Understanding Formalist Criticism

The Independent Piece of Work and Narrative Conventions

Mar 31, 2009 Edurne Scott

Formalist criticism is a way in which the reader can approach, analyze, and understand a text using conventional narrative structures.

Formalist criticism is understanding a story written exactly as it is presented within narrative conventions (narrative conventions being things like metaphor, plot, setting, characterization, symbolism). Formalist critics are able to examine the relationship between form and meaning in a work, which inevitably highlights the subtle complexity in the 'form' of the story or how it is arranged. Formalists pay attention to diction, irony, paradox, metaphor, and symbol, as well as the basic narrative conventions outlined above.

Formalist critics read literature as an independent piece of work or art object and so do not place any kind of importance on the author or the time it was written in. Anything outside of the work is ignored (not examined or given attention to).

Example of Formalist Criticism

In John Updike’s short story “A&P” for example Updike’s personal life and writing career are not deemed important for the formalist critic but rather the story itself, the independent work containing Sammy, a boy who exemplifies the common theme of ‘coming of age’. The story uses symbols like ‘The Establishment’ through Sammy’s boss who is not only the manager of the town’s supermarket, but is a Sunday school teacher and Sammy’s parents friend. When Sammy rejects his boss’s decision this is a symbolic gesture, under formalist criticism, of a rejection of the establishment.

This does not, once again, have to represent actions that happened in Updike’s own life or true to life events of the time (even if both happened to be true)- the only thing important to the formalist critic is the messages within the story and how we are able to understand that message.

Understanding Narrative Conventions

So for the example used above, the narrative convention of a ‘symbol’ is used by Updike to represent ‘The Establishment’ through the manager of a supermarket. Because the protagonist rejects the establishment Updike wishes to discuss the greater theme of how one becomes an adult by learning to recognize what the rules are (whether he or she then rejects or accepts the rules is part of the person’s own personality). Coming to this conclusion (one of many possible conclusions) is coming to a close reading that can only be achieved through formalist criticism.

Conclusion

Formalist criticism does not place importance on things like the author’s life or how the story could be understood as a representation of the specific time in history it was written in. Only the work itself and how it is able to achieve meaning is important to formalist criticism.

The copyright of the article Understanding Formalist Criticism in Academic Writing is owned by Edurne Scott. Permission to republish Understanding Formalist Criticism in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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