Literary criticism in a broad sense includes literary criticism, critical theory and literary theory. In a narrow sense, literary criticism refers to the analysis and research of various literary works, such as commenting on the ideological content, characters, artistic skills and language characteristics of the works. To write a good literary paper, topic selection and material collection are the key. Only by being prepared in these two aspects can we get twice the result with half the effort.
Second, the topic of literary criticism
Choosing a topic is to choose the object and goal you want to study ideologically. It is a very important link in thesis writing and often appears in the form of a title. For example, On the Goddess Status in Primitive Myth, On the Aesthetic Significance of Non-plot Factors in Novels, On the Creation Law of Symbolic Prose and so on. Whether the subject has innovative value and academic value, and whether it can guide the future scientific research work, is directly related to the success or failure of the paper. Therefore, when choosing a topic, we should start from the following aspects: First, start from the problem. If you find that the general explanation is incomplete or difficult to justify, or hold different views on an academic point of view, you should consult the knowledge and materials of related issues, keep exploring, and finally form an insightful paper. For example, in the literary criticism of the novel Sister Carrie, most critics believe that Sister Carrie succeeded in her career by stepping on the shoulders of three men. However, some readers have doubts about this conclusion, and through careful study, it is found that this is not entirely the case.
Sister Carrie was able to get a foothold in a city at first by living with a salesman she met on the train to get financial help, but later, after she eloped with a bar manager, the economy became embarrassed. Finally, Sister Carrie went out to perform alone to support her family. The third man she met was an intellectual. He was just a friend. He gave her great encouragement and support in spirit. Therefore, some people put forward a novel view that Sister Carrie is a woman in the new era. Second, start with academic "hot spots". Every subject, in a certain period of time, often appears some academic hot spots, which attract much attention and have heated discussions. These hot spots either have strong practical significance or involve the construction of basic theories of disciplines, and it is easier to find topics by caring about these hot spots. For example, literature, I am now keen on interdisciplinary research. For example, literary phenomena can be explained by stylistic knowledge and ecological knowledge. Third, observe traditional propositions with new theories and methods. In today's world, some emerging disciplines, theories and methods are constantly emerging, and the mutual infiltration of arts and sciences is also very common. If we use new theories and methods, or borrow theories and methods from other disciplines to study some traditional propositions of our major and find new ideas, we can also find the topic of the thesis. For example, literary criticism can be analyzed by linguistic knowledge, literary characters can be analyzed by Saussure's two opposites, drama can be analyzed by the cooperative principle and politeness principle of pragmatics, the psychology of novel characters can be analyzed by psychoanalysis, and Ah Q can be dissected by system theory. Fourth, consider the usual accumulation. In our usual work and study, we have more or less our own opinions and understandings about a certain work, a certain phenomenon and a certain viewpoint, or we have read relevant books and papers around a certain topic. When choosing a topic, you can mobilize your own accumulation, see which issues you have your own understanding and understanding, and see which aspects you are familiar with. In this way, you can also choose good questions.
Third, information collection.
Through the above methods, after having a preliminary research object in mind, in order to prove whether this topic is valuable, the next work is to collect relevant documents extensively and have a comprehensive understanding of the research object. We must know whether this problem has been studied by predecessors, or whether it has not been studied enough, or whether it is not clearly explained, or whether the previous discussion is wrong, or whether what predecessors have done is mostly local and micro-research, lacking macro-and overall research. If our topic has been studied a lot by predecessors, then the significance of this topic is not great, and we must consider giving it up. The information collected includes the existing research results on related topics, including published monographs and papers. Only by finding them out can we start on the shoulders of predecessors or others and do further research. For example, we should study the theme of Uncle Tom. After consulting the information, I know that my predecessors have written Uncle Tom's New Historical Interpretation, The Pursuit and Disillusionment of African-American Dreams, and Motherly Love Saving the World. In addition, we should also consult the literature about the basic theory of subject research. For example, if we want to study language phenomena from the perspective of culture, we should look for books on culturology to study. If we want to study literary works from the perspective of stylistics, we must find relevant stylistic materials. If you want to study a work with structuralism, you must read the important works of structuralism. And it must be related to the scientific research results of related disciplines. Understanding the scientific research results of related disciplines can help us think about some problems. For example, if we want to study Sartre's literary creation, we must understand the study of Sartre's philosophical thoughts in the philosophical circle. Finally, be sure to consult the original materials needed for the project. For example, to study a literary work, we must first find the most original works to read, and some non-original novels have changed. In order to get first-hand information, we must read the original text. We should study a writer, not only by reading other people's works about him, but also by studying his diaries and letters, so as to write a high-level paper.
Four. conclusion
Learning to write literary papers is a basic skill that graduate students majoring in literature must master today. Writing a thesis is conducive to cultivating our critical thinking ability, enlightening our minds, and letting us learn how to explore the essence and laws of the objective world, how to treat the objective world, and how to accept the academic thought of letting a hundred flowers blossom, thus making contributions to the development of society.