New+Historicist+Link

New Historicist Research (Summary and Links):

New Historicism is based on the premise that a literary work is the product of the time in which it was written. New Historicists say that the real-life culture and events are directly influential in the writing of any novel, regardless of whether or not the novel is set in the same world or the same time period, and they also say that all work is biased. New Historicism also includes the bias of the critic. Not everybody will tell a story the same way; likewise, not everyone will see a novel in //exactly// the same way, even if they are using the same school of criticism (in this case, New Historicism) because everybody has different life experiences and beliefs. In addition, it includes biographical information of the author and takes into account the author’s bias in response to the times. A good example of New Historicism is a critique of Jane Austen, who, despite never marrying herself, wrote novels about the attainment of power through marriage. Understanding Austen’s personal feelings towards marriage gives a reader great insight into the ideals, beliefs, and character of the author.

New Historicism is my favorite type of criticism, because it sets the novel in the context of history and gives the author a motive to write the novel. Most novels, especially literary novels, are written with a purpose in mind, to make some point to its readers. But if there is no outside influence on the author as New Criticism claims, how could the author make his point? We are influenced in how we live our lives. Everybody will react differently to a given situation based on their own life experiences. Likewise, any author’s work will have some bias based on their own beliefs and experiences. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-new-historicism.htm

New Historicist Premises: ·   Images and narratives do important //cultural work//. They function as a kind of workshop (or playroom) where cultural problems, hopes, and obsessions are addressed or avoided. Consequently, New Historicists argue that the best framework for interpreting literature is to place it in its historical context: what contemporaneous issues, anxieties, and struggles does the work of literature reflect, refract, or try to work through? ·   New Historicist criticism tries to relate interpretive problems (such as why Hamlet doesn't kill Claudius as he prays) to cultural-historical problems (such as contemporaneous debates about purgatory, transubstantiation, and salvation, as well as anxieties about what constituted legitimacy in the church, the monarchy, and succession to the throne). ·   New Historicists also tend to stress that authors and poets are not secular saints--that even though they may be more circumspect about their societies than the average citizen, they nonetheless participate in it. Consequently, New Historicist critics often point out places in artists' work where their attitudes do not anticipate our own, or may even be distasteful to us. http://www.sou.edu/English/Hedges/Sodashop/RCenter/Theory/Explaind/nhistexp.htm Another good source on New Historicism (kind of long): http://www-english.tamu.edu/pers/fac/myers/historicism.html

Because New Historicism originated at about the same time //The Bean Trees// was written, about twenty years ago, it is more difficult to find literary criticism written about it. However, we can go off the biographical information which Rachel presents tomorrow (or yesterday, depending on when you look at this), including [|this article] about Kingsolver. According to the article, Kingsolver has written quite a bit about women's role in our society and what she sees ought to be exemplary of today's modern woman: a strong, independent woman who does not need to depend on men and who shouldn't need a man or husband in her life. We see this view reflected in Taylor's lifestyle, as well as in Lou Ann's lifestyle. Kingsolver also worked a lot in protests during her youth, as well as living in a small community in Kentucky and moved West, settling on a whim in Tucson, Arizona... just like her character, Taylor. Kingsolver grew up during the sixties, the age of women's rights and bra burning, which would have drastically impacted her opinions on women’s rights and freedoms. But, as with Austen, we must take into account the fact that, while arguing for women's complete independence (feministically), Kingsolver is married and actually wrote //The Bean Trees// while she was pregnant.