"New historicism, a form of literary theory which aims to understand intellectual history through literature and literature through its cultural context..."
A literary theory that examines a text in light of its historical context and the way it reflects or challenges prevailing ideologies and power structures.
History as a Construct: New Historicism views history as a construct rather than a set of objective realities.
Cultural Materialism: This approach seeks to analyze literature in terms of the economic, social and political conditions of the time it was created.
Power and Ideology: New Historicism seeks to analyze the ways in which power and ideology are constructed through language and cultural practices.
Subversion: New Historicists emphasize the subversive power of literature and how works of art can challenge established social institutions and beliefs.
Gender and Sexuality: New Historicism views gender and sexuality as key components of power dynamics in society and seeks to interpret literature through this lens.
Colonialism and Postcolonialism: This approach recognizes the impact of European colonialism on various aspects of culture, including literature, and examines the ways in which contemporary societies are shaped by their colonial pasts.
Dialogism: New Historicism emphasizes the interactive nature of literary texts and their relationship to historical and cultural contexts.
Intertextuality: This approach recognizes the interconnectedness of literature and other cultural products, such as music, film, and art, and examines how they inform one another.
Historicizing the Self: New Historicism views the self as a historical construct and explores how individuals are shaped by their social and cultural context.
Literary Canon and Cultural Authority: This approach also interrogates the literary canon and the ways in which it reinforces dominant cultural values and power structures.
Cultural Materialism: This approach looks at the relationship between literature and the material conditions of society.
Foucauldian New Historicism: This approach seeks to explore the ways in which power and knowledge are intertwined in society and how these dynamics are reflected in literature.
Marxist New Historicism: This approach takes a Marxist perspective and explores the relationship between literature and capitalist society.
Feminist New Historicism: This approach focuses on the role of gender and sexuality in shaping social and cultural structures, as well as their reflection in literature.
Race and Ethnicity New Historicism: This approach centers on the impact of race and ethnicity on culture and literature, highlighting the ways in which these factors shape and are shaped by the worldviews and experiences of different groups.
Postcolonial New Historicism: This approach explores the power dynamics in the relationship between colonial powers and colonized peoples, as well as their representation in literature.
"...follows the 1950s field of history of ideas."
"... refers to itself as a form of cultural poetics."
"It first developed in the 1980s..."
"primarily through the work of the critic Stephen Greenblatt..."
"... and gained widespread influence in the 1990s."
"Greenblatt coined the term new historicism when he 'collected a bunch of essays and then, out of a kind of desperation to get the introduction done, he wrote that the essays represented something called a 'new historicism'.'"
"...aims to understand intellectual history through literature..."
"...aims to understand intellectual history through literature..."
"...follows the 1950s field of history of ideas."
"... refers to itself as a form of cultural poetics."
"primarily through the work of the critic Stephen Greenblatt..."
"...and gained widespread influence in the 1990s."
"Greenblatt coined the term new historicism when he 'collected a bunch of essays and then, out of a kind of desperation to get the introduction done, he wrote that the essays represented something called a 'new historicism'.'"
"...aims to understand intellectual history through literature..."
"...aims to understand intellectual history through literature and literature through its cultural context..."
"It first developed in the 1980s..."
"primarily through the work of the critic Stephen Greenblatt..."
"... and gained widespread influence in the 1990s."
"Greenblatt coined the term new historicism when he 'collected a bunch of essays and then, out of a kind of desperation to get the introduction done, he wrote that the essays represented something called a 'new historicism'.'"