Structuralism and literary criticism

Name : Radha B. Ghevariya

Roll No. : 22

Paper no : 7 : Literary theory and criticism

Sem : M. A (Sem : 2)

Year : 2015

Submitted to : Smt. S.B.Gardi Department of English

Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University

Structuralism & Literary criticism

The movement structuralism was inaugurated in the 1950s by the cultural anthropologist Claude – Levi – strass.

However , the father of structuralism is Fredinand – de – Saussure because the movement finds its origins in the early twentieth century work.

“ A Course in general linguistics”- (1916)

- Saussure

Definition of Structuralism

According to critic

Pramod k. Nayar

“ Structuralism is a form of criticism which sought to understand a work of art in the

context of structure which have genre culture and language”

In short Pramod k. Nayar say that ,

“ Structuralism is an attempt to see everything in term of

Sasurean linguistic”

Signifier and Signified

- According to Saussure the sign is constituted by the “signifier” and “signified”.

- Signifier is the ‘word’ or the alphabets which are arranged in a particular order.

- While the signified is the ‘concept’ that the signifier stands for.

Three Fundamental Assumptions

Saussure linguistics have three fundamental assumptions.

1) Arbitrariness

2) Relational

3) Systematic

- Saussure believe that the meaning we attribute to word are entirely . The meaning is presented though “usage” and “convention” only.

- Saussure

“ Language constitutes our world

and our very existence”

.

For that we need to understand the set of structure in language because it helps us to speak and to make sense Saussure calls this study as “ Semiology” .

Langue and Parole

- According to Saussure there is distinction within language . It is necessary to understand Langue and Parole as a part of structuralism and structuralist criticism .

-To understand Parole one should be aware of the system or Langue . This relationship between parole and langue was at the root of study in Sassurean linguistics.

Theory Author

Theory Author

Theory Author

Major writes and schools of structuralism

Russian formalism

The Prague school

Structural narratology

The major writers who supported the structuralist analysis include

- Roman Jacobson

Todorov

- Ronald Barthes

- Julia Kristina

- Gerard Genett