Ways of Analysis:Reading, thinking,

seeing, and interpreting through a critical lens

Hank WilliamsLehman College

Contemporary Urban Writers

Form Content

Context

Form?Genre

STYLE

type

format

What do we mean by

Form1.The style, type, or genreof a particular work. Genre

refers to a recognizable sub category.

2.The structure or design of a particular work

Adapted from The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms (1990)

ContentThe subject matter of a

particular work

Adapted from The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms (1990)

ContextThe biographical, cultural,

social, historical, or political circumstances a particular work is created or set in

Adapted from The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms (1990)

ConnotationThe further associations a

word, image, sound, or sight makes us think of

beyond the primary meaning.

Adapted from The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms (1990)

DenotationThe primary meaning or dictionary definition of a word, image, sound, or

sight.

Adapted from The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms (1990)

What are you looking at?

In other words:

Political

Some examples of context …

Temporal / Spatial

Social

Cultural

BiographicalEconomic

Artistic/Aesthetic

Biographical QuestionsWho is /are the author, designer, artist, musician/composer, actor(s), director? (and what do we know about his/her/their work)?

How does it relate to other work they’ve done? Does it represent a shift in artistic direction?

Does the artist have a personal view of creative work? Does this conform to that view or challenge it?

Temporal/Spatial (time & location) Questions

Where is/are the setting(s)?

How do they relate to or affect the storyline, design, or style of the work?

Do the time period/location affect how characters in the work act? How?

Social/ Political Questions

Is there obvious commentary on political/ social issues ?

What issues are they?

What is going on in society at the time and what effect might it have on the work?

Artistic/Aesthetic Questions

What style(s)/ genres are represented? Is it a sub-genre?

How does the work compare to other works of a similar style/ genre/ movement? Does it conform to the “type” or look/ sound/ feel different? (And is this a deliberate choice?)

How well are specific artistic aspects done? (Example: do critics think the writing, directing, design, etc. is good? Why or why not--and do you agree?)

Economic QuestionsWhat are the book/ CD sales like or what are the film earnings?

Is the work seen as commercially successful?

Are artistic compromises made for the sake of sales?

Is the work an important creative statement even if it doesn’t have great commercial success?

How to Start…A few thoughts to get you started…Read for Form, Content, and Context:

Think about the Form of what you’re reading. Take notes on the writer’s style, choice of words, and who s/he might be writing for (called audience). Also think about the structure of the piece: is there anything notable about that?

Think about the Content of the piece. What is it about? What can you relate it to?

Think about the Context of the piece. What can you connect it to? How does it relate to the writer(s) and their worldview? How does it relate to the time when you’re reading it and/or the time it was created?

Research ideasA few thoughts to get you started…

Find interviews/ profiles of author/ director/ actors/ musicians/ designers, etc.

Find articles or books on the time period

Find articles or books on the social or societal issues

Find articles or books on the styles/genres or artistic methods used

Find articles or statistics on the sales or box office

Find articles or books examining cultural issues raised

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Revised September, 2019Some rights reserved