The Anatomy Of Criticism By Northrop Frye - 991 Words

Structuralism’s overriding focus is an aspiration to be an objective, almost scientific, analysis of literary texts. In The Anatomy of Criticism, Northrop Frye explains that myths and binary pairs in opposition are a significant class of structural elements of literature that give meaning, both in a fixed and relational manner. In particular, he voices, â€Å"Shakespeare s type of romantic comedy follows a tradition established by Peele and developed by Greene and Lyly†¦ We may call it the drama of the green world, its plot being assimilated to the ritual theme of the triumph of life and love over the waste land† (Frye). This structuralist approach is crucial to analyzing Shakespeare s comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream. One finds that the play revolves around many different pairs of oppositions, in particular that of the court and the forest. Analyzing the play with this structuralist point of view underscores the archetypal qualities of the court (the real w orld) and the forest and provides a deep contrast between both mythic locations. A Midsummer Night’s Dream begins in the real world: a world governed by the laws of the time in Athens. Theseus, as the ruler of Athens, embodies law and authority in the mortal realm and enforces the law and order that rule the Athethian court. Theseus enforces these rules at the beginning of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with an iron first. Firstly, under the law, Theseus declares he will marry Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons, as a spoil ofShow MoreRelated Anatomy of Criticism Essay example1249 Words   |  5 PagesAnatomy of Criticism  Ã‚   Introduction In his Anatomy of Criticism, Northrop Frye offers a complex theory that aspires to describe a unifying system for literary criticism. It can be argued, however, that in attempting to delineate such an all-inclusive structure, Fryes system eliminates identity in literature. The present essay takes up this argument and offers examples of how identity is precluded by Fryes system as outlined in Anatomy of Criticism. Structure Vs. Identity In Fryes systemRead MoreArchetypal Literary Criticism Essay1614 Words   |  7 Pages In Literary Criticism, there is an idea that believes that Archetypes make up literature’s meaning. The concept of Archetypes in literature has been the subject of extensive examination in Literary Criticism. â€Å"Criticism can be broken down into two broad categories: evaluative and interpretive† (Gardner 1287). The criticism is based on Literary Theory, which is composed of ideas that help interpret, and analyze literature. Everything in literature has a meaning, and many different people cameRead MoreVictor Frankenstein: a Tragic Hero Essay759 Words   |  4 PagesCritic Northrop Frye once commented that Tragic heroes are so much the highest points in their human landscapes (Frye 1). Few characters illustrate this characteristic of a tragic hero better than that of Victors Frankenstein, the protagonist of Mary Shelleys Frankenstein. His story is one of a brilliant man whose revolutionary ideas brought suffering to himself, his family and friends, and his creation. Victor is an instrument as well as a victim to this suffering throughout his story. FromRead More Definition Essay - Genre1750 Words   |  7 Pagesgenre in terms of both convention and historical observation, and defines genre in terms of both convention and purpose. In Anatomy of Criticism (1957) Northrop Frye wrote, We discover that the critical theory of genre is stuck precisely where Aristotle left it. The very word genre sticks out in an English sentence as the unpronounceable and alien thing it is (Frye, 13). It is a French word imported directly into the English language, derived from the Latin genus (the stem is gener-), itselfRead More The Romance of Travel Essay examples1504 Words   |  7 PagesThe Romance of Travel Romance, as it confirms human agency with regards to understanding the world and organizing ones existence, is an enabling genre. Northrop Frye identifies romance in its questing, adventurous, persistently nostalgic, and perennially child-like quality as the nearest of all literary forms to the wish-fulfillment dream (186). Arguably, many of the texts that we have examined over the course of the term can be understood as (more or less) participating in the affirmativeRead MoreThe Educated Imagination3194 Words   |  13 PagesStudy Guide for The Educated Imagination Northrop Frye (1912-1991) read his  Massey Lectures  over the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC radio) in 1962. First published by Indiana University Press in 1964, the six lectures present key concepts from Frye’s  Anatomy of Criticism: Four Essays  (Princeton University Press, 1957). Chapter One. â€Å"The Motive for Metaphor.† Frye begins by exploring the relation of language and literature. â€Å"What is the relation of English as the mother tongue to EnglishRead MoreIntentional Melodrama Forms in Brechts The Jewish Wife Essay1159 Words   |  5 Pagesdramatic revolutionary and cynic of all things contrived found promise in the melodramatic presentation. Brecht examined and manipulated the various superficial and spectacular aspects of theatre, establishing a synthesis of entertainment and social criticism as his fundamental goal. Bertolt Brecht employs various facets of melodramatic technique in The Jewish Wife, ultimately reconfiguring the genre and conveying his central theme; a society rendered immobile at the will of a totalitarian regime. Read More Archetypes in John Keats La Belle Dame Sans Merci: A Ballad1393 Words   |  6 PagesBelle Dame sans Merci: A Ballad,† Keats uses various archetypes which provide added meaning and depth to this work of literature. The archetype may be defined as â€Å"the original model from which something is developed or made; in literary criticism, those images, figures, character types, settings, and story patterns that†¦are universally shared by people across cultures† (Murfin and Ray 29). Analytical psychologist Carl Jung believes that archetypes are â€Å"embedded deep in humanity’s collectiveRead MoreArchetypal Criticism in The Road by Cormac McCarthy Essay1643 Words   |  7 PagesArchetypal criticism follows a basic rule of categorizing or relating any work of literature into a set framework. It works from a subjective basis, it is used to determine and grasp the ideas of universal truths messages through literary work. The universal truths and messages are determined by identifying patterns like character types, storylines, settings, symbols. The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a novel that accurately exemplifies the principles of archetypal criticism. This narrative accountR ead MoreThe Glorious Faculty: a Critical Analysis of Addison’s Theory of Imagination in ‘the Pleasures of Imagination’2701 Words   |  11 PagesAddison’s contributions in opening up a new vista of criticism can be recognized. The intention of this term paper is to re-instate the critical relevance of Addison’s theory of Imagination not just in the light of other critiques of Imagination, in terms of its individualistic fervor also. As a man of the Eighteenth century, the Age of Prose and Reason, Addison dared to go against the wind and delved into a different school of thought and criticism. While the others were busy in criticizing the social