Structuralism

Compared, Structuralism as a form of critically reading literature makes more sense to me than some previous examples of Liberal Humanism. Structuralism is an organized, systematic approach to look at a piece of writing. For me, it is much easier to look for patterns and opposites in writing than trying to ignore small parts of the big picture and go straight to the meaning and content of the story. By being able to figure out the interrelated parts of the big picture, it is a more concrete way to look at literature. The structure of the sentences determines the meaning as a whole. The best example for me was the watch example. Depending on what type of watch was chosen, the image of the wearer changed. Also, Structuralism is a belief of systems and that structures are what gives meaning to the story. This seems like an upfront way to look at literature, and coming from a business and science background, I appreciate this ordered and technical way of perspective. I especially relate to the different "codes" presented in Beginning Theory. These five codes, such as proairetic, hermeneutic, cultural, semic, and symbolic, all relate to each other, and all five can be found in most literature.

However, I am still a little skeptical of Structuralism for certain types of writing. This type of critic seems a little rigid for certain types of work, such as writing that is deeply emotional. Some authors may feel that the reason for their writing is the emotion and meaning, as found in Liberal Humanism. It is not found in the structure of their writing.