An Introduction to New Historicism
The New Historicism school of literary theory has emerged over the past 25 years as a popular, influential field of scholarship within the study of literature. New historicist critics seek to analyze and understand a work of literature within its greater context, including the time period, physical location and social, political, and cultural circumstances of its creation.
Other People Are Reading
-
History
-
New Historicism developed in the 1980s primarily as a reaction against the New Criticism that dominated literary studies during the early to mid-20th century. Practitioners of New Criticism would explore the formal, literary qualities of a work of literature, but they would often neglect the socioeconomic and cultural environment surrounding the text. The few critics who did consider a work's historical context often confined their analysis to the life experiences or literary intentions of the author.
Development
-
Seeking to understand the relationship between a work of literature and the environment in which it was created, new historicists have drawn on a variety of influences. They include the reader-response and poststructuralist theories that emerged during the 1970s and the feminist and Marxist theories that flourished during the 1980s. New historicist critics were also influenced by the philosophical writings of Michel Foucault, particularly his books "Discipline and Punish" and "The History of Sexuality." The new historicists built on Foucault's idea of history as a progression of dominant ideologies that have shaped and have in turn been shaped by the culture of each historical period.
-
Objective
-
While new critics seek to reveal the original meaning of a text, new historicists seek instead to reconstruct the prevailing ideology surrounding the creation of the text. To do so, they analyze the political, cultural, and social issues of the time period. Then they examine how those issues are both reflected in and challenged by the literary work. They consider, as well, how the text "represents" or perpetuates the dominant ideology of the culture, particularly examining the exercise and subversion of power.
Practice
-
In analyzing a work of literature, new historicists primarily explore specific details and anecdotes from history. They examine how those details are interconnected with or are contradictory to the literary work and the period's prevailing ideology. They consider, as well, other cultural artifacts, or "representations," from personal letters and financial statements to political papers and even waste products. New historicists also explore their own backgrounds and methodologies, recognizing that their own cultural, political, and social environments will influence how they analyze and understand a literary text.
Criticism
-
A primary criticism of New Historicism is that the theory allows for almost any interpretation of a work of literature, regardless of the actual background and content of the work. Some critics say that new historicists, in fact, will interpret a work based on their own assumptions or reactions and then select evidence to support their conclusions. Other critics of the theory argue that new historicists neglect the literary elements of works of literature, overemphasizing instead the cultural period surrounding the text.
Influence
-
Despite the criticism, New Historicism has developed as one of the most popular schools of literary inquiry. One of the most influential adherents to New Historicism has been Stephen Greenblatt, who largely led the development of the New Historicism during the 1980s and 1990s. His book "Renaissance Self-Fashioning" is considered a seminal work in the field. Other recognized critics include Richard Helgerson, Stephen Orgle, Alan Liu and Catherine Gallagher.
-
