Which term is used for examining literature through theoretical approaches?

• A. Literary history
• B. Literary criticism
• C. Literary theory
• D. Canon

Answer: (C)

Examining literature through theoretical approaches is guided by literary theory. This field provides the different lenses you use to analyze texts—formalism, structuralism, deconstruction, feminism, Marxism, postcolonial theory, and more—focusing on how meaning is created, how style and form shape interpretation, and how context influences reading. Theories offer the frameworks that shape the questions you ask of a text and the methods you use to answer them, which is why this term is the best fit for describing analysis done through theoretical approaches.

Literary criticism, by contrast, is the practice of interpreting and evaluating literature, often applying those theories in the act of analysis. Literary history looks at how literature develops over time, and canon refers to the body of works considered authoritative.