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Historical Literary Theory. Key Points:. A text reflects the environment and culture in which it was created . Knowing about the political, economical, sociological, and/or intellectual climate of the time period in which the text was written enhances understanding of a text’s meaning .
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Key Points: • A text reflects the environment and culture in which it was created. • Knowing about the political, economical, sociological, and/or intellectual climate of the time period in which the text was written enhances understanding of a text’s meaning.
Ultimately... • Interpretation of a text should be based on an understanding of its context. The Context of a Work contributes to Understanding!
Questions/Strategies to apply: • How does the text reflect the culture in which it was created? • How did the social, political, economic, cultural, and/or intellectual climate of the time impact the work? • How did the author’s culture or environment influence the text he/she created?
Arguments in favor: • Knowing the historical context of a work aids understanding of a text. • Allows readers to place allusions in their proper classical, political, or biblical context.
Arguments against: • Tends to reduce art to the level of biographical or historical commentary, thus making it relative rather than universal.
Other notables: • Reaction to formalism: Which believes a text is self-contained and has nothing to do with outside forces, culture, etc.
