Here are some common categories of literary theory, and within each, there are many specific schools of thought:
Traditional Approaches
* Formalism/New Criticism: Focuses on the text itself, analyzing literary elements like plot, character, theme, and language.
* Structuralism: Seeks to understand how texts create meaning through underlying structures and systems.
* Reader-Response Criticism: Emphasizes the reader's role in creating meaning and interpreting the text.
* Feminist Criticism: Examines how gender roles, power dynamics, and representations of women are portrayed in literature.
* Marxist Criticism: Analyzes texts through the lens of class struggle, economic systems, and power relations.
Contemporary Approaches
* Postmodernism: Challenges traditional ideas of authorship, truth, and meaning, embracing fragmentation and subjectivity.
* Post-Colonial Criticism: Examines the impact of colonialism on literature and culture, focusing on issues of race, power, and representation.
* Queer Theory: Challenges heteronormative assumptions and explores the complexities of gender and sexuality in literature.
* Cultural Studies: Combines literary analysis with broader cultural contexts, examining the role of media, technology, and social practices.
Other Theoretical Lenses
* Psychoanalytic Criticism: Applies psychoanalytic concepts to understand characters' motivations and the underlying themes of a text.
* Ecocriticism: Examines the relationship between literature and the natural environment.
* Disability Studies: Focuses on representations of disability in literature and its impact on social perceptions.
Important Notes:
* These categories are not exhaustive, and there are many other approaches to literary theory.
* Many theories overlap and can be used in combination.
* The use of literary theory is always a matter of interpretation and context.
Therefore, it's not accurate to say there are only 7 literary theories in use today. It's much more complex and diverse than that.