Imagine you are a teacher and your goal is to teach your readers about theory. For many of you, theory is a brand new subject, so now that you are an expert, I would like an essay where you discuss how the theories either agree or do not agree with one another. Here are a few things to consider. You do not need to answer these questions in this order. They are simply helpful questions to get you started. I will be assessing your essays based on your ability to synthesize the theories into an explanatory essay: What are the differences between New Criticism, Structuralism, New Historical, Queer criticism, and African-American criticism? Would a Feminist and a Marxist agree on some things but disagree on others? How does Psychoanalytic criticism relate to Marxism, Feminism, Queer criticism, and Postcolonial criticism? What are the main arguments for each of these theories and how do they differ from the others? Do African-American criticism and Queer theory share some commonalities? How? How does Reader-response criticism connect to the other theories? Many of these theories developed because of the theories that came before them. For instance, Feminism relies heavily on Marxism and Psychoanalysis. Women as “other” (lower class) and the psychological oppression of women (colonizing the subconscious) sound a lot like Marxist and Postcolonial theory. In short, explain the fundamental tenets of each theory from Psychoanalytic criticism to Postcolonial criticism. Consider this: You are the teacher. Write a fully developed explanatory essay where you teach someone not enrolled in this class about theory. Assume your audience knows nothing about critical theory. According to EssayPro.com: What Is an Explanatory Essay An explanatory essay is a type of writing in which the author presents some point of view on a certain topic, event, or situation. This view does not necessarily have to be one that the writer agrees with, but it must have some research and logic to make it feasible. Explanatory essays show other people’s views or give reports of a certain event or situation. These are common in majors like history or journalism, where students explore facts and real situations, giving unbiased explanations based on facts and evidence.
