Literary Criticism Midterm

Republic of the Philippines
Commission on Higher Education

CONCEPCION HOLY CROSS COLLEGE INC.
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
First Semester 2022-2022
Name: Quiambao, Patricia Mae M. Date: November , 2022

Course: BSED English 3B Subject: Literary Criticism
A. New Humanism
Definition of New Humanism
The new humanism therefore advocates the social inclusion of every human being at all levels of
society and underlines the transformative power of education, sciences, culture and
communications. New Humanism re-asserts the. sovereignty of man. It accepts the worth of
moral and spiritual. freedom, reason and ethics, it looks beyond nationalism. New Humanists
refused to accept deterministic views of human nature New Humanism, critical movement in the
United States between 1910 and 1930, based on the literary and social theories of the English
poet and critic Matthew Arnold, who sought to recapture the moral quality of past civilizations
the best that has been thought and said in an age of industrialization, materialism, and relativism.
Purpose of the New Humanism
New humanism therefore advocates the social inclusion of every human being at all levels of
society and underlines the transformative power of education, sciences, culture and
communications.
B. Psychological Realism
Definition of Psychological Realism
Psychological realism is an artistic method of feeling, experiencing and contemplating reality
with the minds of characters. Psychological realism is a literary genre that came to prominence in
the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It's a highly character-driven genre of fiction writing, as it
focuses on the motivations and internal thoughts of characters. In literature, psychological fiction
(also psychological realism) is a narrative genre that emphasizes interior characterization and
motivation to explore the spiritual, emotional, and mental lives of the characters. Experience and
contemplation become a bridge between the mind and reality, reality becomes a spiritual reality
full of subjective emotional experience of the characters, and the mind and reality maintain a
close connection. Related to this, a series of unique expression methods of psychological realism
have been formed. Although psychological realism is very similar to modernism in appearance,
it is still realism in essence.
Examples of Psychological Realism.
 Crime and Punishment by Fydor Dostoevsky
This novel is one of the best-known examples of psychological realism. The novel focuses on the
actions and mental state of Rodion Raskolnikov. He spends the story formulating a plan to kill a
pawnbroker for her money. At first, he believed the money could save him from his unhappiness
and poverty. Once it’s done, though, he’s racked with guilt and feelings of disgust for what he
did. He struggles with this guilt in an obvious way, making this a great example of psychological
realism.
 The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

Wharton’s The Age of Innocence is her best-known novel. It was published in 1920 and won the
author the 1921 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. She was the first woman to win this prize. The book
focuses on upper-class New York society and the way men and women in this environment live
their lives. It is an example of psychological realism in how it analyzes peoples’ motives, and the
certain impact events have on them. The story focuses primarily on Newland Archer. A young
lawyer engaged to marry May Welland. After meeting her cousin, Ellen Olenska, everything
changes.
Proponents
Psychological realism novels inherit and develop the tradition of realism novels. They mind the
objective reality and objectify the subjective mind. Through a detailed analysis of the character's
psychology, it reflects the reality of the evolution of social spirit, and shows that it is different
from modernist novels' artistic characteristics. Among the many psychological realist novelists,
James’ contribution is the most prominent, which is reflected in the following four aspects:
(1) Adhering to the psychological realism creation concept, not simply pursuing the form of
beauty, but reflecting the beauty of the form of literary creation in the process of describing
complex and true life experiences. There are very few extraordinary events or earth-shattering
actions in the story. It is the psychological reaction to the event that arouses people's interest.
(2) Created a unique theory of novels and is also an excellent critic. Emphasize the relationship
between novels and life, and regard novels as "personal direct impression of life". The characters
portrayed in the novel have few actions, and their thoughts, emotions and characters are all
revealed through dialogue, psychological activities and detailed descriptions.
(3) In the process of shifting from traditional writing methods to reform and development, the
psychological description methods of traditional realism novels have been inherited and carried
forward, and unique psychological description skills have been created. Taking the
"consciousness center" as the narrative technique, it breaks the "omniscience perspective"
narrative method and autobiographical first-person narrative method of traditional novels.
(4) "Stream of Consciousness" belongs to a special kind of psychological novel. James uses
different methods in portraying the image of characters, focusing on the conscious level rather
than the subconscious mental activity. James' methods and techniques of psychological
description of psychological realist characters have a profound impact on stream-of-
consciousness novelists.
C. Social Realism
Definition of Social Realism
Social realism was an art movement, associated with the era of the Great Depression in the US
(roughly the 1930s), that depicted the everyday realities of life. Social realism was critical of the
social, economic, and racial conditions that made life challenging for the working classes and
poor.
Social realism is a style of art, fiction, movies and plays. It describes the daily life of workers
and poor people. Social realist artists try to show people and their lives in a realistic way. This
means that they often show things which are not beautiful or attractive.
Characteristics of Social Realism
The primary theme of Socialist Realism is the building of socialism and a classless society. In
portraying this struggle, the writer could admit imperfections but was expected to take a positive
and optimistic view of socialist society and to keep in mind its larger historical relevance.
Themes
 Social injustice
 Racial injustice
 Economic hardship
 Working class as heroes
Styles
Social realism is the term used for work produced by painters, printmakers, photographers,
writers and filmmakers that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the
working class as a means to critique the power structures behind these conditions.
Key Figures
 José Clemente Orozco The Subway 1928.
 Diego Rivera May Day, Moscow 1928.
 Diego Rivera Zapata 1932.
 David Alfaro Siqueiros Proletarian Victim 1933.
 Elizabeth Catlett I Have Special Reservations 1946.
Analysis of Social Realism
Socialist realism is characterized by the depiction of communist values, such as the
emancipation of the proletariat. Despite its name, the figures in the style are very often highly
idealized, especially in sculpture, where it often leans heavily on the conventions of classical
sculpture. Social realism is the term used for work produced by painters, printmakers,
photographers, writers and filmmakers that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political
conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structures behind these
conditions. Socialist Realism, officially sanctioned theory and method of literary composition
prevalent in the Soviet Union from 1932 to the mid-1980s. For that period of history Socialist
Realism was the sole criterion for measuring literary works. Defined and reinterpreted over years
of polemics, it remains a vague term.
References:
https://www.google.com/search?
q=Analysis+of+Social+Realism&sxsrf=ALiCzsbnrVmnLaqE2OwDD3GLoKK9TxMRCQ
%3A1667050271651&ei=HytdY5CwJ5jf2roPlu6m2A8&ved=0ahUKEwjQu46axoX7AhWYr1
YBHRa3CfsQ4dUDCA8&uact=5&oq=Analysis+of+Social+Realism&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6L
XNlcnAQAzIICCEQFhAeEB0yCAghEBYQHhAdMggIIRAWEB4QHTIICCEQFhAeEB0yCA
ghEBYQHhAdOgcIIxDqAhAnSgQITRgBSgQIQRgASgQIRhgAUMYOWMYOYMMRaAFw
AXgAgAGXAYgBlwGSAQMwLjGYAQCgAQGgAQKwAQrAAQE&sclient=gws-wiz-serp
q=WHAT+IS+SOCIAL+FIGURES&oq=WHAT+IS+SOCIAL+FIGURES&aqs=chrome..69i57j
0i22i30l9.5665j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
q=new+humanism&oq=new+hum&aqs=chrome.2.69i59j69i57j0i20i263i512j0i512l2j46i199i46
5i512j0i512j69i60.5915j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

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Republic of the Philippines

Commission on Higher Education

Name: Quiambao, Patricia Mae M. Date: November , 2022

 The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

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