...Humans have a strong need to classify the world around them, this is influenced by the lack of understanding some people hold of the world and wish to make clearer, mainly through social and cultural issues, in this essay I will delve into these said issues and attempt to bring about an understanding and solidarity to the reasons behind these results for 'the way humans think about the world around them'. Classification is a process that is done universally by all societies and cultures in which people give/find meaning to what they don't understand, although all societies and cultures inhabit this process not all classify the same as the other; most societies exhibit diversity through their cultural influences so the actions of one culture/society may seem strange or irrational to other group, E.g. (Azande) Witchcraft, Evans-Pritchard studied the Azande peoples are their view on society and their culture, he found that they explained various misfortunes though the cause of witchcraft, he saw this as irrational when measured against science; he couldn't see things from their perspectives and had a rose-tinted view when studying the Azande culture, however he failed to recognise the similarities between witchcraft and science; both these are belief systems (Cosmologies) they both have people putting faith in a (witch) doctor. Cultural influences, even though most anthropologists try to give meaning to culture, are only abstract reality conducted though social constructs put...
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...Approaching theory - 6 Slop and think: reviewing your study of literature to date - 8 My own 'stock-taking' - 9 1 Theory before 'theory' - liberal humanism - 11 The history of English studies - 11 Stop and think - 11 Ten tenets of liberal humanism - 16 Literary theorising from Aristotle to Leavis some key moments - 21 Liberal humanism in practice - 31 The transition to 'theory' - 32 Some recurrent ideas in critical theory - 34 Selected reading - 36 2 Structuralism - 39 Structuralist chickens and liberal humanist eggs Signs of the fathers - Saussure - 41 Stop and think - 45 The scope of structuralism - 46 What structuralist critics do - 49 Structuralist criticism: examples - 50 Stop and think - 53 Stop and think - 55 39 Stop and think - 57 Selected reading - 60 3 Post-structuralism and deconstruction - 61 Some theoretical differences between structuralism and post-structuralism - 61 Post-structuralism - life on a decentred planet - 65 Stop and think - 68 Structuralism and post-structuralism - some practical differences - 70 What post-structuralist critics do - 73 Deconstruction: an example - 73 Selected reading - 79 4 Postmodernism - 81 What is postmodernism? What was modernism? - 81 'Landmarks' in postmodernism: Habermas, Lyotard and Baudrillard - 85 Stop and think - 90 What postmodernist critics do - 91 Postmodernist criticism: an example - 91 Selected reading - 94 5 Psychoanalytic criticism - 96 Introduction - 96 How Freudian...
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...popular between 1940 and 1960 that evolved out of formalism criticism. New critics suggested that detailed analysis of the language of a literary text can uncover important logics of meaning in that work. New criticism consciously down plays the historical influences, authorial intentions, and contexts that surround text in order to focus on explication extremity close textual and analysis critics such as John Crowe Ranson, I.A.Richard and Robert Penn are commonly associated with New Criticism *3* structuralism: البنوية It is a critical theory that emphasizes the fact that all the elements of culture must be understood in terms of their relationship to a larger over alls system or structures that under lie all the things that humans do think perceive and feel. Structuralism believes that all the elements of human life are interred related. These relations constitute a structure. *4* Post structuralism; Post structuralism is a response to structuralism, which argues that human culture may...
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...The Work of Representation Stuart Hall Summarize by Jesse Tseng 1 Representation, meaning and language At first we have to know that： Representation is an essential part of the process by which meaning is produced and exchanged between members of a culture. It does involve the use of language, of signs and images which stand for or represent things. And surly it is not a simple or straightforward process. How this article exploring the concept of representation connect meaning and language to culture？ We will be drawing a distinction between three different account or theories：the reflective, the intentional and the constructionist approaches to representation. Most of this text will be exploring the constructionist approach with two major variants or models of the constructionist approach, the semiotic approach- Ferdinand de Saussure and the discursive approach- Michel Foucault. But we have to answer the question first：what does the word representation really mean？ 1.1 Making meaning, Representing things Representation is the production of the meaning of the concepts in our minds through language. There are two processes, two systems of representation. First, there is the system by which all sort of objects, people and events are correlated with a set of concepts or mental representations which we carry around in our heads.（like chair, table） Second, Language is therefore the second system of representation. (When we say we...
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...Cultures of Maya and United States ANT 101 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology June 28, 2010r Cultures of Maya and United States Introduction Psychological anthropology is the study of individuals and their personalities and identities, within particular cultural contexts. The following information is to identify the Mayan culture and the United States culture. Next, I will examine their traditions for both male and female through various life cycles. Based on the behaviors, customs, and beliefs of each of the two cultures, I will compare how personalities and identities are formed and shaped within the two different cultures. As we begin our lives in this world we are subjected to the beliefs and ways of the families we are born into. In the United States, children are brought up to be trained on how to follow the morals set by the family as well as follow society's rules. Then depending on the income status of the family, some children are pampered with every new toy or gadget available, other families not as well off may just try to keep up with the neighbors kids. And still there are the lower income families that utilize their talents by either making the toys or clothes or shopping at the thrift store to see what deals they can get. The children learn to do chores in the adolescence age. The girls generally help with indoor chores, and the boys with trash and outdoor chores. The Mayan children however, learn at an early age what...
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...If one examines predialectic appropriation, one is faced with a choice: either accept textual neocultural theory or conclude that the goal of the reader is deconstruction, given that neomodern cultural theory is valid. Lacan promotes the use of predialectic appropriation to challenge capitalism. In a sense, the premise of neomodern cultural theory states that class has significance. “Society is impossible,” says Derrida. The characteristic theme of Porter’s[1] essay on Debordist situation is the role of the observer as writer. However, if predialectic appropriation holds, the works of Burroughs are postmodern. The main theme of the works of Burroughs is the futility, and eventually the paradigm, of capitalist sexual identity. The subject is contextualised into a neomodern cultural theory that includes culture as a totality. Thus, Lacan uses the term ‘constructivism’ to denote the role of the observer as artist. The characteristic theme of Cameron’s[2] analysis of neomodern cultural theory is not, in fact, theory, but posttheory. It could be said that the opening/closing distinction depicted in Eco’s The Name of the Rose is also evident in The Limits of Interpretation (Advances in Semiotics). The subject is interpolated into a pretextual constructivist theory that includes consciousness as a reality. Thus, Sontag’s model of predialectic appropriation holds that the significance of the observer is social comment. Lacan uses the term ‘neomodern cultural...
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...Will Henry September 2, 2014 In Stars and stereotypes hates deconstructs the fashion campaigns of autumn and winter. Hayes talks about how the claim pains of the campaigns reflect the current state of the world. He talks about how the campaigns are luxurious but at the same time sort or drab and not so upbeat, like the brown and black set against brutalist architecture of the Prada campaign. He comments on how fashion campaigns also set the "tone-setting exercise" on the world. I agree with his analysis on how the fashion campaigns reflect the current state of world, more specifically America and how the campaigns are set up in the desolate, drab settings showing the expensive clothing. I love the concept because it so "American" to me. You may live in this drab or "poor" world but you still want the finest clothes you want to wear something that looks good, makes you look good and is expensive. The campaigns give this idea of "yes, I'm in this drab, gross place but i still can look fashion forward and high maintenance". At least that is what my interpretation of the article was. In any colour, as long as it's white, Heath Brown talks about how male summer looks can be worn in the autumn and the winter. The article talks about how to accessorize the color white, whether it is white shoes, white sweaters, to a simple white T-shirt. I don't really care for the color white. People always elevate the color because people see the color that represents "purity" and since white clothes...
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...apart from its context (makes it timeless); virtually all critical approaches must begin here; it appreciates literary devices. The disadvantages of formalism are: the text is seen in isolation; it ignores the context of the work; it does not account for allusions; it reduces literature to little more than a collection of rhetorical devices. In 1915 the Moscow Linguistic Circle was founded. In 1916 the Petrograd “Society for the Study of Poetic Language” was founded. In 1929-1930 it was censured by Stalin for “undue preoccupation with ‘mere’ form, bourgeois ‘escapism,’ and like offenses.” In 1930s The Prague Linguistic Circle was founded (René Wellek, Roman Jakobson). In 1960s it influenced Anglo-American New Criticism and French Structuralism Liteariness was a primary object of study. The Formalists read literary texts in order to discover their “literariness“ to highlight the devices and technical elements introduced by writers in order to make language literary. Roman Jakobson (1896-1982): distinguished between “poetic” language and “practical” language. Practical language: language resources (sounds, morphological segment etc) are...
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...Jessica Hamilton English 307 1/11/12 Response Essay “ Roland Barthes' “The Death of the Author” In his essay, “ The Death of the Author”, Roland Barthes argues against the classic criticism. He argues that classic criticism imposes limits upon the text itself by focusing on the author rather than the text. He argues that writing is the “ destruction of every voice, of every point of origin.” (Barthes 185) Barthes argues that there is no such thing as an author. He believes that there is only a scriptor whose ideas are not entirely original. Barthes also argues that because the author has numerous influences, we as readers and critics can never know the true influences. Barthes argues that it is necessary to analysis the linguistics of the text because it is not a voice that speaks but the language. He goes further to point out that it is only in the reader that the text has any meaning and because of this the presence of the author is minimized because the text becomes open to numerous interpretations that the author may not have originally intended. Barthes also implies that the death of the author makes the reader more significant because they become the creative force of the text rather than the author. Barthes also argues that the moment “ the author enters into his own death, writing begins.” (Barthes 185) Within “ The Death of the Author”, Barthes issues the question of “who is speaking”. (Barthes 185) He highlights his theory with his example of Sarrasine by...
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...Cultural change program 1. Compare and contrast the old and new cultures at NAB The old culture at NAB typifies a “Market Culture”, characterised predominantly by the competitive behaviour of employees and driven by a profit motive. The facts of the case describe a bureaucratic business structure and an internally-focused culture (as opposed to customer-focused). The behaviour exemplified by the trader’s leading up to the 2004 scandal exemplifies that each individual department worked to optimise their own internal efficiency and there was a lack of divisional cooperation and communication (i.e. hoarding important information). Furthermore, the lack of adherence to the bank’s policies demonstrates that the bank had a weak compliance framework – a result of either a lack of awareness of policies and procedure or lack of accountability for when they were breached. Leaders were decisive and achievement orientated, however, the loss of these key personnel following the scandal also meant there was a lack of visible and consistent leadership. Moving away from the old “Profit is King” culture, NAB’s new culture prioritises “people, customers and communities”, and therefore epitomises a “Clan Culture”. A Clan Culture is on the opposite end of the spectrum to a Market Culture (see Appendix 1). Leaders, rather than being hard-drivers, are to be seen by staff as mentors and facilitators. A new emphasis is placed on employee morale and teamwork, so that a sense of family is created and...
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...Capitalist Posttextual Theory 1. Eco and deconstructive narrative If one examines capitalist posttextual theory, one is faced with a choice: either reject deconstructive narrative or conclude that context is created by communication, given that narrativity is equal to art. Therefore, the subject is interpolated into a subcultural patriarchialism that includes language as a reality. Bataille’s essay on capitalist posttextual theory implies that truth is fundamentally responsible for hierarchy. In the works of Eco, a predominant concept is the concept of deconstructivist language. But if deconstructive narrative holds, the works of Eco are postmodern. The premise of the precultural paradigm of narrative holds that art is used to entrench the status quo, but only if Baudrillard’s critique of capitalist posttextual theory is invalid; otherwise, Sartre’s model of textual libertarianism is one of “Foucaultist power relations”, and therefore part of the futility of culture. “Sexual identity is unattainable,” says Baudrillard; however, according to Long, it is not so much sexual identity that is unattainable, but rather the stasis, and some would say the dialectic, of sexual identity. Therefore, the subject is contextualised into a capitalist posttextual theory that includes sexuality as a totality. Marx promotes the use of patriarchialist discourse to challenge capitalism. But the subject is interpolated into a neoconceptual deconstruction that includes art as a whole. Lacan...
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...the Frankfurt School. On the other hand, it is concerned with the dominance of language to explain all phenomena. The term ‘Critical Theory’ was coined in 1930s. The concept of language and culture being linked has been discussed for a long period. However, in the twentieth century, Critical theory marks a linguistic turn; a whole new approach to language, literature and interpretation. During this period one witnessed the rise of an astonishing number of theories that used language as a basis for thinking about every kind of human experience. There were ‘new’ ways of looking at psychology, sexuality, philosophy, politics, technology— and, of course, literature. The major theories that spawned in critical theory ranged from formalism, structuralism, semiotics, psychoanalysis, and deconstruction, to the responses and critiques posed by race and gender theory, cultural studies, post colonialism, and new media. At the very crux of literary theory is language. Books are made of language; the question 20th century critical theory posed was “Are we made of language?” This turn to language gives new relevance to literature. To discover the new relevance of literature being applied to every system, the aspect of symbolic communication, the dominance of language over thought was done through Hermeneutics- the theory of interpretation; a very important component of understanding critical theory as it turns towards the...
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...who outsourced from Benjamin’s works burst double opposition between original text and translated one evoking translators to be invisible (Venuti,1992, p6). Before the process of coming of poststructuralism into view, structuralist Saussure determined language as the examinable world of the symbols including the linguistic system and social structure. According to Roman (2002, p309), a language is set up as a system of signs and each sign is the result of the relation between meaning and word and a signifier or sound-image and a signified (referent). He also claimed that signifiers and signifieds are unchangeable but they can make sign itself by signifying more complicated fabulous signs (Roman, 2002, p310). Conversion of the idea from structuralism to poststructuralism caused to extreme amendments in different parts of language, for instance pushing forward the thinking of ‘the death of author’ which later gained its importance in translation studies. Barthes claims that the texts should not be thought of in terms of intentions of authors since writers work on a system of language in which specialized authors were and are born and formulated. In case of nonattendance of the author, the readers explain the meaning of the texts by setting them against their background of familiar word, phrases, conventions and collocations and their general ideological knowledge. Venuti (1992) states that poststructuralists are of the opinion that the original is a translation that is an imperfect...
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...MEMISIS-IMITATION- A CONCEPT OF PLATO IN REPUBLIC ART- ESSENCE THAT NEEDS TO BE CAPTURED- ARISTOTLE/ NITZSCHE THE PROBLEM OF TRUTH- FOR PLATO TRUTH IS DIFFRENT FROM ART AND NIT CONSIDER ART AS CAPTURING TRUTH CAN WE EQUATE CULTURE AND NATURE (COUNTRY) as Paz do in his work MOVEMENT OF NATURE AND TIME THE RELTn IS NOT PURE LIKE ARISTOTLE NATURE IS NO MORE ETERNAL BUT SOMETHING FLEETING AND IN THE PROCESS IMITATE TIME AND NATURE “THERE IS NO ORIGINAL WORK, THERE ARE ONLY TRASLATION AND TRANSLATIONS OF TRANSLATION” THE ORIGINAL IS ALWAYS UNFAITHFUL TO THE TRANSLATION........ HIS POEM ALSO OFFER A CRITICISM OF ITSELF THE “I” IS DEFLECTED OR A MARGINAL PRESCENCE PAUSEK THE IDEA OF MOMENT OUTSIDE TIME THE IDEA OF Tangible and Intangible Estrangement NAME- RANJANA NAGAR SUPERVISOR- RAJAN KRISHNAN COURSE- ADVANCED READING IN SIGN THEORY PhD LITERARY ART/ STUDIES Report on the Advanced Readings in Sign Theory course From the discussions and readings in the class, I have tried to accumulate different ideas and debates and develop my own understanding of the process of semiotics. Taking up the examples of painting by MF Husain and Van Dyke, I will illustrate several points that I have understood. Let me begin with a general definition of “semiotics” that I had at the beginning of the course: Semiotics can be understood as a process involved with meaning making. It explains how various words, objects and images generate meaning or in other words how do...
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...The Significance of Cordelia’s Silence in King Lear Cordelia’s silence in King Lear by Shakespeare can be analyzed through different views. Here in this essay I try to criticize this matter through the principles of Kate Millet, Louis Althusser’s hegemony, Jacques Lacan, Roland Barthes, and Michele Foucault’s epitome and language. Although Cordelia’s presence in this play is not much frequent in comparison with the rest of other characters, her silence can reveal exciting information about the historical roots of renaissance. In order to provide a comprehensive approach toward the revelation of the Cordelia’s behavior, I have tried to add historical perspective to all the above mentioned critical thinkers. Kate Millet in her eminent book The Sexual Politics (1969), declares that our sex is determined at the moment of birth by biology and our sexuality is determined by social conventions. For instance, the society decrees that boys must be aggressive and active whereas girls are supposed to be humble and inactive. Now let’s see how far Kate Millet’s claims can be extended to Cordelia’s silence during Renaissance era. Well as we know, Renaissance was a patriarchal period in which men attained the highest jobs such as King, Earl, Minister, and the rest. But women usually had the lowest or the most humble jobs such as cooking and taking care of children. In such a society men used to control women. King Lear was not an exception during his own time. He was the king and had full...
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