despite the opposition between modernity and postmodernity, there are also complementary aspects. Postmodern criticism can prompt people to reflect on modern issues and avoid one-sidedness and extremes in the modern development process. At the same time, modern achievements also provide conditions and foundation for the development of postmodernity. - For example, in the field of education, modern education focuses on the transfer of knowledge and the cultivation of rational thinking, while postmodern education emphasizes student subjectivity and multicultural education. The two can complement each other and jointly promote the development of education.
Bell believes that postmodernism embodies the principles of understanding that have emerged in crisis within modernism.
Lyotard believes that there are some sublime potentials in postmodernism that have been recognized in realism, and this potential shakes the conventional concept of order.
Although Jameson, Habermas and Rorty all believe that there is a major break between "modern" and "postmodern", their specific views on the break are not consistent.
The changing nature of knowledge and its impact on society and culture as a whole
First, the educational value and political importance of knowledge diminished, and the distinction between "knowledge" and "ignorance" gradually faded, as the known knowledge began to take the form of financial circulation.
Secondly, the impact of the changes in the nature of knowledge and the prospects it may give rise to itself constitutes a new cultural consciousness. In the 1950s, Irving Howe and Harry Lewin first discussed postmodernism from a literary perspective. In the 1960s, people such as Leslie Fiedler and Iabel Hassan showed great attention to new mass media, thereby establishing a real context and atmosphere.
Perry Anderson, Daniel Bell and Jürgen Habermas believe that as long as people use perceptual analysis instead of excessive rhetorical analysis, postmodernism can be avoided; while Jean-François Lyotard and Richard Rorty believes that a stance should be taken to encourage postmodernism.
postmodern social changes
First of all, the basic structural feature of the new global capitalism is “the new international division of labor, that is, the transnationalization of production, or that the production process has become globalized through subcontracting.
The most important consequence of the transnationalization of capital is that, for the first time in the history of capitalism, the capitalist mode of production seems to be showing a truly global appeal, breaking away from its specific European historical roots.
The transnationalization of production is where the distinction between First and Third World is called into question.
Postmodern society presents changes in many aspects: 1. Cultural aspects - Cultural diversity is prominent, various subcultures are flourishing, the boundaries between different cultures have become blurred, and cultural integration and collision have become more frequent. - Question and rebel against traditional authority, and no longer blindly respect a single cultural standard and value. 2. Social concepts - Individual awareness increases, people pay more attention to self-realization and personalized expression, and pursue unique lifestyles. - Suspicious of grand narratives, paying more attention to small narratives and individual experiences in daily life. 3. Knowledge areas - The authority of knowledge is challenged, and the generation and dissemination of knowledge become more democratized and diversified. - Subject boundaries are broken down and interdisciplinary research becomes a trend. 4. Economic field - Consumer culture is prevalent, and consumer behavior pays more attention to symbolic value and emotional experience. - Economic development pays more attention to innovation and flexibility, and traditional industries are facing transformation pressure.
north and south
It does not just refer to a specific geographical location, but a metaphorical reference: the North refers to the path of transnational capital, and the South refers to marginalized countries and regions, neither of which is based on a specific geographical location.
postcolonial cultural studies
The multiple meanings of “postcolonial”:
It is used to describe the conditions of former colonial societies, with specific references, such as "postcolonial society" or "postcolonial political elements". The colonies here include both most of the third world mentioned earlier and those related to the first Those settler colonies that connected the world. such as Canada and Australia
“Postcolonial” is used to describe the world conditions after the colonial period. In this usage, its reference is more abstract and tends to replace the Third World.
It represents a discourse based on the above-mentioned conditions, a discourse composed of epistemological and psychological orientations, and they are the consequences of those conditions.
Edward Said
An important critic in contemporary America is an "avant-garde" critic.
Books: "The Beginning: Intentions and Methods", "Where is the Country", "Conrad and the Autobiographical Fiction", "World, Text, Critic", "Orientalism", "The Question of Palestine", "Reporting Islam", " The Last After Heaven: Life in Palestine", "The Essence of Music"
Orientalism
A foundational work in postcolonial cultural studies, Said's "In Orientalism" focused on the role of cultural power and the impact of social language on intention and production.
The main argument is that although the strategies of this discourse have changed significantly over the past 200 years, in essence it has not developed because its central myth about the East has not changed, and that Eastern culture itself is a development that has been arrested. culture.
Reflects the value of three aspects
1. Depth and breadth of knowledge. 2. Historical and academic activities. 3. And the profound foundation of political morality.
Basic theme: the relationship between knowledge and power.
"Culture and Imperialism"
contrapuntal reading
Interesting back-and-forth crossings have established the dividing line between empires. "Geography", "Geography is more important than anything else", "Geography must be rethought"
"The Question of Palestine"
1. Describe Palestinian history to every public manipulated by the media because they know nothing about the truth about Palestine. 2. Reproduce Palestinian political aspirations, because when such aspirations are reproduced in the West, they are fundamentally distorted.
"Principles of Palestinian Consciousness"
Palestinians, unlike Israelis, should recognize that their otherness is a concrete political reality that they must learn to accept
The Palestinian issue concerns all Palestinians, not just those living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. 3. The restoration of the homeland is absolutely necessary in order to reinforce the history of Palestine and raise awareness among its people.
The current state of postcolonial studies
One opinion is that environmentalism is currently the only plan that crosses national boundaries and transcends the opposition between colonization and colonization. In the face of the increasingly deteriorating living environment, various countries and nations can achieve true unity around the world for the common interests.
Use environmental protection to unite humans for common interests
Another opinion is that today's environmental degradation is closely related to colonial rule. Although the former metropolitan countries and colonies are facing environmental problems today, the extent is very different. In the new globalized economy, developing countries still face environmental problems. We are suffering from ecological and environmental exploitation and oppression in developed countries, and there are still problems of inequality. We should have a clear understanding of the expansion of national environmental persecution.
Environmental exploitation and oppression brought by developed countries to developing countries
The development and changes of postcolonial studies:
1. Incorporate literary and philosophical theoretical discourse into material and historical context, thus mediating the activism of anti-colonial movements and the deconstructive power of sophisticated theory. 2. Get rid of the debate of postmodernism and turn to the rethinking of modernity, alternative modernity and anti-modernity. 3. Reconsider historicism as the dynamic condition of Western history. 4. Expand and deepen the post-colonial field, beyond the British Empire and British political rule, and beyond the special status of colonial discourse analysis. 5. Express dissatisfaction with the term "postcolonial", because it not only causes contradictions in practice, but also some people now believe that its role is outdated.
The development and changes of postcolonial studies mainly include the following aspects: 1. Research perspective: - From text to reality: The early stage focused on the analysis of the cultural impact of colonialism in literature and cultural texts, and later turned to the focus on political, economic, social and other issues in the reality of post-colonial countries, as well as the study of the relationship between colonial history and current conditions. - From macro to micro: initially focusing on macro theoretical construction and discussion of the colonial system, cultural hegemony, etc., and then focusing on micro-level individual identity, psychological state, etc. in colonial and post-colonial contexts. 2. Research area: - From local to global: Initially concentrated in Asia, Africa, Latin America and other regions that were colonized by European powers, it later expanded to a global scale, including the former colonial countries themselves and some other regions with special colonial experiences, forming a global perspective. - Increased cross-regional comparisons: Scholars have begun to compare postcolonial experiences in different regions and analyze their commonalities and differences. 3. Theoretical methods: - Integration with other theories: Continuously integrate with theories such as feminism, Marxism, postmodernism, and ecocriticism to form new research directions such as postcolonial feminism. - Application of multidisciplinary methods: absorbing research methods from history, sociology, anthropology, political science and other disciplines to conduct in-depth research on post-colonial issues from different angles. 4. Emphasis on “decolonization”: - Conceptual deepening: from focusing on political and economic independence to emphasizing the elimination of the residual influence of colonialism at the cultural, ideological, and educational levels, and reshaping local culture and identity. - Practical exploration: Post-colonial countries and regions conduct practical exploration of "decolonization" in education, cultural policy, artistic creation, etc. 5. Understanding of the postcolonial subject: - Diversification of subjects: from focusing on colonized nations and groups to expanding to include immigrants, refugees, mixed-race people and other groups with complex identities. - Enhanced subject agency: Postcolonial subjects are no longer viewed simply as victims, but their agency and creativity in resisting colonialism and shaping their own identity and culture are emphasized.
feminist criticism
"Women are imperfect men" theory of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Donne's "Air and Angels": Form is male, matter is female, the male is as superior as a god, and reason suppresses his emotions in a submissive way. The material top of a powerless woman
The idea that women are imperfect men is a gender-biased misconception. Historically, this concept has existed for a long time due to the influence of patriarchal society. It places men in a superior position and believes that male qualities such as rationality, bravery, strength, etc. are standard and perfect, while women are regarded as lacking these qualities and are inferior and imperfect beings. However, this view is completely wrong. Women, like men, have their own unique values and abilities. Women's qualities such as tenderness, delicacy, and empathy are equally important, and in many ways even surpass the qualities that are traditionally considered male strengths. Today, with the progress of society and the development of the feminist movement, this misconception is gradually being broken. People are increasingly aware of the importance of gender equality, respecting and recognizing women's contributions and achievements in various fields, and abandoning this outdated and unfair concept.
The dominance of men and women is gradually being broken
feminism
is a political concept that refers to approval and support for the goals proposed by the women's liberation movement in the late 1960s.
task of criticism
Exposing men’s domination of women.
British and American Feminism
There were two women's movements in Britain and the United States in the 20th century: the first was for universal suffrage, and the second was for equality between men and women.
"Their Own Literature"
three periods
1. It defines the "feminine" stage, including intense, condensed and symbolic novels that use "innovative but hidden methods to dramatize the inner world", "all with realism", and "focus on women in families and communities" A broad social exploration of women's daily lives and women's values.
The "feminist" phase included the Victorian gender model, the emergence of socialist-style theories about women's relationship with work, class and family, and the "total war of the sexes".
"Literatures of Their Own" is a book by the British feminist critic Elaine Showalter. The book divides the development of women's literature into three periods: 1. The “feminine” stage During this period, female writers imitated male literary traditions. Due to the restrictions placed on women by the social environment at that time, female writers lacked confidence and independent voices in the literary field. Their works often follow male-dominated literary norms and aesthetic standards, and are presented in a softer, more sensual "feminine" style. For example, the plot setting may focus more on emotional entanglements and family life, and the language expression may be relatively delicate and euphemistic. Although female writers at this stage began to emerge, they were still in the shadow of male literature to a large extent. 2. The “feminism” stage With the awakening of women's consciousness and the rise of the feminist movement, female writers began to clearly express their protest against gender inequality and the pursuit of women's rights. Their works are full of strong feminist overtones, directly challenging male authority and traditional gender concepts. At this stage, women's literary works often showed women's plight, struggle and desire for freedom in bold and radical ways. For example, some works may describe women's unequal experiences in social, political, and economic spheres, and their struggles for equal rights. 3. The “Female” Stage During this period, female writers no longer only emphasized the opposition and struggle with men, but paid more attention to women's own experience, emotions and identity. They tried to establish a unique female literary tradition to examine the world and express themselves from a female perspective. The styles of works at this stage are more diverse, and they can include both delicate emotional descriptions and profound social criticisms; they can not only show women's tenderness and tenacity, but also their wisdom and strength. At this stage, female writers became more confident in exploring women's inner world and external reality, opening up a new path for the development of women's literature.
The early self-exploration of the "woman" stage combines women's self-hatred and the withdrawal of women's rights. It extremes sex, causing women's feelings to shift from sacredness to self-destruction, and they are paradoxically unable to face the female body.
poststructuralist feminism
The premise of the work: gender differences are in language, and gender itself is not "natural".
feminism real focus
It is the materiality of the body, and there is widespread debate about the body as a cultural construct. Ecofeminism began in the 1970s and is the result of the combination of the development of cultural feminism and the rise of the environmental protection movement.
feminism issues
Although feminism has a common goal, which is to demand equality between men and women, oppose sex discrimination and oppression of women, and change patriarchal culture and ideology, due to different statuses, identities, and skin colors of different feminists, there are differences between them Contradictions and arguments often arise, and it is difficult to form a united front.
With different statuses, identities, and skin colors, conflicts and arguments often arise between them, making it difficult to form a united front.
ecofeminism
d'Aubany believes that the disasters caused by patriarchy are related to human ecology: on the one hand, it may cause overpopulation, and on the other hand, it will cause natural scarcity.
From a female perspective, ecofeminism believes that there is a special connection between women and nature. Historically, women have often been responsible for nature-related activities, such as collecting, planting, etc., which has given women a more delicate feeling and understanding of nature. Ecofeminism points out that just as women are oppressed by men in society, nature has also been destroyed and plundered in the process of human development. This idea advocates breaking the dual oppression of women and nature by traditional patriarchal concepts. It criticizes the idea of nature as a resource that can be conquered and exploited at will, arguing that this idea is interconnected with the oppression of women in patriarchal societies. Ecofeminism calls for the establishment of a more equal and harmonious social relationship, including equality between men and women and harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.
new historicism
New Historicism flourished in the 1980s, and its main purpose was to re-describe the relationship between texts and the cultural system that produced them.
New Historicism opposes two forms of historical writing:
He denied the economic base-superstructure model of vulgar Marxism, opposed economic determinism, and linear historical interpretation, but he still adhered to the Marxist concept of human existence and its artifacts constituted by social and historical forces.
New Historicism opposes two forms of historical writing. Simply put, it is this: 1. Historical writing of grand narratives Traditional grand narrative history writing often tells a single, coherent historical story, as if history is a linear development process with clear directions and goals. For example, describe history as the rise of a great country, a heroic figure promoting social progress, etc. New Historicism opposes this kind of writing because it feels that such history is too simplistic and ignores the complexity and diversity of history. History is not determined by a few heroes or major events, but by the lives of countless ordinary people, various small events and different voices. Moreover, grand narratives often carry a certain set of values and purposes, which may cover up some real situations that do not fit the narrative. 2. Objectivist historical writing Traditional objectivist historical writing claims to be able to restore the true nature of history completely objectively, recording what happened in the past like a camera. New Historicism says this is impossible. Because history is written by people, historians will inevitably be affected by their own opinions, values, and the background of the times when they select historical materials and interpret events. There is no absolutely objective history. All history is the result of human subjective choices and interpretations. Therefore, New Historicism opposes the idea that history can be presented completely objectively and emphasizes subjectivity and creativity in historical writing.
For the study of the early Renaissance, New Historicism denies the research methods of the history of ideas, such as those of C.S. Lewis and Tilliard, and opposes the construction of a single, homogeneous historical stage.
Errors in New Historicist Criticism
1. Tilliard regards history as a picture, a "background order", which is ontologically separated from literature; 2. He regards social reality as a "collective spirit" and expresses it through classic literary works; 3. He believes that the collective spirit produces a universal and unchanging concept of human nature. This human nature is specially described in today's works, especially in Shakespeare's works. 4. He believes that these literary classics translate or express the essential aspects of a certain historical period. 5. He believes that the ordinary humanity expressed in these classic works allows them to transcend "pictures of the world", the historical moment of literary production and its complex political implications.
The criticisms of new historicists may have the following problems: 1. Relativistic tendency: New historicism emphasizes the textuality of history and the plurality of interpretations, which may lead to relativism to a certain extent. Because if history is entirely a textual construction and different interpretations are considered equally reasonable, then it will be difficult to determine an objective historical truth. This may obscure people's understanding of history and lack certain standards by which to judge different historical narratives. 2. Ignoring the objectivity of history: Although New Historicism emphasizes the textuality of history, it may go to the other extreme if it overemphasizes textual construction and ignores the objectivity of history. After all, history is made up of real events and human activities. Complete denial of the objectivity of history may cause historical research to lose its foundation and become pure subjective conjecture. 3. Difficulty in reaching consensus: Since New Historicism emphasizes multiple interpretations, different scholars may arrive at completely different historical interpretations based on their own positions and perspectives, which makes it difficult to reach a consensus in academic research. This can lead to confusion in scholarly communication, and can also confuse the general reader when faced with so many different interpretations of history. 4. May be politicized: The criticism of New Historicism is often closely integrated with political and social issues. Although this helps to reveal power relations and social inequality in history, it may also cause historical research to be influenced by political ideology. History may be used to serve specific political purposes and lose its due academic independence.
The Six Great Poets of Romanticism
Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats, Byron, Shelley.
The influence of new historicism
1. New Historicism’s arguments about the formation of identity and the subject-matter system not only affect the development of modernist studies, but also affect identity studies and postcolonial studies in literary studies in the 20th century.
In American literary and cultural studies, New Historicism has promoted multiculturalism and postnationalism
The main influences of New Historicism include the following points: In terms of academic research, it breaks the objectivity myth of traditional historical research, makes people realize that history is constructed, promotes the development of interdisciplinary research, and makes literary research and historical research more closely integrated. In the cultural field, New Historicism prompts people to re-examine traditional cultural works and historical events, explore marginalized voices and diverse perspectives that have been ignored, and enrich our understanding of history and culture. In terms of way of thinking, it encourages people to look at history and reality with a more open and critical attitude, not to blindly accept a single historical narrative, and cultivates people's questioning spirit and diverse thinking ability.
Hayden White particularly praised New Historicism's challenge to "the dominant orthodoxy." The basic characteristics of New Historicism: It has obvious chemical disciplinary characteristics and the desire to explore the political potential of works is an obvious sign of New Historicism.
cultural studies
cultural studies
It can be said to be the study of social-historical events as a field of meaning, or it can be said to be the study of methods, such as how individuals in the social and historical world produce, constitute or accept various meaningful expressions.
scope of cultural studies
Feminism, postcolonialism, postmodernism, identity politics, minority discourse, identity studies, gay studies, ecocriticism, globalization of film, television and communication, modernity and postmodernity, consumer culture and politics, etc.
classical cultural concept
Refers to cultivation or management, such as planting experts, domesticated animals, etc.;
Used to refer to fields such as literature, art, science and philosophy
White's "Science of Culture" believes that culture refers to the unique order of phenomena and the order of things and events that rely on the application of thinking ability. This thinking ability is unique to humans and is called "symbolic representation."
White divided cultural phenomena into three systems: technical system, social system, and ideological system.
- White regards culture as a holistic concept, which is the sum of all material and spiritual wealth created by human beings. He believes that culture consists of three main components: the first is the technical level, including tools, equipment, material products, etc., which are the means for humans to adapt to the natural environment and obtain survival resources; the second is the sociological level, which involves the organizational form of society, Institutions, interpersonal relationships, etc., are the organizational methods of human group life; the third is the ideological level, which covers religious beliefs, values, ideas, art, etc., and is the expression and pursuit of the human spiritual world.
Tools for human survival, social system for human beings to live in groups, conceptual value of human spirit
symbolic cultural concept
It is a pattern of meaning embodied in symbolic form, which includes behavior, speech and various meaningful objects, through which they communicate with each other and share each other's experiences, concepts and beliefs.
Symbols in culture are a way of using concrete things, images or behaviors to represent abstract ideas, emotions, values, etc. It is an important tool for cultural expression and inheritance. For example, specific colors may symbolize different emotions or meanings. Red often symbolizes celebration and auspiciousness in Chinese culture; animals can also become symbols, such as doves symbolizing peace. Symbols can unite the identity and values of a group and help people understand and convey complex cultural connotations. Through long-term cultural accumulation and convention, it forms specific associations and meanings in people's minds, becoming a unique and expressive element in culture.
Red represents joy and doves represent peace.
cultural concept
It emphasizes the symbolic characteristics of cultural phenomena and also emphasizes that cultural phenomena are always within a constituted social context.
The cultural concept of composition: You can think of the cultural concept of composition as building blocks. Culture is like a big building built with different building blocks. These building blocks include language, customs, values, art, technology, and more. Each building block has its own unique function, and together they form a rich and colorful culture. For example, language is a tool for people to communicate, customs are how people behave on specific occasions, and values determine what people think is good and what is bad. These different elements influence and interact with each other to form the culture of a specific group. Classical cultural concepts: Classical culture is like an ancient treasure chest. It contains the precious heritage left by the people of the past. These legacies may be beautiful poetry, moving music, exquisite paintings, profound philosophical thoughts, etc. Classical culture usually gives people a feeling of elegance, solemnity and depth. It has passed the test of time and is passed down and appreciated by generations. For example, Chinese classical poetry, such as the works of Li Bai and Du Fu, can still make us feel the emotions and wisdom of the ancients. Classical music, such as Beethoven and Mozart, has beautiful melodies and is intoxicating. Classical culture is a shining pearl in the long history of mankind. It carries the memory and value of the past.
various components of culture, such as drama, music, and painting
Classic, solemn, and ancient cultural heritage, such as philosophy, literature, poetry, and music
Characteristics of symbolic forms:
1. The characteristic of intention means that the symbolic form is the expression of a subject and is expressed for one or more subjects; 2. Conventional characteristics refer to the production, composition and application of symbolic forms, as well as the interpretation of subject and object forms that accept them. It is a typical process of applying various normative principles or conventions. 3. The characteristics of structure means that the symbolic form is the composition of a connecting structure. 4. The characteristics of reference means that symbols are the composition of some dimensions. They represent something symbolically, refer to something, and express a certain opinion about something. . 5. The characteristics of context mean that symbolic forms are always in specific social and historical contexts and processes through which they are produced, disseminated and accepted.
Symbolic forms have the following characteristics: 1. Image concreteness: The symbolic form will be presented with the help of a specific image, thing or behavior. For example, pigeons are a specific animal image. In people's perception, pigeons often symbolize peace. These specific symbols can be directly perceived by people and are carriers of symbolic meaning. 2. Abstraction of meaning: The meaning represented by a symbol is usually a relatively abstract concept, thought, emotion or quality. For example, red in Chinese culture symbolizes abstract feelings such as joy, excitement, and auspiciousness. These abstract meanings cannot be directly seen or touched, but can be experienced and understood through concrete symbols. 3. Association guidance: Symbolic form can trigger people's association, allowing people to associate from the specific symbol to the abstract meaning behind it. When people see bamboo, they will think of the integrity, integrity and other qualities of a gentleman because of its straightness and knotty characteristics. This association is based on factors such as people's cognition, cultural background and experience. 4. Polysemy: The same symbolic form may have different meanings in different cultures, situations or personal understandings. For example, the crow is seen as a symbol of bad luck in some cultures, but in some cultures, the crow is regarded as a sacred bird with sacred significance. 5. Cultural convention: Many symbolic forms are formed based on cultural traditions and social customs, and are recognized and accepted by a wide range of groups. For example, in China, the dragon is the symbol of the Chinese nation. This symbolic meaning is formed through long-term historical and cultural inheritance and accumulation. 6. Implicitness: Symbolic forms do not directly state the abstract meaning to be expressed, but allow people to understand it through hints. This way of expression is relatively implicit and obscure, requiring people to think and interpret. For example, in some literary works, the author will describe a certain scene or thing to symbolize an emotion or thought, and readers need to analyze the text to understand the author's intention.
There is a specific image ~ pigeon Abstract meaning ~ red represents passion Guidance by association ~ Bamboo represents solar terms Ambiguity ~ 8 has a good meaning in China, but not abroad Cultural Convention ~ Dragon represents China obscurity
The cultural concept of mass cultural exchange
In modern society, due to the development of the media industry, the production and dissemination of cultural symbolic consciousness have also increasingly expanded, forming the so-called "cultural concept of mass communication".
Characteristics of the cultural concept of mass communication:
1. Cultural products are institutionalized production and diffusion in the form of information dissemination and storage, presupposing the needs of social groups for the production and consumption of cultural products. 2. The production and reception of cultural products are basically separated, that is, the recipient is not located in the place where the cultural products are produced, but is transmitted through technical media. 3. It expands the ability of cultural products to extend in time and space, that is, they can be spread over long distances. 4. Taking a public form expands the scope of production and acceptance.
Principles of Cultural Studies:
1. Cultural studies is a desire. It is best to explore this desire from a political and social perspective, treating it as a cause that promotes "historical union", rather than treating it as a theoretical culture and treating it as a A blueprint for a new discipline. 2. In the special space of cultural studies, there is no single issue of “identity” or “nationalism”. Cultural studies should welcome mixed “identities” and promote and analyze various new complex structures. 3. Starting from the relationship between academic qualifications, Jameson also proposed the concept of "connection". He believes that "connection" is somewhat like an organic connection, similar to the relationship between various parts of the body, but refers to the connection between various parts of the skeleton rather than soft tissue organs. 4. In Jameson’s view, “connection” is a very important theoretical issue in cultural studies.
In cultural studies, there are some principles that can be understood in layman's terms. The first is the principle of pluralism. This means recognizing that cultures are diverse and not just looking at one culture or one perspective. Just like there are many different flavors of food in the world, you can't just like one kind, you must respect and appreciate various cultural characteristics. Second is the critical principle. We cannot blindly accept all cultural phenomena, we must think and analyze them. For example, when you see a popular cultural trend, you should think about why it is popular and whether there are any disadvantages. There is also the principle of relevance. We must understand that culture does not exist in isolation. It is connected with society, history, politics and other aspects. Just like a person's personality is related to his growth environment and family background, culture is also affected by various factors. Finally, there is the principle of participation. Don’t just watch the culture, but actively participate in it. You can contribute to the development of culture by appreciating art works and participating in cultural activities.
"Network of Collaboration"
In cultural studies, collaborative network can be understood popularly as a network of mutual cooperation and mutual support. It's like a group of people doing one thing together. Everyone has their own division of labor and cooperate with each other. In the cultural field, there may be different roles such as scholars, artists, media people, and ordinary people. They jointly promote the development and evolution of culture through communication, cooperation, and mutual influence. For example, when the traditional culture of a place is revived, scholars conduct research and interpretation, artists present it through creation, media people promote it, and ordinary people actively participate and inherit it. The connections formed between these people can be regarded as a network of collaborative relationships. This network of relationships can make culture more colorful and pass on more dynamically.
Jameson proposed that three levels of interpretation should be carried out in the practice of cultural research
The first level is the political level, and its method is to use various texts as a symbolic allegory. 2. The second level is that the social city turns its attention to group relations and to the ideology implicit in the text. 3. The third level is the level of human production methods, and it is also the most important level.
In layman’s terms, Jameson’s three levels of interpretation in the practice of cultural studies are as follows: 1. Political level: understanding various texts as a symbol or allegory. This means that we should not just look at a cultural work or phenomenon from the surface, but dig deep into the political meaning and information hidden behind it. For example, a movie may tell a love story on the surface, but when interpreted from a political level, you may find that it contains hints or allusions to political issues such as social power structure and class differences. Just like some dystopian novels or movies, the seemingly fictional world setting is actually a critique and reflection on some of the shortcomings of the real political system. 2. Social level: Shift the focus to group relations and to the ideology implicit in the text. This is to analyze the relationships between different groups reflected in cultural phenomena and the ideologies behind them. For example, a popular fashion style is not just about dressing up, but also reflects the identity, values, and status and role of a specific group in society. At the same time, this fashion style was also affected by the mainstream ideology of the society at that time, which in turn may have a certain shaping effect on social ideology. 3. The level of human production mode: This is the most important level. We must start from the mode of production to interpret the logic behind cultural phenomena. At this level, culture is seen as closely related to economic production. For example, the production, dissemination and consumption process of a cultural product are all affected by the production methods and economic structure of the society at that time. Take advertising as an example. The production and dissemination of advertising is a cultural behavior, but behind it is driven by commercial interests and is a product of the capitalist mode of production. By analyzing the relationship between culture and production methods, we can gain a deeper understanding of the status and role of cultural phenomena in the entire socioeconomic system.
Cultural works reflect political issues
A reflection of a cultural phenomenon...the dress style of a certain group, a rock band
Advertising production and dissemination
The relationship between cultural studies and literary studies:
1. In theory, cultural studies include everything, Shakespeare and rock music, high culture and low culture, past culture and modern culture, etc. But in fact, since the basis of meaning is difference, people always conduct cultural studies in contrast with something else. 2. Since the methods of cultural studies were originally derived from literary studies, they are often contrasted with what is traditionally called cultural studies. Generally speaking, cultural studies and literary studies are complementary to each other. 3. Cultural studies applies the method of literary analysis to other cultural practices, interprets cultural artifacts as texts, and in turn treats them as literature Literary studies also benefit greatly from being studied as a particular cultural practice and from considering the work in relation to other discursive ways. 4. Regarding the relationship between cultural studies and literary studies, in addition to similarities in analytical methods, we can also consider it from another aspect. This is the so-called "literary classics" or works that have become "literary heritage". 5. Cultural studies is still different from literary studies. The main interest of cultural studies is the uniqueness and complexity of individual works. Cultural studies, on the other hand, is somewhat like a sociology of non-quantitative research. It only uses works as examples and symptoms, rather than being interested in the works themselves. 6. Cultural studies and literary studies are closely related and are not opposed to each other. The former applies the analytical methods of literary studies to other cultural objects, while the latter, as a special cultural practice, will also gain new vitality when it is connected with other modes of discourse.
Cultural studies and literary studies are closely related but also different. relation: On the one hand, cultural studies provide new perspectives and methods for literary research. Cultural studies pay attention to various cultural phenomena such as society, politics, and economy, and examine literature in a broader cultural background, which helps to discover the neglected social significance and cultural value in literary works. For example, through the method of cultural studies, issues such as gender, race, class, etc. reflected in literary works can be analyzed to gain a deeper understanding of the connotation of the works. On the other hand, literary research also provides rich materials and cases for cultural research. Literature, as an important form of cultural expression, carries the values, ideas and aesthetic tastes of a specific era. Cultural studies can obtain information about social culture from literary works and use literary works as an entry point to explore broader cultural issues. different: In terms of research objects, literary studies mainly focus on the literary works themselves, including the language, structure, theme, characterization, etc. of the works; while cultural studies have a wider range of objects, including movies, television, advertising, fashion, pop music, etc. cultural phenomenon. In terms of research methods, literary research focuses on text analysis and uses literary theory to interpret works; cultural research uses an interdisciplinary approach, combining theories and methods from sociology, anthropology, psychology and other disciplines for research. In terms of research purposes, literary research aims to reveal the artistic value and aesthetic significance of literary works; cultural research pays more attention to the power relations, social inequality and cultural production and consumption processes behind cultural phenomena. In short, cultural studies and literary studies complement and promote each other, and jointly promote the development of the humanities.
Cultural studies provide new perspectives and methods for literary research, discovering the neglected social significance and cultural value in literature
Literary research provides materials and cases for cultural research
gay critical theory
Research motivations for homosexuality
The basic starting point of the study of homosexuality is to correct people's prejudices against homosexuality, and to highlight social power relations and inequality by analyzing the social existence of homosexuality and its representation in texts.
Correct people's prejudices against homosexuality and show social power relations and inequality
The Purpose of Homosexual Criticism
"Homosexual Criticism" combines Foucault's historical paradigm with deconstruction theory to explore gender identity and desire as historical understanding and representation. As for the patriarchal culture, cyclical homophobia regulates gender subjects and desires. By revealing the differences in Western culture The way gender and sexuality work for all subjects, they try to construct a theory and use this theory to legitimize homosexuality.
Trying to construct a theory and use that theory to legitimize homosexuality
The study of gay men emerged from the liberation movements of the 1960s and 1970s
Lesbian criticism stems from women's liberation in the 1960s
Women's Liberation in the 60s, Men's Liberation Movement in the 60s and 70s
Literary research on male homosexuality
1985, Sedgwick, Among Men: English Literature and Homosocial Desire 1995 Halperin's "The Saint Foucault: Towards a Biography of Gay Men's Words and Actions" Miller, Lee Edelman, Ed Cohen, and the most important theorist of contemporary homosexuality is: Sedgwick.
1985, plug, between men 1995, Hal, becoming gay
Women Identified Women reduces the definition of homosexuality to "the rage of all women"
Women identify with women, women's anger
Barbara Smith's "Going Black, Feminist Criticism" is a turning point in African-American feminist criticism and lesbian feminist criticism.
bubba going black turning point
queer theory
It is a field of sexuality studies derived from homosexual studies and feminist studies.
Sexuality, homosexuality, feminist research derivatives
Queer theory generally refers to the field of gay and lesbian studies, as well as the study of other gender identities, sexual orientations, and behaviors that deviate from socially normative patterns (such as cross-dressing, bisexuality, and transsexualism). transsexuality, etc.).
tone of queer theory
It challenges the traditional concept of sexuality and denies that gender is an integral part of the essential self. Lesbian and gay studies focus on exploring "natural" and "unnatural" homosexual behaviors, while queer theory extends its focus to all sexual activities, including normal and abnormal life issues.
explore all sexual activities
Opposing the binary division of men and women In the traditional concept of sex and gender, the strongest basis for the mechanism of heterosexuality lies in the relationship between biological sex (body), social gender (gender) and sexual desire (sexuality): our body determines gender, and Our gender, in turn, determines our sexual desire.
Oppose the binary distinction between "heterosexual" and "homosexual". Many queer activists no longer identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or even heterosexual, but simply refer to themselves as queer
1. Many people believe that queer theory only explores the representation of homosexuality in literature. 2. In fact, he also discussed issues of sexual categories and sexual orientation. 3. Queer theory mainly explores the debate over the categories of sexuality and sexual behavior.
Discussing the debate on sexual behavior categories
For a queer person, biological sex and gender do not have to coincide at all. Wear clothes of whichever gender you want; live the life of whichever gender you want; be whatever gender you want to be. There is absolutely no need to think that only by changing the primary sexual characteristics (sexual organs, reproductive organs) can one be qualified to be a certain gender. According to the ideal of queer theory, in a society where men do not oppress women and heterosexuals do not oppress homosexuals, sexual expression can follow feelings, and the categories of homosexuality and heterosexuality will eventually die out; the categories of men and women will also become Got to be blurry.
The core proposition of "Queer Theory" is that human gender is not just two extremes of "male/female", but a continuous spectrum. Each of us may be anywhere on this gender spectrum.
Major critics and theorists related to queer theory: including Eve, Sedgwell, Judith Barratt and Diana Firth.
The debate about homosexuality:
globalization and culture
globalization
George Bush said it was synonymous with the "New World Order" and Francis Fukuyama said it was the "end of history."
What does globalization mean?
1. At the most basic level, globalization is the name given to the social, political, cultural, economic, and technological processes that together produce changes in contemporary conditions of existence. 2. In terms of culture, the experience of globalization is an increase in understanding and contact with the culture and cultural products of all nations in the world, but at the same time it also imposes a very powerful cultural value and its products on almost all other nations. 3. In short, globalization is a multi-faceted process, including interdependent economic, political, technological and cultural aspects.
Global politics, technology, culture, and economy cooperate, exchange, and depend on each other
Problems with the way culture is situated in a particular place
First, these seemingly “natural” national spaces are a recent political invention, although they still generate a sense of pride due to ethnic and racial tensions.
Second, it is difficult to isolate unique cultural practices or civilizational products in the contemporary world. These transnational spaces, as well as the imported architectural styles, images and names, mark that China has completely entered the geopolitical and geocultural space of globalization.
global cultural issues
Globalization represents the birth of a truly global culture, a unique culture shared to varying degrees by everyone in the world. In a sense, a dominant capitalist culture has formed in the global capitalist economic system, that is, the political and economic power of multinational corporations and the scope of their reach are accompanied by a limiting cultural reality the ideological power of
Global capitalist economic system (multinational corporations) dominates
How do many prominent scholars of globalization describe globalization?
1. Sociologist Anthony Giddens described it as “the strengthening of world-wide relationships that connect distant places, and events that occur in one place are affected by the world that occurs in distant places. 2. Dorian Massey, a geographer, believes that globalization is characterized by "the expansion of social relations." Malcolm Waters said that it is based on social and cultural arrangements, and geographical restrictions are shrinking. 3. According to the famous globalization scholar Roland Robertson, it is “the condensation of the world and the strengthening of the consciousness of the entire world.” 4. John Tomlinson pointed out at the beginning of his book "Globalization and Culture" that "globalization is at the center of modern culture and cultural practice is at the center of globalization."
Anthony World Relations Strengthen Marcy Social Outreach Mar geographical restrictions are retreating Roland The Condensation of the World Tom Globalization and culture at the center
Salient features of globalization
The image of a shrinking Earth where social relations are increasingly independent of geography.
Shrinking the Earth, social relationships are not limited by geography
Characteristics of multinational corporations
They can re-establish their businesses in the most business-friendly places in the world, taking advantage of the cheapest labor and natural resources there, and their products can be sold in the most profitable places in the world.
Build factories in backward countries, use cheap labor in backward countries, and sell them to developed countries at high prices (production and sales of Apple mobile phones)
Factors related to the globalization of multinational corporations
First, in order to expand the scope of their consumer markets as much as possible, many companies have become global enterprises. Second, globalization has enabled unprecedented flows of financial goods and services.
Expand the consumer market and accelerate economic globalization
The changing relationship between states and companies takes two forms:
1. As a way to attract and protect enterprises, the government uses large amounts of public funds to encourage companies to invest and build factories in their cities and regions. 2. Although the government sometimes tries to restrict the monopoly of certain large companies, such as the U.S. federal government's challenge to Microsoft, in general it has been relaxing restrictions on the size and potential of companies. Today, the Internet has given rise to new consumption and interactions. way, official and unofficial information flowed on a larger scale, and at the same time, surprising new cultures emerged, realizing online literature, blogs, online interactive games, online dating, transnational marriage, etc.
The government uses policy funds to attract investment from enterprises or foreign capital. Strengthen management of corporate monopoly, but also relax management
Regarding the view of so-called global culture: the most obvious evidence is that the world's cultural goods are being "combined" and standardized.
Commodities in the world are increasingly divided and coordinated, circulated with each other, and cultural exchanges are close
John Tomlinson identifies 4 main types of cultural-intellectual-imperialist relations
1. Through foreign popular culture, its global diffusion can promote the conditions in the other three ways. 2. By imposing one country’s values and beliefs on another. 3. By imposing socialism and capitalism on other countries as a way of production and life. 4. By imposing modernity on other parts of the world that might have developed along a very different path than the West.
The diffusion and invasion of culture imposes one country’s beliefs, values, capitalist production and life, and modernization on another country.
Impact of globalization on culture:
1. In the discourse of globalization, the emphasis on telecommunications, popular culture, and social culture has led many scholars to break away from literary studies and traditional forms of humanities research and instead focus on various forms that reflect contemporary popular experience. 2. In addition to the shift in research objects to different forms of cultural expression, literary theoretical tools will also be increasingly used to analyze policies, regulations and international agreements, which constitute the global status quo in the form of practice and discourse. 3. In the context of globalization, questioning of literary objects is not limited to the analysis of contemporary literature.
Shifting from the study of global literature and humanities to the study of contemporary popular culture
Applying literary theory tools to analyze policies and regulations
Ethnicity – nation, nationalism and identity
Nation-state: the state is established and constituted by the nation
concept of country
It is mainly based on territory and territory. Countries generally have fixed borders. Beyond the borders is expansion or aggression. Countries may also change their territorial scope due to expansion, aggression or division.
Divided by territory and borders
Countries have different properties
Such as socialist countries, capitalist countries, feudal countries
Nature of nation:
Ethnicity is constituted, and nation can be equated with country, but sometimes nation is not equal to country, because many countries have multiple ethnic groups, and some ethnic groups do not have states yet. China can cover 56 ethnic groups, but any ethnic group is It cannot be equated with China.
The Han nationality represents China. China has 56 ethnic groups. A single ethnic group cannot represent China.
national identity
Its connection with a specific political entity, which generally refers to the nation-state, is first defined by the structure of governance and management, indicating that the various parts of the national identity are based on the conscious recognition of nationals belonging to a specific political system.
Han people, Chinese
National Myth:Definition
In the words of Malinovsky: Myth can be said to be the evidence of today's society. It provides retroactive models of moral values, social order and judicial beliefs.
For example, Greece: Greece has rich ancient myths and legends, and these myths have shaped the Greek national identity to a certain extent. For example, heroic figures in ancient Greek mythology such as Hercules and Achilles are regarded as symbols of bravery and heroism of the Greek nation. The history, culture and national spirit of Greece are closely connected with these myths and have become an important source of national pride.
effect
By tracing back to a higher, better, more magical reality of the original world, the system is strengthened and the tradition acquires a greater value and a higher prestige.
Debray identified the process of confrontation and destruction between two peoples
1. First of all, this is a limitation in time, or a determination of the original in the sense of "Ark". That is to say, society does not produce an infinite causal return. 2. Secondly, this is a definition in a closed space, which is also one of the characteristics of human society. History, the nationality of the first world is based on economic growth, the nationality of the third world is based on the struggle for independence. From a practical point of view, the national character of first world literature is becoming increasingly blurred, while the national character of third world literature is becoming increasingly obvious.
Identity issue
Author of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Joy Luck Club, Jungle Fever, Mississippi Masala
identity politics
As long as he emphasizes the identity of a single group and ignores the differences within the group
Identity politics can be generally understood as a phenomenon in which people fight for rights, express demands and participate in political activities based on their specific identities, such as race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, etc. For example, women may unite to fight for equal job opportunities, pay, and social status because of their gender identity; ethnic minorities may demand the elimination of racial discrimination and access to fair educational resources and social status based on their racial identity. Welfare.
Women use their female identity to carry out political activities, such as fighting for gender equality, job opportunities, etc.
conditions that determine the concept of race
1. First of all, the European Romantic movement particularly emphasized the concept of natural qualities of human existence, believing that they limited different people and established their initial rights to specific places. 2. It shows that starting from a narrow understanding of Darwin's theory, the development of biological science has broken heredity and environment, and the balance between the two has formed a new prejudice about genetic genes.
Color discrimination, black people are regarded as an inferior race Racial discrimination, discrimination against Chinese people with yellow skin
Race is a key marker of essential human difference and inequality
Black people are inferior, white people are noble
Diaspora “refers to people of a certain ethnic group being dispersed away from their homeland or distributed in different geographical areas. Some of them do so out of their own choice, and some are forced to leave.
Overseas Chinese
digital nation
The possibilities of digital citizenship or netizens may become a new form of belonging that is not limited by local gender, race or nationality.
Digital nation can be generally understood as a group of people gathered together in the digital age due to common digital technology usage habits, hobbies, or specific digital culture. It's like a small group formed because they all like to play the same video game, or a group of people who are all keen on sharing a certain type of video online. They communicate, interact and cooperate through the Internet, digital devices, etc., forming a group with unique cultural characteristics and behavioral patterns. These people may have their own digital language and digital etiquette, such as using specific terminology to communicate in games, or following certain interaction rules on social media. They find a sense of belonging in the digital world and work together to create and share digital culture.
Apple fans all over the world, Douyin bloggers all over the world
What digital people have in common
1. Generally speaking, they are knowledgeable, tolerant, fair-minded, and basically cause change. Because they are very optimistic about the future, they firmly believe that technology is a force for good and the market economy is a powerful driving force for progress. 2. They also constitute a new powerful social force that can have a considerable impact on the traditional political process. More importantly, they embody the possibility of new forms of democratic politics.
Have intellectual vision, be inclusive and equal, and follow technology constitute a powerful social force that affects traditional politics and new democracy
Rap” expresses a collective sense of anger and alienation