Historicism
Historicism is a method of criticism in which one analyzes a piece of writing using specific social context, including but not limited to time, place, local conditions, politics, social movements and religion.
Introduction: (Kayla)
Historicism is an umbrella term that has several variations.
Hegelian Historicism:
Definition:The historicist position by Hegel ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GWF_Hegel) suggests that any human society and all human activities such as science, art or philosophy , are defined by their history, so that their essence can be sought only through understanding that. The history of any such human endeavor, moreover, not only builds upon but also reacts against what has gone before; this is the source of Hegel's famous Dialectic teaching usually summed up by the slogan "thesis, antithesis, and synthesis". (Hegel did not use these terms, although Fichte did.) Hegel's famous aphorism, "Philosophy is the history of philosophy," describes it bluntly.
Hegel's position is perhaps best illuminated when contrasted against the atomistic and reductionist view of human societies and social activities self-defining on an ad hoc basisthrough the sum of dozens of interactions:
Explanation:”A history which aspires to traverse long periods of time, or to be universal, must indeed forego the attempt to give individual representations of the past as it actually existed. It must foreshorten its pictures by abstractions; and this includes not merely the omission of events and deeds, but whatever is involved in the fact that Thought is, after all, the most trenchant epitomist. A battle, a great victory, a siege, no longer maintains its original proportions, but is put off with a bare mention. When Livy, e.g., tells us of the wars with the Volsci, we sometimes have the brief announcement: “This year war was carried on with the Volsci.” ( G W F Hegel, 1830)
Anthropological historicism:
Definition: Within anthropology and other sciences which study the past, historicism has a different meaning. It is associated with the work of Franz Boas. His theory took the diffusionist concept that there were a few "cradles of civilization" which grew outwards in circles, and merged it with the idea that societies would adapt to their circumstances, which is called historical particularism.
Explanation: Underlying the subscription [of historicism] or relativism, or what sustains it at an un-explicated level, is a pervasive understanding of ‘culture’, especially as expressed in (cultural) anthropology… Humans are ‘unfinished animals’ who complete themselves through culture. Culture is not properly considered as an add on to biological evolution but, rather, is an intrinsic ingredient; humans are ‘cultural artifacts’ (IC 51). We become human by becoming individual but we only become individual under the guidance of cultural systems of meaning which are ‘not general but specific’ so that ‘to be human here is thus not to be Everyman; it is to be a particular kind of man and of course men differ’ (IC 52–3). ( Wilson, Scott)
New Historicism:
Definition: New Historicism is a school of literary theory, grounded in critical theory, that developed in the 1980s, primarily through the work of the critic Stephen Greenblatt, and gained widespread influence in the 1990s.[1]
Explanation: New historicism bears very little relation to more traditional forms of history like political history, social history, military history and so on. In its emphasis on literature, art and culture generally, new historicist approaches bear some resemblance to “cultural history” and “cultural materialism”. Cultural history has no background in “theory” however and extended out of traditional disciplinary histories like literary history and art history to include other cultural objects and projects: the history of sugar or coffee, for example, or the history of the fish and chip shop, comics, landscape gardening. ( David Mikics)
Modern historicism:
Definition: Within the context of 20th century philosophy, the conflict over whether a historical and immanent methodologies were sufficient to understand meaning — that is to say, "what you see is what you get" positivism — or whether context, background and culture are important beyond the mere need to decode words, phrases and references. While post-structural historicism is relativist in its orientation, that is, it sees each culture as its own frame of reference, a large number of thinkers have embraced the need for historical context, not because culture is self-referential, but because there is no more compressed means of conveying all of the relevant information except through history. This view is often seen as being rooted in the work of Benedetto Croce. Recent historians in this tradition include Thomas Kuhn.
Explination: Kuhn's theory of the history of science provides a way to see science as related to the large sweep of history. The appearance of new scientific values occurs because of changes in the large historical world in which science exists, along with, e.g., economics, religion, politics, and nation-states. Scientists hold new scientific values for nonscientific reasons. Major social and cultural changes in history affect science through the creation of new scientific values. These values will in turn generate new paradigms that construct new "phenomenological fields." Thereby, the epistemology, theory, and factual content of science are related to changes in great historical epochs. ( Consumercide)
Christian historicism:
Definition: [Christian] Historicism is a school of interpretation which treats the eschatological prophecies of Daniel and Revelation as finding literal earthly fulfillment through the history of the church age and especially in relation to the struggle between the true church and apostasy. Historicism stands in contrast to Preterism, Futurism and Idealism. Emerging within the early church, historicism became a dominant eschatological interpretation in the Protestant-Catholic conflicts of the Reformation. A Historicist approach was taken by Martin Luther[1] and John Calvin.[2] Among conservative Protestants, historicism was supplanted in the 19th century by futurism, with the rise of dispensationalist theology.[3][4][5] Historicism continues to be taught in churches arising from the Adventist movement.
Explanation: This interpretation was favoured by many of the great writers, thinkers and preachers of the historic Christian church since the Reformation of the 16th century. While the earliest Reformers, like Martin Luther and John Calvin, did interpret prophecy according to a historicist framework, they retained the interpretation of "the thousand years" of Revelation 20, known today as, "Amillennialism," that was promoted at that time by the Roman Catholic Church. From the late 16th century until the 20th century, the historicist interpretation of prophecy, coupled with a "Premillennial" view of Revelation 20, was common among Bible-believing Protestants around the globe. That particular brand of end-times beliefs, called, "Premillennial Historicism," was accompanied by a great surge in world missions, the founding of many mission-minded Bible institutes and colleges, and a wealth of creative and doctrinally sound literature engaging the issues of the times. ( Haynes, Joseph)
Terms: (Vanessa)
·
Primary evidence- firsthand material
Secondary evidence- involves letting those with more resources at their command to do your groundwork.
Textual analysis-the examination of manuscripts and early editions
Bibliography- the listing and annotation of works available on a given author or literary subject.
Biographical criticism- the study of someone’s life to gain insight into a literary text.
Genre studies- the examination of a work of art in light of other works of the same type to determine its place in literary history.
Source studies- the search for a work’s origins in sources available when the work was produced.
The history of ideas- the influence of beliefs or ideas current when a literary work was produced.
Psychobiography- use of modern psychology to examine how an author’s psychology affects or is revealed in a work.
Sociological criticism- the influence of class struggles, cultural events, and social institutions on an author’s work or life. (Cowles 52-53)
History of the text and its author:(Vanessa)
“William Shakespeare never published any of his plays and therefore none of the original manuscripts have survived. Eighteen unauthorised versions of his plays were, however, published during his lifetime in quarto editions by unscrupulous publishers (there were no copyright laws protecting Shakespeare and his works during the Elizabethan era). A collection of his works did not appear until 1623 (a full seven years after Shakespeare's death on April 23, 1616) when two of his fellow actors, John Hemminges and Henry Condell, posthumously recorded his work and published 36 of William’s plays in the First Folio. Some dates are therefore approximate other dates are substantiated by historical events, records of performances and the dates plays appeared in print.” (Alchin 1) Nameri argues that another play, Leir, is very similar to Shakespeare's King Lear. "Various aspects of Leir have been carefully studied--authorship, sources, influences, style, language, and technique, and its relationship to Shakespeare's King Lear. Although this might be correct, it depicts how the social and historical context influenced these authors.
Core themes of text and criticism:(Vanessa)
One of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies is King Lear. King Lear is a tragedy that is based solely on the idea of kingship and rank in society. “King Lear is only marginally concerned with kingship, royalty, and high politics; this is not an English history play transferred to the dark ages…King in King Lear is the apex of the social hierarchy, and in this play symbolizes all forms of authority…What the mad King sees is a world in which all rank, all office caricatures itself. Hence the play’s business is to dwell on the decomposition of title and rank, before resting on the exhausted reordering of the state in the final lines.”(Berry111) King Lear was written by Shakespeare in a time of turmoil in his home land, England. There were sudden changes in the regime and this obviously had a heavy influence on the writing of King Lear. He lived in England in a very unstable society. “Shakespeare lived at a time when an uncertain balance had been struck in the transition from the feudal-aristocratic society of medieval England to the emergent bourgeois state.”(Delany 21)
Critical article: (Vanessa)
The article entitled "Historicism: The History and Meaning of the Term" makes a lot of compelling points as to why Historicism is a necessary theory when dealing with Literature. The article, in very standard from, begins with this history of Historicism. Although the exact beginnings of Historicist theory and critique are not known, the author, Iggers, brings about the highlights of when history was beginning to be taken into consideration when deciphering a piece of literature.
The article then goes on to describe the issues that other theorists have with Historicism. Many argue that Historicism takes away from the richness of the text and its meaning. However, more and more people are becoming interested in what compels an author to write what they do. It is rather interesting, for instance, to think about what directly affected Shakespeare as he was writing many of the famous plays and poems that are still read today. Historicists aim to find the causes that made an author write what they did how they did.
The article goes on to explain the struggles that come with viewing a work through a Historicist lens. A lot of research and investigation goes into trying to figure the various factors that led to a certain piece of work. There are many pros and cons brought up when researching Historicism. However, it has become clearer that understanding factors that led to a certain work is beyond insightful. This allows intellectuals to get into the mentality of the author and read the work as if they were in that time in which it was originally written.
http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.dom.edu/stable/pdfplus/2710011.pdf
Important information:(Vanessa)
Historicism seeks to put a piece of art in its context. Historicists, or historical critics, aim to find the clues that lead to the direct writing of a piece of literature. “…Literature is possibly precisely as it is because it is in its very nature a way, perhaps the most profound, of comprehending that dialectical opposition which characterizes our knowledge of ourselves in our history.”(Pearce 4) Historicists argue that a piece of literature is a sort of artifact for intellectuals reading these works now. They seek to find early editions of works in order to be able to observe the initial writing of an author before it is scrutinized by editors. Historicism is a type of critical approach that was developed over a long time period. “Historical criticism in all its forms is based on our powers of observation, our ability to collect and interpret data, and our capacity to think inductively and deductively to test and synthesize all information.”(Cowles 49)
Five reading questions: (Vanessa)
1. What types of things should a historicist take into consideration when beginning to read Shakespearean literature such as King Lear?
2. What does Historicism aim to do with literature?
3. Why is it important to know the context of a piece of literature?
4. Does Historicism have a specific founder of this idea?
5. When applying a Historicist reading to a piece of literature, what type of literature would benefit the most from this theory.
Here are several websites that may be of assistance:
(Kayla)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=062UYdvxIds
This is a YouTube lecture on historicism from ENGL 2341 Studies in Film North Central Texas College. Though It is dry and Goes slowly (about 10 minutes) It’s pretty thorough and basic in description.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_Cx9mAX1zg
This is a video some students made for an Honors English Class. Though much more entertaining and more interesting than the above link, it is also very thorough, and includes some examples of historicist analysis.
http://www.historicism.com/menu/bookshelf.htm
A website that hosts Religious Historicist literature.
"On this page we will try to provide you with a resource to the best Historicist literature available on the Internet today! In addition we will feature articles and essays that we are able to make available from current contributors as well as from historicist writers in the past."
http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hegel/hisindex.htm
GWF Hegel's Philosophy on History Lectures. Probably not manditory, but relevant facinating and educational.
Annotated Bibliography
Vanessa:
Alchin, L.K.. "King Lear the play by William Shakespeare." WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2010. <http://www.william-shakespeare.info/shakespeare-play-king-lear.htm>.
This site was used as a source because it holds basic information pertaining to the Elizabethan era. There is an author and citations that seem to be credible. Site was simply used to gain further insight of society during Shakespeare’s time.
Berry, Ralph. Shakespeare and social class . Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press International, 1988. Print.This book was used in order to find specific information about King Lear. The book is used to give descriptions of many of Shakespeare’s plays.
Cowles, David L., and Mike Austin. The critical experience: literary reading, writing, and criticism. 2nd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt, 1994. Print.This text was used to get formal definitions and terms. This text is used in class and holds key information on the various theories.
Kamps, Ivo. Materialist Shakespeare: a history. London: Verso, 1995. Print.
This book was used to support the idea that Shakespeare’s writings were influenced heavily by outside forces. When putting these texts in their context and place in history, it is obvious that the text is relatable to the situations in society.
Nameri, Dorothy E.. Three versions of the story of King Lear (anonymous ca. 1594-1605, William Shakespeare 1607-1608, Nahum Tate 1681) studied in relation to one another . Salzburg, Austria: Institut für Englische Sprache und Literatur, Universität Salzburg, 1976. Print.
This book was used to show that application of one of the historicist theories on King Lear. Nameri used historicism in order to closely relate King Lear to Leir.
Kayla:
GwF, Hegel, The Philosophy of History (1837 - E. Gans, ed.)
This is a Copy of Hegel's Lecture on The Philosophy of History. It was used because a direct quote from Hegel regarding his opinion of history was the best way to epress the base view of Hegelian Historicism.
David Mikics, ed. A New Handbook of Literary Terms, 2007, s.v. "New Historicism".
This is a literary handbook on terms that students should know. This was used because it gives a basic description of New Historicism that clearly differentiates it from Historicism, as well as including specific examples.
Wilson, Scot,Journal for Cultural Research; Apr2007, Vol. 11 Issue 2, p161, 14p
This is an article on Cultural materialism and New Historicism. The excerpt is from the beginning of the article, in which human's relation to culture through history is explained.
Thomas Kuhn's Theory of Scientific Revolutions, Copyright © 2010 Consumercide http://www.consumercide.com/js/
This is a blog about consumerism and philosophy. The excerpt is from an essay analyzing and compacting Thomas Kuhn's Theory of Scientific Revolutions. It includes direct quotes from Kuhn to support the analysis.
Historicism.com, Joseph Hayes, 2010
This is the Hub of Christian historicist literature. The excerpt is from the site introduction. This source was used to present Christian historicism from inside the religious community.
Basic definitions if each variation supplied by Wikipedia and supported by the sources under explanation.
Historicism is a method of criticism in which one analyzes a piece of writing using specific social context, including but not limited to time, place, local conditions, politics, social movements and religion.
Introduction: (Kayla)
Historicism is an umbrella term that has several variations.
Hegelian Historicism:
Definition:The historicist position by Hegel ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GWF_Hegel) suggests that any human society and all human activities such as science, art or philosophy , are defined by their history, so that their essence can be sought only through understanding that. The history of any such human endeavor, moreover, not only builds upon but also reacts against what has gone before; this is the source of Hegel's famous Dialectic teaching usually summed up by the slogan "thesis, antithesis, and synthesis". (Hegel did not use these terms, although Fichte did.) Hegel's famous aphorism, "Philosophy is the history of philosophy," describes it bluntly.
Hegel's position is perhaps best illuminated when contrasted against the atomistic and reductionist view of human societies and social activities self-defining on an ad hoc basisthrough the sum of dozens of interactions:
Explanation:”A history which aspires to traverse long periods of time, or to be universal, must indeed forego the attempt to give individual representations of the past as it actually existed. It must foreshorten its pictures by abstractions; and this includes not merely the omission of events and deeds, but whatever is involved in the fact that Thought is, after all, the most trenchant epitomist. A battle, a great victory, a siege, no longer maintains its original proportions, but is put off with a bare mention. When Livy, e.g., tells us of the wars with the Volsci, we sometimes have the brief announcement: “This year war was carried on with the Volsci.” ( G W F Hegel, 1830)
Anthropological historicism:
Definition: Within anthropology and other sciences which study the past, historicism has a different meaning. It is associated with the work of Franz Boas. His theory took the diffusionist concept that there were a few "cradles of civilization" which grew outwards in circles, and merged it with the idea that societies would adapt to their circumstances, which is called historical particularism.
Explanation: Underlying the subscription [of historicism] or relativism, or what sustains it at an un-explicated level, is a pervasive understanding of ‘culture’, especially as expressed in (cultural) anthropology… Humans are ‘unfinished animals’ who complete themselves through culture. Culture is not properly considered as an add on to biological evolution but, rather, is an intrinsic ingredient; humans are ‘cultural artifacts’ (IC 51). We become human by becoming individual but we only become individual under the guidance of cultural systems of meaning which are ‘not general but specific’ so that ‘to be human here is thus not to be Everyman; it is to be a particular kind of man and of course men differ’ (IC 52–3). ( Wilson, Scott)
New Historicism:
Definition: New Historicism is a school of literary theory, grounded in critical theory, that developed in the 1980s, primarily through the work of the critic Stephen Greenblatt, and gained widespread influence in the 1990s.[1]
Explanation: New historicism bears very little relation to more traditional forms of history like political history, social history, military history and so on. In its emphasis on literature, art and culture generally, new historicist approaches bear some resemblance to “cultural history” and “cultural materialism”. Cultural history has no background in “theory” however and extended out of traditional disciplinary histories like literary history and art history to include other cultural objects and projects: the history of sugar or coffee, for example, or the history of the fish and chip shop, comics, landscape gardening. ( David Mikics)
Modern historicism:
Definition: Within the context of 20th century philosophy, the conflict over whether a historical and immanent methodologies were sufficient to understand meaning — that is to say, "what you see is what you get" positivism — or whether context, background and culture are important beyond the mere need to decode words, phrases and references. While post-structural historicism is relativist in its orientation, that is, it sees each culture as its own frame of reference, a large number of thinkers have embraced the need for historical context, not because culture is self-referential, but because there is no more compressed means of conveying all of the relevant information except through history. This view is often seen as being rooted in the work of Benedetto Croce. Recent historians in this tradition include Thomas Kuhn.
Explination: Kuhn's theory of the history of science provides a way to see science as related to the large sweep of history. The appearance of new scientific values occurs because of changes in the large historical world in which science exists, along with, e.g., economics, religion, politics, and nation-states. Scientists hold new scientific values for nonscientific reasons. Major social and cultural changes in history affect science through the creation of new scientific values. These values will in turn generate new paradigms that construct new "phenomenological fields." Thereby, the epistemology, theory, and factual content of science are related to changes in great historical epochs. ( Consumercide)
Christian historicism:
Definition: [Christian] Historicism is a school of interpretation which treats the eschatological prophecies of Daniel and Revelation as finding literal earthly fulfillment through the history of the church age and especially in relation to the struggle between the true church and apostasy. Historicism stands in contrast to Preterism, Futurism and Idealism. Emerging within the early church, historicism became a dominant eschatological interpretation in the Protestant-Catholic conflicts of the Reformation. A Historicist approach was taken by Martin Luther[1] and John Calvin.[2] Among conservative Protestants, historicism was supplanted in the 19th century by futurism, with the rise of dispensationalist theology.[3][4][5] Historicism continues to be taught in churches arising from the Adventist movement.
Explanation: This interpretation was favoured by many of the great writers, thinkers and preachers of the historic Christian church since the Reformation of the 16th century. While the earliest Reformers, like Martin Luther and John Calvin, did interpret prophecy according to a historicist framework, they retained the interpretation of "the thousand years" of Revelation 20, known today as, "Amillennialism," that was promoted at that time by the Roman Catholic Church. From the late 16th century until the 20th century, the historicist interpretation of prophecy, coupled with a "Premillennial" view of Revelation 20, was common among Bible-believing Protestants around the globe. That particular brand of end-times beliefs, called, "Premillennial Historicism," was accompanied by a great surge in world missions, the founding of many mission-minded Bible institutes and colleges, and a wealth of creative and doctrinally sound literature engaging the issues of the times. ( Haynes, Joseph)
Terms: (Vanessa)
·
Primary evidence- firsthand material
Secondary evidence- involves letting those with more resources at their command to do your groundwork.
Textual analysis-the examination of manuscripts and early editions
Bibliography- the listing and annotation of works available on a given author or literary subject.
Biographical criticism- the study of someone’s life to gain insight into a literary text.
Genre studies- the examination of a work of art in light of other works of the same type to determine its place in literary history.
Source studies- the search for a work’s origins in sources available when the work was produced.
The history of ideas- the influence of beliefs or ideas current when a literary work was produced.
Psychobiography- use of modern psychology to examine how an author’s psychology affects or is revealed in a work.
Sociological criticism- the influence of class struggles, cultural events, and social institutions on an author’s work or life. (Cowles 52-53)
History of the text and its author:(Vanessa)
“William Shakespeare never published any of his plays and therefore none of the original manuscripts have survived. Eighteen unauthorised versions of his plays were, however, published during his lifetime in quarto editions by unscrupulous publishers (there were no copyright laws protecting Shakespeare and his works during the Elizabethan era). A collection of his works did not appear until 1623 (a full seven years after Shakespeare's death on April 23, 1616) when two of his fellow actors, John Hemminges and Henry Condell, posthumously recorded his work and published 36 of William’s plays in the First Folio. Some dates are therefore approximate other dates are substantiated by historical events, records of performances and the dates plays appeared in print.” (Alchin 1) Nameri argues that another play, Leir, is very similar to Shakespeare's King Lear. "Various aspects of Leir have been carefully studied--authorship, sources, influences, style, language, and technique, and its relationship to Shakespeare's King Lear. Although this might be correct, it depicts how the social and historical context influenced these authors.
Core themes of text and criticism:(Vanessa)
One of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies is King Lear. King Lear is a tragedy that is based solely on the idea of kingship and rank in society. “King Lear is only marginally concerned with kingship, royalty, and high politics; this is not an English history play transferred to the dark ages…King in King Lear is the apex of the social hierarchy, and in this play symbolizes all forms of authority…What the mad King sees is a world in which all rank, all office caricatures itself. Hence the play’s business is to dwell on the decomposition of title and rank, before resting on the exhausted reordering of the state in the final lines.”(Berry111) King Lear was written by Shakespeare in a time of turmoil in his home land, England. There were sudden changes in the regime and this obviously had a heavy influence on the writing of King Lear. He lived in England in a very unstable society. “Shakespeare lived at a time when an uncertain balance had been struck in the transition from the feudal-aristocratic society of medieval England to the emergent bourgeois state.”(Delany 21)
Critical article: (Vanessa)
The article entitled "Historicism: The History and Meaning of the Term" makes a lot of compelling points as to why Historicism is a necessary theory when dealing with Literature. The article, in very standard from, begins with this history of Historicism. Although the exact beginnings of Historicist theory and critique are not known, the author, Iggers, brings about the highlights of when history was beginning to be taken into consideration when deciphering a piece of literature.
The article then goes on to describe the issues that other theorists have with Historicism. Many argue that Historicism takes away from the richness of the text and its meaning. However, more and more people are becoming interested in what compels an author to write what they do. It is rather interesting, for instance, to think about what directly affected Shakespeare as he was writing many of the famous plays and poems that are still read today. Historicists aim to find the causes that made an author write what they did how they did.
The article goes on to explain the struggles that come with viewing a work through a Historicist lens. A lot of research and investigation goes into trying to figure the various factors that led to a certain piece of work. There are many pros and cons brought up when researching Historicism. However, it has become clearer that understanding factors that led to a certain work is beyond insightful. This allows intellectuals to get into the mentality of the author and read the work as if they were in that time in which it was originally written.
http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.dom.edu/stable/pdfplus/2710011.pdf
Important information:(Vanessa)
Historicism seeks to put a piece of art in its context. Historicists, or historical critics, aim to find the clues that lead to the direct writing of a piece of literature. “…Literature is possibly precisely as it is because it is in its very nature a way, perhaps the most profound, of comprehending that dialectical opposition which characterizes our knowledge of ourselves in our history.”(Pearce 4) Historicists argue that a piece of literature is a sort of artifact for intellectuals reading these works now. They seek to find early editions of works in order to be able to observe the initial writing of an author before it is scrutinized by editors. Historicism is a type of critical approach that was developed over a long time period. “Historical criticism in all its forms is based on our powers of observation, our ability to collect and interpret data, and our capacity to think inductively and deductively to test and synthesize all information.”(Cowles 49)
Five reading questions: (Vanessa)
1. What types of things should a historicist take into consideration when beginning to read Shakespearean literature such as King Lear?
2. What does Historicism aim to do with literature?
3. Why is it important to know the context of a piece of literature?
4. Does Historicism have a specific founder of this idea?
5. When applying a Historicist reading to a piece of literature, what type of literature would benefit the most from this theory.
Here are several websites that may be of assistance:
(Kayla)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=062UYdvxIds
This is a YouTube lecture on historicism from ENGL 2341 Studies in Film North Central Texas College. Though It is dry and Goes slowly (about 10 minutes) It’s pretty thorough and basic in description.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_Cx9mAX1zg
This is a video some students made for an Honors English Class. Though much more entertaining and more interesting than the above link, it is also very thorough, and includes some examples of historicist analysis.
http://www.historicism.com/menu/bookshelf.htm
A website that hosts Religious Historicist literature.
"On this page we will try to provide you with a resource to the best Historicist literature available on the Internet today! In addition we will feature articles and essays that we are able to make available from current contributors as well as from historicist writers in the past."
http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hegel/hisindex.htm
GWF Hegel's Philosophy on History Lectures. Probably not manditory, but relevant facinating and educational.
Annotated Bibliography
Vanessa:
Alchin, L.K.. "King Lear the play by William Shakespeare." WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2010. <http://www.william-shakespeare.info/shakespeare-play-king-lear.htm>.
This site was used as a source because it holds basic information pertaining to the Elizabethan era. There is an author and citations that seem to be credible. Site was simply used to gain further insight of society during Shakespeare’s time.
Berry, Ralph. Shakespeare and social class . Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press International, 1988. Print.This book was used in order to find specific information about King Lear. The book is used to give descriptions of many of Shakespeare’s plays.
Cowles, David L., and Mike Austin. The critical experience: literary reading, writing, and criticism. 2nd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt, 1994. Print.This text was used to get formal definitions and terms. This text is used in class and holds key information on the various theories.
Kamps, Ivo. Materialist Shakespeare: a history. London: Verso, 1995. Print.
This book was used to support the idea that Shakespeare’s writings were influenced heavily by outside forces. When putting these texts in their context and place in history, it is obvious that the text is relatable to the situations in society.
Nameri, Dorothy E.. Three versions of the story of King Lear (anonymous ca. 1594-1605, William Shakespeare 1607-1608, Nahum Tate 1681) studied in relation to one another . Salzburg, Austria: Institut für Englische Sprache und Literatur, Universität Salzburg, 1976. Print.
This book was used to show that application of one of the historicist theories on King Lear. Nameri used historicism in order to closely relate King Lear to Leir.
Kayla:
GwF, Hegel, The Philosophy of History (1837 - E. Gans, ed.)
This is a Copy of Hegel's Lecture on The Philosophy of History. It was used because a direct quote from Hegel regarding his opinion of history was the best way to epress the base view of Hegelian Historicism.
David Mikics, ed. A New Handbook of Literary Terms, 2007, s.v. "New Historicism".
This is a literary handbook on terms that students should know. This was used because it gives a basic description of New Historicism that clearly differentiates it from Historicism, as well as including specific examples.
Wilson, Scot,Journal for Cultural Research; Apr2007, Vol. 11 Issue 2, p161, 14p
This is an article on Cultural materialism and New Historicism. The excerpt is from the beginning of the article, in which human's relation to culture through history is explained.
Thomas Kuhn's Theory of Scientific Revolutions, Copyright © 2010 Consumercide http://www.consumercide.com/js/
This is a blog about consumerism and philosophy. The excerpt is from an essay analyzing and compacting Thomas Kuhn's Theory of Scientific Revolutions. It includes direct quotes from Kuhn to support the analysis.
Historicism.com, Joseph Hayes, 2010
This is the Hub of Christian historicist literature. The excerpt is from the site introduction. This source was used to present Christian historicism from inside the religious community.
Basic definitions if each variation supplied by Wikipedia and supported by the sources under explanation.
Click here to edit.
Click here to edit.
