Strucutralism: A primer

Well now that I've introduced myself, now I'd like to establish my critical style: structuralism.

Structuralism is one of the many literary theories out there, and one that I identify most with after learning it in my Lit Theory class back in spring quarter (You rock, Prof. Edlund!).

So what is it? In a nutshell, the theory establishes that it's not just what's in the text that counts: It's the conventions of the genre, the author, and the real-world history, among other factors, that are just as important in analyzing the work in question. They act as influences in what the author took to create it. Saussure was the inventor of the theory back in the 50's in which he established the main mechanics: signified and the signifier. In layman's terms, the signified is the archetype and the signifier is an interpretation of said archetype. By comparing said interpretations against others is the heart of structuralism: see how one interpretation stacks up against another in relation to the established archetype. Another critic, Derrida, later added on another key element: said elements work in some kind of system in said work. The characters, themes, and other elements work hand in hand in some kind of system relative to the work.

Alright, enough with the dry explanation: let's use an example. This is an abbreviated version of my paper in my Lit Theory Class: a structuralist analysis of Watchmen. Yes, that Watchmen. Admittedly it's more of a character study, but hey, it works.

In comic books, there are established superhero archetypes. The most recognizable archetype is the superhuman: an alien or ordinary human with near-omnipotence that either work for or against humanity. Superman is the most recognizable superhuman, an orphaned alien from a distant planet who acquired superpowers from our sun's radiation. He works for the good of humanity as a benevolent example of the superhuman. Dr. Manhattan, however, is a ambivalent example of the superhuman. Since he's practically God in this universe, he's all-powerful and immortal. Despite that, he's still subject to human emotions such as alienation and apathy. Once he becomes alienated from humanity he abandons it and spends the rest of his days in solitude on Mars. The moment he leaves there goes our WWIII deterrent against the Russians. Russia successfully invades Pakistan and we react by readying the nukes. Sometimes what's scarier than a higher power who actively conspires against humanity is one who doesn't give a damn. At least with the former you have order: with the latter there's nothing but abject chaotic horror.

OK. That's structuralism. For my next post: a Cowboy Bebop retrospective*.

*all blog content subject to change. I do have a life, after all.

Please allow me to introduce myself...

...I'm a man of wealth and taste...

Free internet cookies for those who got the joke.

So, hello blogverse. I'm Benny Ortiz (Pen name: I actually value my privacy). I'm a twenty-something English Lit major currently attending classes at Cal Poly. I'm an inspiring professor/critic/author/whatever the hell a English Lit major will bring along. I figure I might as well get all the big questions out of the window so that when you call out "Bias!", you know why.

1. Political affiliation: independent conservative (Voted for McCain, disagree with both the Tea Party and Arizona Immigration law, huge fan of The Daily Show, Gov't oversight is necessary to keep the Con Men out, believe that both Private and Public sectors provide essentials that the other can't, respect gays and lesbians but disagree with the lifestyle.)
   
   
2. Hobbies: video games, anime, writing, comics casually (huge Batman fan).
   
   
3. Genre likes: Seinen anime (Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell, Black Lagoon, et. all), slice-of-life ( BECK Mongolian Chop Squad, The Wonder Years, et all), Crime Fiction (Law and Order), Noir, Cyberpunk, Westerns, Desert Punk & post-apocalypse (Fallout), casual Fantasy fan, political satire (The Daily Show), animation (South Park, Futurama) .
   
   
4. Videogame likes: FPS (Valve junkie) RPG's (Fallout, Pokemon, Torchlight ), WoW, League of Legends, Castlevania, turn-based strategy games (Advance Wars, Fire Emblem), PC and DS gamer.
   
   
5. Genre dislikes: intra-apocalypse (Eva, et all), mecha (Gundam, et all), Harem (Love Hina et all), Michael Bay (The Devil), reality TV. etc.
   
   
6. Videogame dislikes: RTS' (can't micromanage worth a damn), most JRPG's (hate excessive random battles and grinding up the wazoo)
   
   
7. Generation identity: child of the 90's (grew up on Animaniacs, Batman the Animated series, Pinky and the Brain, Looney Tunes, Pokemon Silver Version, etc.)
   
   
8. Ethnicity: Hispanic (Long story short: huge contradiction. Conservative, don't like spicy food, don't know any Spanish. Get use to it: I've got a whole lot more)
   
   
9. Religion: non-practicing Christian. Respectful of all religions
   
   
10. View on life: realist (hope for the best, prepare for the worst)
    
    
11. Favorite sites: TV Tropes, That Guy With The Glasses, The Escapist.

...Well I think that does it for now. If I remember anything I'll add to it. I think it's important to establish who I am up front so that we can all get acquainted.

I first got into blogging upon a professor's suggestion that I practice my critical skills thru a blog. So here I am. Nice to meet all of you.

For future post...A Cowboy Bebop retrospective critical analysis. For next post: an explanation of my critical style: structuralism.

Until then, cut your teeth on the Wikipedia article on structuralism