For examining the author's motives:
* Authorial intent: This is a term often used in literary criticism, focusing on understanding the author's purpose in writing the text. This involves considering the author's background, beliefs, and historical context to understand what they were trying to communicate.
* Biographical criticism: This approach focuses on the author's life experiences and how they might have influenced the work. This method can be helpful in understanding the author's motivations but should be used with caution, as it can be difficult to definitively link personal experiences to fictional creations.
* Psychological criticism: This approach examines the author's unconscious motivations, often drawing on psychoanalytic theories. It aims to understand the hidden meanings and desires that might be reflected in the text.
For examining the character's motives:
* Character analysis: This is a broad term encompassing various methods to understand a character's motivations, personality, and actions. This might involve examining their dialogue, actions, relationships, and internal thoughts.
* Psychoanalytic criticism: Similar to its use in authorial analysis, this approach can be applied to characters to understand their subconscious desires and motivations.
* Moral criticism: This approach focuses on the ethical dimensions of a character's actions and motivations. It can help determine whether a character is acting in a morally acceptable way and the consequences of their choices.
Additionally, depending on the specific context, you might also encounter terms like:
* Hermeneutics: This is a philosophical approach to interpretation that focuses on understanding the meaning of texts. It can be used to understand both authorial and character motivations.
* Textual analysis: This is a broader term that encompasses any approach that examines the text itself, including its language, structure, and themes, to understand motivations.
Ultimately, the best approach depends on the specific text you are analyzing and the questions you are trying to answer.