Etymology and Meanings of “New Historicism” Literary Theory
The literary theory, new historicism, comprises two words “new” and “historicism.” As new means something that is just coming, historicism is a theoretical concept that takes history into account when analyzing a social or cultural phenomenon. In other words, new historicism means that when critiquing narratives or poetry, or any literary text, the idea is to attribute the importance of that space and time when the text was written. It also means the historicity of the texts, relating them to different ideas of the topicality in which they have been written and appeared. It could also be stated that a book looked upon from the point of new historicism or new historicism criticism means taking into account the ideas, ideology, and cultural mores of that time.
Definition of “New Historicism” Literary Theory
New historicism could be defined as a conceptual framework or an approach in which a literary text is critiqued, interpreted, and analyzed within its given contextual history, cultural environment, and situation.
Origin of “New Historicism” Literary Theory
As a literary theory, New Historicism has appeared during the decade of the 50s. In its initial phase, it was also called cultural poetics. During the 80s, it became further popular through the points raised by Stephen Greenblat who is stated as the inventor of the term, historicism.
Principles of “New Historicism” Literary Theory
- As texts comprise acts performed by characters, they have material dynamics that become motives for the actions or acts.
- The uncovering of these dynamics or acts means to either conform to them or condemn them. This means that every act whether it is a performance act, or an act of uncovering has also a motive behind it.
- Literature does not exist without culturally ideological impacts. Therefore, no literary texts exist in isolation.
- Social boundaries do not exist neither social acts provide access to universal truths or permanent features of human nature.
- Literary texts show the culture thriving under capitalism and that language is apt to discuss the current economic phenomenon.
- A literary text has a context, history, and historical consciousness, providing context and learning to readers.
Criticism Against “New Historicism” Literary Theory
Some arguments put forward against New Historicism literary theory include;
- All fields of knowledge or epistemological categories are contaminated.
- A text is not just limited to age, environment, or social structure. It often crosses boundaries and locates itself in some other historical period, achieving universality.
- The meanings of texts are not fixed; they are always fluid and dependent on several factors other than history.
- It is just a desire to make history more democratic and normatively inclusive that is not possible.
Examples of “New Historicism” Literary Theory
Example # 1
From Animal Farm by George Orwell
“But is this simply part of the order of nature? Is it because this land of ours is so poor that it cannot afford a decent life to those who dwell upon it? No, comrades, a thousand times no! The soil of England is fertile, its climate is good, it is capable of affording food in abundance
to an enormously greater number of animals than now inhabit it. This single farm of ours would support a dozen horses, twenty cows, hundreds of sheep-and all of them living in a comfort and a dignity that are now almost beyond our imagining. Why then do we continue in this miserable condition?
Because nearly the whole of the produce of our labour is stolen from us by human beings. There, comrades, is the answer to all our problems. It is summed up in a single word-Man. Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene, and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished forever.
If this text from Animal Farm by George Orwell is looked at from a New Historicistic perspective, its interpretation would be the same as has been done by other critics. This is an allegorical one in that Old Major is Karal Marx and he is discussing the social conditions where economics play an important part as man represents the bourgeois class and the rest are the proletariat. Although this relates to Marxism, it is the existing interpretations based on allegorical understanding.
Example # 2
From The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Now Antanas Rudkus was the meekest man that God ever put on earth; and so Jurgis found it a striking confirmation of what the men all said, that his father had been at work only two days before he came home as bitter as any of them, and cursing Durham’s with all the power of his soul. For they had set him to cleaning out the traps; and the family sat round and listened in wonder while he told them what that meant.
Although this story is set in the simple perspective of migration, it also shows how the US idea of a melting pot has melted the immigrants. At that time, it was a much publicized idea but the text also shows the capitalistic exploitations that the immigrants have had to undergo in the tight-knit and rule-based society of the United States.
Example # 3
From A Raisin in The Sun by Hansberry Lorraine
MAMA: I ain’t meddling—(Underbreath; busy-bodyish) I just noticed all last week he had cold cereal, and when it starts getting this chilly in the fall a child ought to have some hot grits or something when he goes out in the cold—
RUTH: (Furious) I gave him hot oats—is that all right!
This conversation occurs in the play of Hansberry. Mama and Ruth are talking to each to each other. The topicality of the issue is that African Americans are now getting some share of the prosperity and thinking on civilized and cultured lines of saving the next generation from the current discriminatory hell.
Example # 4
From “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift
It is a melancholyobject to those, who walk through this great town, or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads and cabbin-doors crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms. These mothers instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in stroling to beg sustenancefor their helpless infants who, as they grow up, either turn thieves for want of work, or leave their dear native country, to fight for the Pretender in Spain, or sell themselves to the Barbadoes.
This is an extract from “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift. If seen from a New Historicist perspective, this text is related to that age when children did not have much significance in the eyes of the government functionaries. Therefore, this sarcasm is directed at the government of those times. It has nothing to do with this age.
Example # 5
From Night by Elie Wiesel
My father was a cultured man, rather unsentimental. He rarely displayed his feelings, not even within his family, and was more involved with the welfare of others than with that of his own kin. The Jewish community of Sighet held him in highest esteem; his advice on public and even private matters was frequently sought. There were four of us children. Hilda, the
eldest; then Bea; I was the third and the only son; Tzipora was the youngest. My parents ran a store. Hilda and Bea helped with the work. As for me, my place was in the house of study, or so they said.
These words of Elie Wiesel show the text and its relation to the Holocaust as well as the Nazi oppression. Although it could be linked to any other such event in the world, it is only related to the Holocaust and has nothing to do with the current complications of realities.
Keywords in New Historicism Literary Theory
Historicism, materialism, cultural materialism, circulation, containment, context, contextual study, body politic, appropriation, expropriation, hegemony, ideology, epistemology, liminal, power, textuality, subversion
Suggested Readings
- Bertens, Hans. Literary Theory: The Basics. Routledge, 2012. Print.
- Gallagher, Catherine, and Stephen Greenblatt. Practicing New Historicism. University of Chicago Press, 2000. Print.
- Bourdieu, Pierre. Outline of a Theory of Practice. Duke University Press, 2007. Print. Greenblatt, Stephen. Renaissance Self-fashioning: from More to Shakespeare. University of Chicago Press, 2012. Print.
Suggested read: Russian Formalism as a Literary Theory