Structuralist Approach Literary Criticism

22. Foundational Questions for Structuralist
Criticism
1. Does the plot follow a recognizable
pattern?
2. What patterns in the text reveal its
similarities to other texts?
3. What binary oppositions (e.g., light/dark,
good/evil, old/young, masculine/feminine,
and natural/artificial, etc.) operate in the text?
4. How is each part of the binary valued?
Does the binary imply a hierarchy (e.g., is
light better than dark, is an old age more
valuable than a young age, etc.)?

23. Foundational Questions for Structuralist
Criticism
5. What dialogue or other aspects in the text
indicate how each pole of the binary is
valued?
6. Do words, dialogue, imagery, or allusions
associated with the binaries contribute to the
denigration or elevation of one part (e.g.,
light) over the other part (e.g., darkness)?