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Showing 2 results for Theory of Literary History

Naser Gholi Sarli,
Volume 5, Issue 19 (11-2012)
Abstract

Literary period functions as a regulative idea for literary critics in the narrative of literary history. Literary period is a time-section; although in literary history and criticism, it has also other implications and associative meanings. Some of these secondary meanings which can be called components of literary period are: zeitgeist, the conditions of literary production, dominant norms, change and evolution, binary oppositions, individual or collective idealistic narrative, and concept of spatiality. Zeitgeist and the conditions of literary period offer theories about factors extrinsic to literature that manage establishment and change of general and literary periods. The concept of period as time-section ruled by a series of literary norms ascribes some kind of internal unity to literary periods. Periodization based upon organic idea of evolution compares every period with one of the life’s stages of an organism. Some critics understand literary period in terms of binary oppositions such as classic and modern. Others give literary period a spatial aspect. However, literary history is a result of individual or collective idealistic narrative. It is not a concept but an idea. It is not related to knowledge but to thinking.
Naser Gholi Sarli,
Volume 6, Issue 23 (10-2013)
Abstract

Criticizing and Rethinking of Periodization in Literary History Abstract In historical and literary studies, periodization is a regulative idea for classifying the literary and historical information in diachronic axis but its application in literary history has been subject to some critiques. This article is to study the critical debates about periodization in literary history and the rethinking of the concept. We can divide these critical debates in two groups: some critics call the very notion into question and refer to as invalid concept. Instead, others engage in rethinking and revising the concept for appropriate application in literary history. Imposition of a static framework on cultural and literary dynamics, averaging effect and contrast with uniqueness of literary works, combining histories of different literary genres, lack of conformity with reality, artificial homogeneity and consistency of change and evolution schemas, problems of terminology and descriptive, anachronism, lost years and centuries, ignoring the distance between literary production and literary reading, logical sequence, ignoring ethnic and gender groups and dominance of period concepts on critical thought are some critiques against periodization and its application in literary history. Rethinking of periodization, being based upon new historical and literary findings and sometimes focusing on redefinition of temporal limits of periods, is current in different frameworks: feminist approaches, according to ethnic and gender groups, and redefinition of literary periods based on new critical concepts. Keywords: literary history, theory of literary history, periodization, literary criticism, literary theory.

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