Etymoloy of Agency in Literary Theory
The term “agency” in literary theory is derived from the Latin word agens, meaning “acting” or “doing.” The concept of agency refers to the capacity of individuals or groups to act independently and make choices that influence their own lives and the world around them.
The term entered English in the mid-17th century and was originally used in the context of law, referring to the authority granted to an individual or group to act on behalf of another. In literary criticism, agency is used to describe the ways in which characters in a text exert their own will and make choices that shape the course of events.
The concept of agency is central to literary theory and various critical approaches, including feminist and postcolonial theory, which seek to explore the ways in which marginalized groups exercise agency in the face of systemic oppression.
Meanings of Agency in Literary Theory
| Context | Definition and Application |
| General Definition | It refers to the capacity of individuals or groups to act independently. It involves making choices that impact their lives and the world around them. |
| Psychological Perspective | Agency in psychology relates to an individual’s sense of control over their behavior. It also includes the ability to influence the outcomes of their actions. |
| Sociological Notion | In sociology, agency describes the power of individuals or groups. It enables them to challenge or resist social norms and structures. |
| Business Context | In business, agency denotes the relationship between a principal and an agent. The agent acts on behalf of the principal, representing their interests. |
| Literary Criticism Application | In literary criticism, agency refers to how characters in a text exert their will. Characters make choices that shape the course of events in the narrative. |
| Multifaceted Concept | The concept of agency is versatile and can be applied in various fields and contexts. |
Theorists on Agency
| Theorist | Key Work | Key Concepts |
| Judith Butler | Gender Trouble (1990) | – Gender as performance. – Agency to challenge gender norms. – Gender identity as constituted through repeated acts. |
| Edward Said | Orientalism (1978) | – Western construction of an exotic and inferior image of the East. – Agency to challenge and resist these constructions. – Assertion of autonomy against Western hegemony. |
| Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak | Can the Subaltern Speak? (1988) | – Silencing and exclusion of colonized peoples from discourse. – Advocacy for giving voice to subaltern groups. – Recognition of hidden agency within subaltern groups. |
| Louis Althusser | Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses (1970) | – Examination of ideology’s role in reproducing social and economic structures. – Concept of interpellation into subject positions. – Limited agency due to pervasive ideology. |
| Michel Foucault | Discipline and Punish (1975) | – Analysis of power through discipline and surveillance in modern society. – Acknowledgment of individual agency to resist power techniques. – Emphasis on the entanglement of agency with power relations. |
Use of Agency in Different Literary Theories
| Literary Theory | Key Points |
| Feminist Theory | – Central role of agency in feminist literary criticism. – Examines how female characters exercise agency in a patriarchal society. – Explores the denial of agency to women and their struggles to gain it in a limiting environment. |
| Postcolonial Theory | – In postcolonial literary criticism, agency describes how colonized peoples resist colonial power. – Explores how formerly colonized groups assert autonomy and challenge dominant colonial narratives. |
| Marxist Theory | – Marxist literary critics use agency to analyze how characters are shaped by social and economic contexts. – Examines characters’ constraints due to class and economic factors. – Explores how characters may use agency to challenge these constraints and work toward social change. |
| Psychoanalytic Theory | – In psychoanalytic literary criticism, agency relates to the ego and an individual’s sense of self. – Analyzes how characters’ actions reflect their desires and fears. – Explores how agency is influenced by unconscious factors. |
| Reader-Response Theory | – Reader-response theory views agency as shared between the reader and the text. – Sees readers as active agents who bring interpretations and responses to a text. – Reader agency shapes the meaning of the text itself. |
| Structuralist Theory | – Focuses on the structure of a text rather than individual agency. – Analyzes how elements within a text, such as language and symbols, interact to create meaning. – Downplays individual interpretation in favor of identifying universal structures. |
| Deconstructionist Theory | – Deconstructionist theory challenges the idea of fixed meanings in texts. – Emphasizes that texts contain inherent contradictions and ambiguities. – Encourages readers to engage with texts critically and recognize the instability of language. |
| Queer Theory | – Queer theory explores how sexuality and identity intersect in literature. – Challenges heteronormative narratives and highlights fluidity and diversity in sexual orientations and gender identities. – Examines how characters and texts can subvert normative sexual and gender roles. |
Examples of Agency in Literature
| Literary Work | Character | Exercise of Agency and Its Impact |
| To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee | Scout Finch | – Scout challenges racial prejudices in her community. – She stands up for what she believes is right. – By questioning societal norms, she asserts her identity. – Scout emerges as a moral force for change and helps challenge and dismantle systemic racism in her community. |
| “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman | Narrator | – The narrator resists patriarchal norms. – She asserts her identity in oppressive circumstances. – Through writing, she demonstrates the power of agency in the face of societal constraints. – The exercise of agency highlights the individual’s struggle against oppressive norms and the potential for empowerment through self-expression. |
| “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot | J. Alfred Prufrock | – Prufrock exercises agency through introspective exploration. – He confronts personal fears and insecurities. – Gains deeper self-understanding, even as he realizes the limitations of his agency. – Prufrock’s self-reflection demonstrates the potential for personal growth and understanding through the exercise of agency, even when it reveals the limits of control. |
| The Tempest by William Shakespeare | Prospero | – Prospero utilizes magic and manipulation of other characters. – He achieves personal goals through agency and restores order to the world. – However, his actions can be seen as controlling and oppressive, raising ethical questions about power. – Prospero’s exercise of agency is complex, achieving his goals while also raising ethical questions about control and power. |
| The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins | Katniss Everdeen | – Katniss resists the Capitol’s oppression and fights for her survival and that of her fellow tributes. – She becomes a symbol of resistance and exercises agency in the face of authoritarian control. – Katniss exemplifies how agency empowers individuals to resist oppression and become symbols of defiance and rebellion. |
| “The Waste Land” by T.S. Eliot | Multiple characters and voices | – The poem explores constraints imposed by social and cultural norms. – It suggests agency through interpretation and creation, with its fragmented structure implying agency in finding meaning. – The poem reflects agency in a chaotic world, where interpretation and creation offer empowerment and meaning even amid disorder. |
| The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde | Various characters | – Characters use wit and subterfuge to navigate Victorian social conventions. – They achieve personal desires through clever maneuvering. – By challenging the authority of the ruling class, they suggest agency within societal norms. – The characters’ use of agency to navigate societal norms challenges traditional power structures and underscores the potential for individual empowerment even within the constraints of social expectations. |
Suggesting Readings
- Abrams, M. H. The Mirror and the Lamp: Romantic Theory and the Critical Tradition. Oxford University Press, 1971.
- Butler, Judith. Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of “Sex”. Routledge, 1993.
- Eagleton, Terry. Literary Theory: An Introduction. Blackwell, 2008.
- Foucault, Michel. The Birth of the Clinic: An Archaeology of Medical Perception. Vintage Books, 1994.
- Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination. Yale University Press, 2000.
- Said, Edward W. Orientalism. Vintage Books, 1979.
- Woolf, Virginia. A Room of One’s Own. Penguin Classics, 2002.
- Young, Iris Marion. On Female Body Experience: “Throwing Like a Girl” and Other Essays. Oxford University Press, 2005.
- Zizek, Slavoj. The Sublime Object of Ideology. Verso, 1989.
