Literary criticism.

2. ABOUT THE AUTHORABOUT THE AUTHOR

3. Roman Osipovich Jakobson (October 11, 1896 - July 18, 1982) was a Russian thinker who
became one of the most influential linguists of the twentieth century by pioneering the
development of structural analysis of language, poetry, and art. Jakobson was one of the most
important intellectuals in the humanities during the twentieth century. He began as one of the
founding members of the Moscow Linguistic Circle, which was one of two groups responsible for the
development of Russian Formalism, which influenced the entire field of literary criticism. Jakobson
then moved to Prague, where he helped to form the Prague Linguistic Circle, which helped to
influence the development of structuralism, one of the dominant movements in the humanities and
social sciences of the era. Perhaps Jakobson's most enduring contribution was his development of
the model of the communication theory of language based on his delineation of language functions.
Roman Osipovich Jakobson (October 11, 1896 - July 18, 1982) was a Russian thinker who
became one of the most influential linguists of the twentieth century by pioneering the
development of structural analysis of language, poetry, and art. Jakobson was one of the most
important intellectuals in the humanities during the twentieth century. He began as one of the
founding members of the Moscow Linguistic Circle, which was one of two groups responsible for the
development of Russian Formalism, which influenced the entire field of literary criticism. Jakobson
then moved to Prague, where he helped to form the Prague Linguistic Circle, which helped to
influence the development of structuralism, one of the dominant movements in the humanities and
social sciences of the era. Perhaps Jakobson's most enduring contribution was his development of
the model of the communication theory of language based on his delineation of language functions.

4. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
ABOUT FORMALIST CRITICISM
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
ABOUT FORMALIST CRITICISM

5. IN LITERARY
CRITICISM, WHAT
IS FORMALISM?
IN LITERARY
CRITICISM, WHAT
IS FORMALISM?

6. - refers to critical approaches that
analyze, interpret, or evaluate the
inherent features of a text. These
features include not only grammar and
syntax but also literary devices such as
meter and tropes.

7. The formalist approach reduces the importance of a text’s
historical, biographical, and cultural context.
The formalist approach reduces the importance of a text’s
historical, biographical, and cultural context.
Formalism rose to prominence in the early twentieth
century as a reaction against Romanticist theories of literature,
which centered on the artist and individual creative genius, and
instead placed the text itself back into the spotlight, to show how
the text was indebted to forms and other works that had
preceded it. Two schools of formalist literary criticism developed,
Russian formalism, and soon after Anglo-American New Criticism.

8. Formalism was the dominant mode of academic literary study
in the US at least from the end of the Second World War through the
1970s, especially as embodied in René Wellek and Austin Warren's
Theory of Literature (1948, 1955, 1962).
Formalism was the dominant mode of academic literary study
in the US at least from the end of the Second World War through the
1970s, especially as embodied in René Wellek and Austin Warren's
Theory of Literature (1948, 1955, 1962).

9. Beginning in the late 1970s, formalism was substantially
displaced by various approaches (often with political aims or
assumptions) that were suspicious of the idea that a literary work
could be separated from its origins or uses.
Beginning in the late 1970s, formalism was substantially
displaced by various approaches (often with political aims or
assumptions) that were suspicious of the idea that a literary work
could be separated from its origins or uses.
The term has often had a pejorative cast and has been used by
opponents to indicate either aridity or ideological deviance.
The term has often had a pejorative cast and has been used by
opponents to indicate either aridity or ideological deviance.

10. TENETS OF FORMALIST CRITICISMTENETS OF FORMALIST CRITICISM

11. The form of a work of literature is inherently apart of its content,
and that the attempt to separate the two is fallacious. By focusing on
literary form and excluding superfluous contexts, Formalists believed that
it would be possible to trace the evolution and development of literary
forms, and thus, literature itself.
Formalism is a philosophical theory of the foundations of
mathematics that had a spectacular but brief heyday in the
1920s.Foundations : The Linguistic Turn (Russian; defamiliarization) The
Cultural Turn (New Criticism; Human liberalism).
Formalist thoughts:

12. Formalist theory has dominated the American literary
scene for most of the twentieth century, and it has retained its
great influence in many academic quarters. Its practitioners
advocate methodical and systematic readings of texts.

13. KEY WORDS

14. SYNTA
X
SYNTA
X
APPOSITIV
E
APPOSITIV
E
SIMILE
SIMILE
METAPHO
R
METAPHO
R
DICTIO
N
DICTIO
N
IRONYIRONY
IMAGER
Y
IMAGER
Y
PERSONIFICATIO
N
PERSONIFICATIO
N
FORESHADOWIN
GFORESHADOWIN
G

15. Why do authors use
this criticism?
Why do authors use
this criticism?

16. Formalist critics use individual
parts of the text, the characters, the
settings, the tone, the point of view, the
diction, and all other elements of the text
to give meaning to the text in a more
literal way.
Formalist critics use individual
parts of the text, the characters, the
settings, the tone, the point of view, the
diction, and all other elements of the text
to give meaning to the text in a more
literal way.

17. STRENGTHS OF FORMALISMSTRENGTHS OF FORMALISM

18. Makes a Science of Literary Criticism
Viable Method enables a Professional Discipline
Develops "Close-Reading" skills
Basis for other language-centered theories
Great for analyzing poetry
Well-known approach
Readily applied informally
S
T
R
E
N
G
T
H
S

19. WEAKNESSES OF
FORMALISM

20. W
E
A
K
N
E
S
S
E
S
Seen as incomplete now
Ignores:
Historical Aspects
Moral Aspects
Production / Reception
Psychological Aspects
Gender Aspects
Not applied easily to long forms
Similarity of Conclusions
Criticism always inferior to the object it studies

21. THE SEVEN AGES OF MAN
By William Shakespeare
THE SEVEN AGES OF MAN
By William Shakespeare

22. THE SEVEN AGES OF MAN
By: William Shakespeare
THE SEVEN AGES OF MAN
By: William Shakespeare