An Introduction to Literary Criticism Theory

Overview

In this part of the course, you’ll explore how language and literature work and why they matter. We’ll look closely at all kinds of texts: stories, poems, articles, ads, speeches, and more.

You’ll learn how creators use words, images, and sound to express ideas, and how you, as a reader, help create meaning from what you read, watch, or hear.

Along the way, you’ll discover:

How language can be creative and powerful
How the way a text is built affects what it means
How your own experiences and ideas shape how you interpret texts
How different texts communicate in different ways

You won’t just be identifying literary techniques but thinking about how all the pieces of a text work together to create an effect. We’ll also try out different styles of writing, from personal responses to analytical essays.

Big Questions We’ll Explore:

Why do we study language and literature?
How do texts influence us?
How is meaning created and shared?
How does language change across different types of texts?
How does a text’s form or style shape its message?
How can texts challenge us or open our minds?

The goal is to help you become a confident, curious reader and writer who understands not just what a text says, but how it works — and why it matters.

Adapted from: Language A: language and literature guide First assessment 2021

General Introduction

The Language of Politics and Advocacy

Rhetorical Analysis

A Short List of Rhetorical Devices

Michelle Obama Speeches For Analysis

The Umbrella of Irony

Analysing Political Cartoons.pdf

Sherif Arafa (Egyptian political cartoonist during the Arab Spring):

“Joking [about] something is a defense mechanism to overcome your fear towards it. If people see their leaders in cartoons, that can help to make them realize they are not gods. Cartoons break people’s fear.”

George Orwell:

“Whatever destroys dignity and brings down the mighty from their seats, preferably with a bump, is funny. And the bigger the fall, the bigger the joke.”

Angelique Haugerud:

“Humour holds a mirror up to society… Satire can be cathartic for those with little power, and it can help to build solidarity.”

Wylie Sypher:

“To be able to laugh at evil and error means we have surmounted them.”

Molly Ivins:

“Satire is traditionally the weapon of the powerless against the powerful.”

Ricky Gervais:

“I think the job of a comedian is to make people laugh, but also challenge them to laugh at things they didn’t know they could until now.”

“People confuse the subject of the joke with the target of the joke, and they're very rarely the same.”

“If you can’t joke about the most horrendous things in the world, what’s the point of jokes? What’s the point in having humour? Humour is to get us over terrible things.”