Sharing with you notes on various literary theories you may want to consider on your next literary analysis/ criticism:

FORMAL CRITICISM is an approach to literature that focuses on the formal elements of a work, such as its language, structure and tone. Formalist critics offer intense examinations of the relationship between form and meaning in a work, emphasizing the subtle complexity in how a work is arranged. Formalist pay special attention to diction, irony, paradox, metaphor and symbol, as well as larger elements such as plot, characterization and narrative technique. Formalist critics read literature as an independent work of art rather than a reflection of the author’s state of mind or as a representation of a moment in history. Therefore, anything outside of the work. Including historical influences and authorial intent, is generally not examined by formalist critics.

• Make an inventory of the key words, symbols, and images in the…