Examples
True or False: The Old Testament vs New Testament is an example of New Historicism.
True.
This type of New Historicism emphasizes gender, power dynamics, and experiences of women in historical texts + cultural artifacts.
Feminist
What is New Historicism?
Method of literary criticism which focuses on understanding literature within the context of the historical and cultural conditions of its time. Unlike traditional historicism, which often treats historical context as background information, New Historicism views literature and history as interconnected and mutually influential.
True or False:
History and literature are interwoven?
True
The bible: New Testament and Old Testament.
Name 3 types of New Historisicm
Postcolonialism, Greenbault’s, Feminist, Materialist, Postmodern, etc.
What year was New Historicism developed?
Developed in the 1980s
What is a key idea of New Historicism that has not been stated already?
Emphasize the role of power structures and ideologies in shaping culture and literature
Explores how marginalized or suppressed voices and perspectives emerge in texts
Recognize different perspectives and narratives from each individual text
This person makes plays often examined by New Historicists. Who is this person?
*Famous English play writer*
William Shakespeare.
This type of New Historicism is the foundational theory of New Historicism.
Greenbault’s
Who was New Historisicm developed by?
*Hint* 2 people
Michel Foucault and Stephen Greenblatt.
New Historicists analyze not only the text but also these kinds of “non-literary” texts.
Historical documents or cultural artifacts
How might New Historicism be applied to your own reading?
Through research to see what may have influenced them. Find the time, place and/or historical context of the piece of literature. Choose what aspect of the literature you think would be more clarified if researched. Do some searching and analyze whether it’s influenced by history or culture.
This type of New Historicism emphasizes conditions, class, economics, and labour as the central influence.
Materialist
Where did Historicism first appear?
Europe, mainly in Germany.
New Historisicm was influenced by this French philosopher’s ideas.
Michel Foucault
What are some historical context questions to ask yourself when analyzing texts?
- What major political, social or cultural events were happening when this text was written?
- How do the characters or conflict reflect the values or anxieties of that historical moment?
- What beliefs or ideologies of the time are being reinforced or challenged?
What is postcolonial New Historicism?
Literature alongside colonial archives, marginalized voices, and the effects of imperial ideologies.
France.
What idea in New Historicism suggests that power circulates through society, affecting both historical events and cultural productions?
Power/knowledge New Historisicm.