Literary Approaches
Biographical Context
How do we determine the Biographical Context in a literary text? What are the
biographical contexts?
A Biographical Context can be the author’s background. Through studying
the author, you may be able to connect the characters and their morals to the
author’s life, and analyse the patterns of behaviour shown between and among the
characters, the author, and you as a reader.
Also, it includes the year the text was written or published, and characters and
situations in the text that could be representative of or are similar to the ones in the
author’s life.
For some readers, they tend to do a research about the author in order for
them to be able to fully understand a literary text. Reading the author’s biography or
autobiography helps you see how much his experiences shape his work directly and
indirectly.
Biography - is simply an account or detailed description about the life of a
person. It entails basic facts, such as childhood, education, career, relationships,
family and death.
Autobiography - is a self-written life story. It is different from a biography,
which is the life story of a person written by someone else.
Note: You should not assume that all works are confessional, biographical, or even
“true to life.”
A literary text is according to the author’s perspective and will be heavily influenced by him
or her, but it is not the only way of studying literature.
Here are some examples of literary works written by authors of different
backgrounds. In their sample writings, their personal stories and beliefs reflect the
way they project the characters in their narrative:
“Under My Invisible Umbrella” by Laurel Fantauzzo is a literary essay that talks
about a Filipino -Italian who was born in the United States. Because her features are
more Italian than Filipina, she had encountered problems with people treating her as
“extra special” in the Philippines, but she finds it m ore isolating than welcoming.
Fantauzzo’s way of writing reflects a lot about her personal encounters within the
Philippines. To understand her essays better, the reader must know her background first
so that they may know the reasons behind her dilemmas.
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Catch a Falling Star by Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo is a collection of realistic short stories
that revolve around a child character named Trissy or Patriciang Payatot. In the
narratives, you would find out that Trissy is not much involved in outdoor games;
she
was more inclined to writing, paper doll making, and other simple crafts.
If one tries to research about the author, she may be classified as a female Filipino writer
who belongs to the intellectual elite; that’s why her writings are influenced by u
ppermiddle class situations.
Linguistic Context
According to David Richter, “Practically everything we do that is specifically
human is expressed in language.”
A Linguistic Context is mainly about the language or the choice of words of
the author. This also includes sentences, patterns, imagery, etc. of the text. Most of
the readers use some strategies related to linguistics to get to know more the
meaning of a literary peace. And, these are the following:
1. Analyze the diction or choice of words in the text.
2. Examine the texts’ syntax or use of sentences, clauses, phrases, line
cuts, etc.
Syntax- is a grammatical structure of words and phrases to create sentences.
-The format in which words and phrases are arranged to create
sentences.
Clauses- a group of words that includes a subject and a verb
Independent clause- one that can stand alone as a sentence
Dependent clause- one that cannot stand alone
Phrase- is one or more words that form a meaningful grammatical unit within
a clause
3. Observe the use of figurative language. Here are some examples of
Figurative Language:
Simile - compares to unlike things and uses the words “like” or “as”
Metaphor - compares two things that are not alike. Unlike simile, metaphor
does not use “like” or “as”
Hyperbole- an exaggeration that is created to emphasize a point or bring out
a sense of humor
Alliteration - repetition of same first consonants sound in two or more words
Personification - a thing is given a human attribute
4. Analyze the mood and tone of the text.
Mood - is the feeling you get while reading a literary text
- An atmosphere of the story
Tone- is the author’s attitude toward a subject (word choices and phrases)
5. Observe the text’s overall structure.
6. Analyze the contents of the text.
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Sociocultural Context
A Sociocultural Context is mostly about the social, economic, political, and
cultural forces affecting the work that you are reading. This also includes the
following:
✓ relationship between the characters or the speakers in the text and their
society
✓ issues of gender, race, or class
✓ economic or social power
✓ social order (lower class/middle class/upper class)
✓ literary theories/approaches/perspective
For further discussion, study the following types of perspectives or literary
theories and their explanations.
Cuevas, Regine. 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World Unit 1: Contextual
Reading Approaches. Quipper Limited 2018.Accessed June 30, 2020.
Note: When determining a sociocultural context in a literary text you are reading,
set aside your political ideologies. Do your best to be unbiased in reading.
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Now, we are done discussing the various literary approaches. You are still
free to review all the literary contexts any time you want. Once you’re confident
enough, proceed to the enrichment activity.
