Birth of Literary Theory
Despite having roots in the classical Greece literary tradition, literary theory owes much to the modern world for its emergence. Most literary theorists are consensual about the emergence in the 50s and 60s when a structuralist, Ferdinand de Saussure, started impacting literary criticism. Some others, however, claim that it was the German higher criticism of hermeneutics that led to theoretical criticism of literature. This was a scriptural interpretation of the biblical tales with narratives from other religious cultures or theologies which led to the emergence of “structuralism” and then “new historicism.” Specifically, after the introduction of these theoretical concepts, French cultural critics and sociologists came forward with new aspects and theoretical dimensions. During that time, a French critic, Charles Augustin, asserted that the biographical details of a writer are essential for the interpretations of their works. Marcel Proust, another French writer, lashed out at him, rejecting his claims altogether. Roland Barthes, then, contended it with his popular “Death of the Author” to which various authors and critics refuted and seconded during the second half of the twentieth century. This is perhaps the beginning of the emergence of literary theory. Friedrich Nietzsche was the second to impact the landscape of theory.
Nietzsche and Literary Theory
Nietzschean epistemological suspicion led many of his successors to doubt the very facts and their interpretation, leading to the emergence of various schools and theories including skepticism, absurdism, or existentialism. Specifically, his argument that heaven was a place full of ideas led several thinkers to question his argument, giving rise to skepticism and even more commentary upon morality, truth, power, and the very meaning of life. That is why his impact on it is tremendous as he has commented upon every other aspect of life that falls under theory and consequently under theory.
Russian Formalism as a Literary Theory
On the other hand, Russian formalists, too, were at the forefront, bringing in-depth transformations in theory and its application in literature. The teaching of literature at Yale, Cornell, and Johns Hopkins also contributed to this meaning making drive through the application of theory. And it became the catchword in the west by the end of the 80s.
Proliferation of Theory and Literary Theory
It has now become popular in third world academies and has gripped the minds of literary critics as well as writers and experts in other areas of social sciences, specifically international relations, marketing, and advertising. In fact, literary theory has never been as relevant as it is today when communication has witnessed transformation due to the arrival of the internet and fast communication platforms as a slight cultural change in one part of the world creates ripples across the globe. And it is interesting that even literary theories of the yore era are still relevant as stated by Chris Long in his article “A Brief History of Literary Theory.”
Christ Long on Literary Theory
Christ Long’s article states one thing that it has always been there. Only the quest started during the previous century. Chris Long states that the movement for finding real meanings has started with the author and moved toward the reader giving birth to different theories until Derrida announced the death of the author and termed text everything. However, this is not all, for the reader is also there as Fish’s theoretical lens radically altered it, putting the reader at the center. From there to onward, literary theory has become part and parcel of literary criticism, explication, and explanation process. The journey from the author to the text and the reader, then, entered the communities and cultures, giving birth to a host of other literary theories, canons, tropes, isms, ideas, and approaches.
Exact Date of Birth of Literary Theory
However, there is no exact date when, say, a university department has announced that it is going to launch it. In fact, its emergence has been gradual, encompassing classical, medieval, neo-classical, and then global ideas to give birth to a holistic term of literary theory where authors, philosophers, critics, and writers from across the globe have their ideas mixed up to draw out generalizations about eras and cultural spaces.
Suggested Readings
- Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly guide. Routledge, 2014. Print.
- Waugh, Patricia, ed. Literary Theory and Criticism: An Oxford Guide. Oxford University Press on Demand, 2006. Print.
