Lesson 1.
Literary Reading
through Biographical Context
While it is important to know the characters in a literary text, it is also essential
for readers to understand the author’s background. Through studying the author,
they may be able to connect the characters and their morals to the author’s life,
and analyze the patterns of behavior shown between and among the characters,
the author, and the reader himself. After all, it is through getting to know others
that we also get to know ourselves better.
Biographical Context
Writers also tend to put a great deal of themselves into their texts. Even if they
try to avoid it, their beliefs, education, culture, and experiences usually shine
through their words. Knowing something about an author's life and perspective,
namely, a work's biographical context, can help readers better understand and
interpret a text.
Let's say we were going to read two books about the American Civil War. One of
them was written by a southerner and the other by a northerner. These books,
even though they cover the same historical events and characters, could be quite
different. The southerner, for instance, might ascribe to the 'Lost Cause' idea that
the South was simply overwhelmed by the North's superior numbers and
industrial capacity. He may also be more likely to glorify southern leaders and
criticize northern ones, perhaps giving more pages to Confederate General Robert
E. Lee than to Union General Ulysses S. Grant. Further, a southern author might
talk more about states' rights than slavery when discussing the cause of the war.
A northerner, on the other hand, will probably reject the 'Lost Cause' theory, even
if he also focuses on the North's advantages. He may also emphasize slavery as
the cause of the war and might spend more time describing northern leaders.
Further, he may tend to be more forthright about the South's lack of political
leadership and internal struggles. In any case, the two authors' backgrounds
could significantly affect the arguments and descriptions they include in their
books, and knowing this biographical context would certainly help readers
evaluate these arguments and descriptions.
Biographical Assumptions:
• The events and circumstances of an author’s life are often reflected in
the literary works s/he creates.
• The context for a literary work includes information about the author, the
historical events that pertain to the author, and paradigm(s) prevalent at
the time of writing.
• Interpretation of the work should be primarily concerned with how the
author’s life experiences shape the text in intended and unintended
ways.
Biographical
Strategies:
• Research the author’s life.
• Research the author’s historical and
literary period, including their intellectual
paradigm.
• Search for meaningful connections
between the text and the author’s life,
doing additional research as needed.
• Interpret the meaning of the work by
analyzing:
• characters and setting on the basis
of their similarity to people and
places in the author’s life.
• tone with reference to an author’s
social, political, and/or religious
beliefs.
• symbols in the context of
contemporary meanings or
allusions.
LET’S BE MORE
SPECIFIC!
• In your previous English and Filipino classes,
perhaps you have been asked by your
teachers to read about the author of a work
Literary before reading his or her work. Some
teachers ask you to read about the life of
Reading Francisco Baltazar before discussing Florante
at Laura. This is because the author’s life may
through a affect his or her writing.
Biographical The following are reasons to read
literature through the biographical context
Context (Gioia and Kennedy 2007):
Understanding the author’s life can help
you understand his/her work thoroughly.
Reading the author’s biography helps
you see how much his experiences shape his
or her work directly and indirectly
Here are biographical strategies
that you may use:
• Research on what the author
believes in and also what he or she
does not.
• Analyze how the author’s belief
system is reflected in his or her
work.
• Look at the author’s other works
and analyze if there is a pattern
with regard to the theme that is
indicative of his or her life and
beliefs
In what year was the text written and published?
Here are guide Is there anything significant that happened in the author’s life
during this time?
questions that you What were the circumstances that happened to the author before
may answer when the writing of the text?
Were there several drafts of the text? What can you say about the
you are reading changes that the author made?
What aspects do you think the author struggled with during the
literature revision?
through a What is the effect of the revisions to the published text?
Are there characters and situations in the text that could be
biographical representative of or are similar to the ones in the author’s life?
context: How will knowing about the author amplify your appreciation of
the work?
Take note of the following before reading a text through a
biographical context:
A literary text is according
You should not assume to the author’s perspective
that all works are and will be heavily
confessional, biographical, influenced by him or her,
or even “true to life.” but it is not the only way
of studying literature.
Difference from New
Critical?
• New Critical:
text 🡪 interpret
• In a NC analysis, you start and end with the text--no
outside research/pulling from context.
• Biographical:
context 🡪 lens 🡪 text 🡪interpret
• Pull from the context to shed light on your reading
• Context supplements your understanding of the text
Biographical Analysis
• Explain the text as a way the author tried to deal with a personal
issue.
• Intro: general tension and thesis
• Body:
• 1) Background: prove an issue bothered author significantly
at/near time he/she wrote text
• *use: autobiography, biography, newspapers, letters,
correspondences, etc.
• 2.) Text: use devices to support thesis (like NC), but
apply/integrate the context
• Conclusion
Let’s situate…
01 02 03 04
Read “Gift of the Look for prevalent Use your background Develop some
Magi” by O. Henry literary devices (as knowledge to shed foundational themes
you would for a NC light on how the
https://
[Link]/files/
analysis). devices function
ae/resource_files/1- within the story
the_gift_of_the_magi_0.pdf
• Don’t forget tenets of thesis:
• interpretive/argumentative
• specific/precise
• accurate
• deep
Thesis time!
Include in your thesis how the author is commenting
on A (the relevant element of the context) by using B
(literary device) to say C (the message of the text)
Wrapping Up...
Know the framework!
Texts exist in some
Ask
framework of • 1) “What’s happening at this time?”
history • 2) “What is author saying about it?”
Hist./Biog. Criticism
involves authorial Criticisms are distinct, but related
intent more than
any other criticism
Wrapping Up...
Like any other
criticism...ALWAYS • Move from context🡪text
go back to the text • context 🡪 lens 🡪 text 🡪interpret
to prove your thesis!
This is not a • Don’t backseat the textual
historical research
interpretation!
paper
Final Tips...
Remember: Writing style and grammar count. Hugely.
Write OUTLINES or POST-OUTLINES. Write MULTIPLE rough drafts. Be clear. Be fluent. Use strong, precise verbs in active voice
Be specific as you discuss the historical context.
Be specific as you connect the historical context to the text itself.
Conclusion
Stress importance of the work in relation to historical event/issue
Remember…
Literary texts are not created in a
vacuum!!!
References
“7 Critical Reading Strategies.” Salisbury University. Accessed January 3, 2017. [Link]
[Link]/counseling/new/7_critical_reading_strategies.html.
Bethge, Wolfgang. “Josephine Bracken - Her Bonds of Love with Jose Rizal.” Josephine Bracken
- Her Bonds of Love with Jose Rizal. 2007. Accessed January 03, 2017. [Link]
De/[Link].
Brizee, Allen, J. Case Tompkins, Libby Chernouski, and Elizabeth Boyle. “Literary Theory and
Schools of Criticism.” OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab. Accessed January 3, 2017. https://
owl. [Link]/owl/resource/722/1/.
Brooker, Peter, Raman Selden, and Peter Widdowson. A Reader’s Guide to Contemporary
Mr. Dan
Emerson V.
Desiderio