Structuralism in Mid-Twentieth Century Literary Criticism

The mid-twentieth century saw the rise of critical theory stemming from literary criticism. One influential figure was Northrop Frye, a Canadian theorist whose ideas found resonance in America and shared similarities with structuralism. The theorists of structuralism, such as Levi Strauss, built upon Northrop Frye's new critical theories to develop the theory of structuralist criticism. Understanding Structuralism Structuralism, as the name suggests, focuses on studying the structures within language to uncover meaning and truth. It involves the analysis of literature through the patterns of language to derive meaning. Ferdinand de Saussure's contributions shed light on the functioning of language in terms of signs and signifiers. Building on Frye's theories, Levi Strauss applied Saussure's theory to the study of literature, giving rise to structuralist criticism. Structuralist Analysis of Myths Levi Strauss delved into the structuralist study of myths and proposed that myt…