Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Text in Context
- Historicists stress that literary works are produced by, reflect, and in some cases,
alter the social, political, and cultural forces that were operative during the time the
works were written.
Example
Mark Twain was a writer who both reflected the prejudices of his time through the
dialogue of the characters, and challenged the attitude of an 1800’s America that in
many ways accepted (or even promoted) racist attitudes. Historicist attempt to
understand a work like Huck Finn in the context of late 1800’s America.
Ongoing Influence
Historicists also consider the impact a work has had on readers in eras after the
one in which it was written to see how the perceived meaning evolved over time. For
example, Huck Finn continues to be re-evaluated each subsequent generation.
New Historicism
Like Historical Criticism, New Historicism also considers history when studying
texts. However, unlike Historicists, New Historicists believe that a work both refers to
and is referred to by things outside of itself. They are less inclined to believe that a
literary text has a single, identifiable historical context.
Example
A New Historicist would recognize that Huck Finn was written during a time when
attitudes about race were quite different than current attitudes. However, they would also
point out that there were plenty of people who also were working to change attitudes
about race in America. Twain would have been aware of the broader context in America,
not just the attitudes of people from one area.