Close Reading & Analysis (DP IB English A: Language and Literature: HL): Revision Note

This section is designed to help you understand some key literary and critical theories that can be used for your Higher Level (HL) Essay on your IB Diploma English A: Language and Literature (HL) course. It consists of:

• Marxist theory

• Reader-response theory

• Psychoanalytical theory

• Post-colonialist theory 

Marxist theory

• Marxist theory is based on the ideas of Karl Marx:

  • He argued that society is structured around economic systems, particularly capitalism, which creates inequality between social classes

• Society is divided into:

  • The bourgeoisie (those who own the means of production, e.g. factories, wealth)

  • The proletariat (those who sell their labour to survive)

• This system often leads to:

  • Exploitation of workers

  • Unequal distribution of wealth and power 

• Marxist critics are interested in how texts reflect, reinforce or challenge these inequalities

• Texts may:

  • Naturalise inequality (make it seem normal or acceptable)

  • Challenge inequality (expose injustice or exploitation)

• Critics examine:

  • Representation of wealth and poverty

  • Social class differences between characters

  • Power dynamics in relationships

• The aim is to reveal the ideology behind the text

How to apply Marxist theory to your IB text or body of work

• Marxist analysis can help you explore how texts:

  • Reflect real-word inequalities

  • Represent or challenge power and class structures

• In your HL Essay you could:

  • Analyse relationships between characters (who has power and who does not)

  • Explore how wealth or status is presented

  • Question whether the text reinforces inequality or critiques it

Reader-response theory

• Reader-response theory focuses on the idea that meaning is not fixed in the text:

  • It is created through the interaction between the reader and the text

• A key theorist is Wolfgang Iser:

  • Iser argued that reading is a collaborative process

• The writer provides the text and the reader actively constructs meaning:

  • This means different readers may interpret the same text in different ways, depending on their experience, cultural background and knowledge of other texts

• A central idea is that texts contain silences and omissions which the reader must fill in to create meaning:

  • These might include missing information about characters or ambiguities in events or motivations

• Readers often make assumptions or fill in missing details unconsciously

• Reader-response encourages readers to:

  • Be aware of these assumptions

  • Question how and why we interpret texts in certain ways

How to apply reader-response theory to your IB text or body of work

• Reader-response theory is especially important for the IB Area of Exploration (AoE): Readers, Writers and Texts

• It can help reveal how texts can:

  • Guide or manipulate reader expectations

  • Create tension by encouraging assumptions and challenging them

• In your HL Essay you could:

  • Analyse how a text positions the reader to think or feel in certain ways

  • Explore how meaning changes depending on audience or context of reception

  • Examine how texts use omissions and ambiguity to shape interpretation 

Psychoanalytical theory

• Psychoanalytical theory is based on the ideas of Sigmund Freud:

  • It focuses on how the human mind, identity and unconscious desires shape behaviour and meaning in texts 

• Freud argued that the mind has three parts:

  • The Id: instinctual desires (pleasures, impulses)

  • The Ego: the rational self we present to the world

  • The Superego: our moral conscience and sense of right and wrong

• He believed much of human behaviour is influenced by the unconscious, such as repressed desires and fears and anxieties

• These ideas are used in literary criticism to explore:

  • Character motivation

  • Inner conflict

  • Identity development

• Psychoanalytic critics analyse how texts reflect the psychological processes of characters, especially their hidden desires, fears and conflicts

How to apply psychoanalytical theory to your IB text or body of work

• Psychoanalytic theory can help you to explore:

  • Character psychology and motivation

  • Themes of identity, repression and conflict

  • The role of the unconscious in shaping meaning

• In your HL Essay you could:

  • Analyse characters’ internal struggles

  • Explore symbolism (dreams, fears, recurring images)

  • Consider how identity is constructed or destabilised

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Post-colonialist theory

• Post-colonialist theory explores the relationship between Western (European and European-origin) and non-Western cultures and the development of historical imbalances in power between them:

  • It developed in the 20th century after the decline of European empires

• It is strongly influenced by thinkers such as Edward Said

• It examines how colonialism created:

  • Power imbalances between nations and cultures

  • Systems that marginalised non-Western voices

• It argues that these inequalities are often continued after colonisation has ended

• Post-colonialist critics focus on how texts represent power, race and cultural identity, especially in relation to colonial histories:

  • Texts may reinforce colonial attitudes or challenge and resist them

• A key concept is “othering” where non-Western people are presented as different, inferior or “uncivilised”:

  • This often creates binary oppositions

• Post-colonialist writers and critics aim to challenge dominant Western perspectives and reclaim cultural identity

How to apply post-colonialist theory to your IB text or body of work

• Post-colonialist theory can help you to:

  • Explore global issues (for example, power, inequality and identity)

  • Analyse texts from a range of cultures and perspectives

• In your HL Essay you could:

  • Analyse how texts represent different cultures, identities and power relationships between groups

  • Explore whether a text reinforces stereotypes or challenges them

  • Examine how language and imagery contribute to “othering” or resistance