Literary Theory and Methodology

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Literary Theory and Methodology

• Session One Theory Before Theory

2
Agenda

• The course website
• Literary Theory and Your BA
• Literary Theory and Methodology

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The Course Website

• http//www.hum.aau.dk/i12jk/jenskirk/undervisning
  smappe/teori07-08/programme.htm
• The programme and Jakobsons communication model

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Six Factors of Verbal Communication

• Roman Jakobson, Linguistics and Poetics

context Addresser message addressee contac
t code
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Six Functions of Verbal Communication

• Roman Jakobson, Linguistics and Poetics

Referential Emotive poetic conative phatic
metalingual
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Literary Theory and Your BA

• 1st and 2nd semesters Textanalysis and history
• 3rd and 4th semesters Literary theory and
  Methodology
• 4th semester Literature and Media Studies
  project (emnestudie 5)
• 5th semester BA-project
• Links to course websites remain active

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Literary Theory and Methodology

• What is theory?
• What is literature?
• What is methodology?

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Questions for Students (five min.)

• What is literature? What is not literature? What
  are the distinctive features of literature (if
  any)
• Why study (read) literature? Why not? Why is
  literature (not) important? Whatts the point of
  literature?
• How do we read literature? Is there a specific
  way of reading literature as opposed to
  non-literary texts?
• When do we (not) read literature?

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What is Theory?

• Theory concerns assumptions, unspoken ideas, and
  silent understandings that govern our practice
  meaning and value
• Example The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

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The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

• "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard,
  and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not
  find any. So he said to the man who took care of
  the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been
  coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and
  haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use
  up the soil?' " 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it
  alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it
  and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year,
  fine! If not, then cut it down.' " (Luke 136-9)

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What is Literature?

• Narrow sense The best examples of prose fiction,
  poetry, and drama. Genre and value specificity
  (the canon)
• Broad sense examples of fictional and
  non-fictional writing. Media specificity.
• Broadest sense any kind of text in any genre or
  medium (images, video, film music, computer
  games, etc.)

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What is Methodology?

• A set of explicit guidelines or procedures for
  reading and interpreting texts
• Approaches to texts
• Manners of reading
• Theory specificity