Formalism is an approach to literature that gives primary attention to a text’s internal features rather than explaining it mainly through its author, historical moment, or social setting. This lesson introduces formalist analysis, its development and influence, and questions it raises for the teaching of writing.
A formalist critic analyzes a literary work through features found within the text. These include grammar, syntax, patterns of sound and rhythm, meter, imagery, and tropes such as metaphor. Formalists may also examine genre, discourse, and the way a work is organized.
All flashcards
What is formalist literary criticism?
An approach that focuses primarily on a literary work’s internal features and structures rather than external influences.
What does it mean to bracket context in formalist analysis?
To set aside external factors temporarily so the analysis can concentrate on how the text works.
What is literariness in Russian Formalism?
The features and techniques through which a work functions as literature rather than ordinary communication.
What is defamiliarization?
A technique that presents familiar things in unfamiliar ways to renew the reader’s perception.
What tension does formalism raise in composition pedagogy?
It raises questions about the roles of the text, writer, and teacher in writing instruction.
Quiz questions
What did Russian Formalists seek to establish as an independent, factual study of literature?Answer: A science of literature, sometimes called poetics.
In Viktor Shklovsky’s distinction, what is plot?Answer: The sequence and manner in which events are presented in a work.
What was Leon Trotsky’s main objection to formal analysis?Answer: It was necessary but insufficient if it ignored social conditions.
What did Roman Jakobson help establish after moving to Prague?Answer: The Prague Linguistic Circle, founded in 1926.
In Mary Ann Cain’s account, what can follow from treating a text as complete apart from its writer?Answer: The written product can become the main object of instruction and evaluation.