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Critical Approaches in Literature: 21 CLPW Handout Q2.L1

The document provides information on analyzing literature through a linguistic approach. It defines key linguistic concepts like syntax and discusses strategies for analyzing a text's diction, figurative language, tone, and structure. It also provides guiding questions to help analyze prominent words, literary devices, themes, and how language conveys meaning. The document includes a sample analysis of a poem applying the linguistic approach by examining its rhyme scheme, symbolism, and deeper meanings.

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Jhay Lorraine Sadian Palacpac
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62 views3 pages

Critical Approaches in Literature: 21 CLPW Handout Q2.L1

The document provides information on analyzing literature through a linguistic approach. It defines key linguistic concepts like syntax and discusses strategies for analyzing a text's diction, figurative language, tone, and structure. It also provides guiding questions to help analyze prominent words, literary devices, themes, and how language conveys meaning. The document includes a sample analysis of a poem applying the linguistic approach by examining its rhyme scheme, symbolism, and deeper meanings.

Uploaded by

Jhay Lorraine Sadian Palacpac
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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21st CLPW Handout Q2.

L1

critical approaches in literature


Linguistic is
Linguistic Approach is defined purely in of relating to
terms of what follows or what precedes a language or
particular segment that is undergoing a the study of
language.
sound change. It is a discourse that
surrounds a language unit and helps to Syntax is
determine its interpretation. It is the the study of
approach within the discourse, that is, the how
linguistic
relationship between the words, phrases, elements
sentences and even paragraphs. form
phrases,
The following are some strategies you may use to read a text through the clauses, or
linguistic approach. sentences.
 Analyze the diction or choice of words in the text.
 Examine the texts’ syntax or use of sentences, clauses, phrases, line cuts, etc.
 Observe the use of figurative language.
 Analyze the mood and tone of the text.
 Observe the text’s overall structure.
 Analyze the content of the text.

Here are guide questions that may help you when you read literature
through the linguistic approach.
 What were the striking words in the text? What words were unfamiliar to you?
Which words attracted your attention? What words were dramatic?
 What nouns are the most prominent? Are these concrete or abstract nouns?
 What about verbs? Does the author use common words or lofty diction? Are the
words short or long? Is there any word that has two or more meanings?
 Are the sentences in the usual order of subject-predicate? What are the
dependent clauses? What are the independent clauses? If you restructure a
sentence or a phrase, would it make a difference? Is the voice active or passive?
Is there a rhythm in the sentence structure in relation to the length of the
sentences or lines?
 What literary devices are used? Are there images? Do those images stand for
anything aside from their literal meaning?
 What is the tone? Is the speaker happy about the subject? Is the tone negative or
positive?
 What is the structure of the text? Is it a narrative? Is it linear or nonlinear? What
is the point of view of the text? Is it a poem? What type of poem is it?
 Does the language help in delivering and understanding its content? Is there a
theme? What is it saying about its subject matter? How do the literary elements
contribute to the effectiveness of the text?
 What is the text saying about the world in general?
You may use these literary approaches that focus on language.
Structuralism relays the texts being examined to a
larger structure. The structure may be a particular
genre, a range of intertextual connections, a model
Structuralism
of a universal narrative structure, or a system of
recurrent patterns or motifs.

Formalism is a school of literary criticism and


Formalism literary theory that focuses on the structure of a
(New particular text. It examines a text without taking
Criticism) into account any outside influence.

Poststructuralism is the reaction to structuralism.


In the linguistic context, there may be underlying
Post structures that may have different interpretations
Structuralism based on how the words or phrases were used in the
text.

Sample Literary Analysis Using Linguistic Approach


First, A Poem Must Be Magical
by Jose Garcia Villa

1 First, a poem must be magical,


2 Then musical as a seagull.
3 It must be a brightness moving
4 And hold secret a bird’s flowering
5 It must be slender as a bell,
6 And it must hold fire as well.
7 It must have the wisdom of bows
8 And it must kneel like a rose.
9 It must be able to hear
10 The luminance of dove and deer.
11 It must be able to hide
12 What it seeks, like a bride.
13 And over all I would like to hover
14 God, smiling from the poem’s cover.
Analysis on Villa’s Poem First, A Poem Must Be Magical

The poem titled “First, A Poem Must Be Magical” written by the Comma Poet Jose
Garcia Villa is a sonnet, a 14-lined poem, with rhyme scheme of aabbccddeeffgg. This
poem generally talks about how a poem should be.
The 1st line and the 2nd line suggest that a poem must have magic and music.
The “musical as a seagull” uses simile which signifies that a poem must have melody
and rhythm. The “seagull”, a large bird that usually leaves near the ocean, symbolizes
the sound created by a poem.
The “brightness moving” in the 3rd line signifies the clarity of the poem. However,
this clarity is moving that leads to different interpretations. The 4 th line reveals that a
poem holds a secret.
The 5th line “It must be slender as a bell” uses simile that shows the visual
structure of a poem. The word slender signifies the brevity of the poem. Despite its
briefness, it is compared to a bell that creates sound that can catch attention. The word
“fire” in the 6th line supports the “brightness moving” in the 3rd line which symbolizes a
poem’s ability to boost emotion and spirit of any reader.
The 7th line tells that a poem must have its own purpose. The “wisdom of bows”
implies that a poem must be focused to its subject matter and it must hit its right spot
just like a bow that always hits its target. The 8th line uses simile that associates a poem
to a rose. The word “rose” symbolizes beauty which suggests that poem has its own
loveliness. Despite its own beauty, it must kneel that represents the humility of the
poem.
The 9th line and the 10th line indicate the power of a poem. The “hear the
luminance” uses oxymoron since luminance is sensed through the eyes. The word
“luminance” may imply hope, vision, peace, or goodness since the “dove” and the “dear”
are symbolisms of peace and hope.
The 11th line and the 12th line reveal that a poem has a secret which is initially
stated in the 4th line. This secret denotes that a poem must not be literal. It should not
directly state its meaning and it should let the readers know it by themselves, which by
reading between the lines or analyzing it deeply will lead them to understanding what
the poem really means.
The last two lines suggest that a poem must be something that even God is happy
about.
Villa’s poem is a good basis of creating a poem. It characterizes how a poem
should look like and what it should be.

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