Tugas Critical Theory

Endang Firdaus
180410110011
Critical Theory

The Elements of Literature

In essay The Resistance to Theory by Paul De Man, explain how the historical of Literature and Literary theory as the discipline. Literature as the discipline has been influenced any disciplines, because the study of literature not only includes the art and fiction but also many element of human life such as social, logic, mathematic, and so on. Furthermore, The study of literature is always developing following the times.

According to Paul De Man (pg 95)  in his essay said that difficulties have not prevented many writers on literature from proceeding along theoretical rather than pragmatic lines, often with considerable success. It can be shown however that, in all cases, this success depends on the power of a system philosophical, religious, or ideological that may well remain implicit but that determines an a priory conception of what is literary by starting out from the premises of the system rather than from the literary thing itself. I assume that Paul De man explain how literature was formed and the elements of literature can support each other to built an ideological concept of literature that can be applied in many sciences philosophical, religious, and ideology are the elements that can form the Theory of Literature, they always become as the foundation of thinking of the writers. However, According to Freeman’s speech in the book Beginning Theory by Peter Barry (pg.14) he said that : we are told that the study of literature 'cultivates the taste, educates the sympathies and enlarges the mind'. these are all excellent things, only we cannot examine tastes and sympathies. examiners must have technical and positive information to examine. I think that what Freeman said is relevant with what Paul De Man wrote in his essay, both Freeman and De Man said the elements of literature. In what they said I find that Literature is not only about art, but also there’re many things that built literature itself, between of what De Man said as The Power of System that include Philosophical, religious, or ideological, and what Freeman said as cultivates the taste, educates the sympathies and enlarges the mind.  While based on F . D Maurice in the book of Beginning Theory by Peter Barry (pg.13) he said that English literature would serve 'to emancipate us...from the notions and habits which are peculiar to our own age',  connecting us instead with 'what is fixed and enduring'. Maurice regarded literature as the peculiar property of the middle class and the expression of their values. I assume that what Maurice said that Literature as the resistance to the concept of life at that time.

After reading essay The Resistance to Theory by Paul De Man and supported by Freeman, and F D Maurice in the book Beginning Theory by Peter Barry, I have known the historical of literature and the elements of literature itself. So, literature is not only say about art, fiction, but also there’re many interesting things of the literature concepts that built of the concept of theory literary.