Developed by Elham Shayegh
Old Historicism
History as written is an accurate view of
what is really occurred.
History serves as a background to literature
Historical textual background is secondarily
important, because the text mirrors the
history of its time.
By applying the historical context to the
texts the critic believes that he or she can
formulate a more accurate interpretation of
texts than if s/he did not know such
historical context.
Historical periods evidences a single,
political worldview
New Historicism; Cultural Poetics
History is subjective: one of many
discourses. History is shaped by the people
who lived it.
The interrelatedness of all human activities
Tries to address Foucault’s tireless
questioning of the nature of literature,
history, culture, and society.
Viewing a text as culture in action, blurring
the distinction between an artistic
production and any other kind of social
production or event.
As all of society is intricately interwoven, so
are critics and texts, both to each other and
in the culture. Since all critics are influenced
by the culture in which they live, New
Historicists believe that they cannot escape
public and private cultural influences.
Socio-historical elements exhibited in the
text.
A complex interrelationship of a variety of
discourses: the various ways-artistic, social,
political, and so on-that people think and
talk about their world.
Texts are really social documents that reflect
but also, and more importantly, respond to
their historical situation.
To unlock textual meaning a Cultural Poetic
critic investigates three areas of concerns:
the life of the author, the social rules and
dictates found within a text, and a
reflection of a work’s historical situation
as evidenced in the text.