This blog is part of an assignment for the Paper 109: Literary Theory & Criticism and Indian Aesthetics, Sem - 1, 2024.
Table of Contents:-
Personal Information
Assignment Details
Abstract
Keywords
Introduction
Frye’s Archetypal Criticism: An Overview
Postmodernist Critique of Archetypal Criticism
Rejection of Grand Narratives
Intertextuality vs. Fixed Archetypes
Deconstruction of Meaning
Historical and Cultural Limitations
Subjectivity in InterpretationCritical Perspectives on Northrop Frye's Archetypal Criticism (A Postmodern Outlook)
Harold Bloom – The Anxiety of Influence (1973)
Terry Eagleton – Literary Theory: An Introduction (1983)
Linda Hutcheon – The Politics of Postmodernism (1989)
Conclusion
References
Personal Information:
Name:- Trupti Hadiya
Batch:- M.A. Sem 2 (2024-2025)
Enrollment Number:- 5108240013
E-mail Address:hadiyatrupti55@gmail.com
Roll Number:- 32
Assignment Details:-
Topic: Limitations of Frye’s Archetypal Criticism: A Postmodern Critique
Paper & subject code:- 22402 Paper 109: Literary Theory & Criticism and Indian Aesthetics
Submitted to:- Smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi, Department of English, MKBU, Bhavnagar
Date of Submission:-
Keywords: Archetypal Criticism; Postmodernism; Intertextuality; Grand Narratives; Deconstruction; Reader-Response Theory.
Abstract
Northrop Frye’s archetypal criticism, as outlined in Anatomy of Criticism (1957), offers a structured framework for understanding literature by identifying recurring mythic patterns and archetypes rooted in the collective human psyche. Frye posits that literature evolves through predictable cycles and can be universally categorized into four primary mythoi: comedy, romance, tragedy, and irony/satire. His theory draws on Jungian psychology and structuralist thought, aspiring to make literary studies more scientific and systematic.
However, the postmodern turn in literary theory challenges the assumptions underlying Frye’s model. Thinkers such as Jacques Derrida, Jean-François Lyotard, Roland Barthes, Julia Kristeva, and Stanley Fish argue that Frye’s framework enforces rigid structures, overlooks cultural diversity, and ignores the fluid, context-dependent nature of meaning. This paper critically explores the limitations of Frye’s archetypal criticism through a postmodern lens, focusing on the rejection of grand narratives, the prominence of intertextuality, deconstruction of meaning, cultural specificity, and the subjective role of the reader. Ultimately, this critique questions the continued applicability of Frye’s model in an era marked by pluralism, fragmentation, and skepticism towards universal truths.
Introduction
Northrop Frye’s archetypal criticism represents an ambitious attempt to unify literary criticism under a systematic and scientific model. Drawing from Carl Jung’s concept of collective unconscious and the structuralist impulse to discover universal patterns, Frye outlines a typology of recurring narrative forms and characters, classifying literature into four mythoi: comedy, romance, tragedy, and irony/satire. Through this lens, Frye attempts to construct a "grammar of literature" that transcends historical and cultural particularities.
While Frye’s influence on literary studies is undeniable, postmodernism—characterized by its skepticism towards metanarratives, essentialism, and fixed meanings—poses a significant challenge to his model. Postmodern critics argue that literature cannot be neatly categorized or universally understood, as meaning is always contingent, constructed, and mediated through cultural and readerly perspectives. Moreover, Frye’s Eurocentric focus neglects the richness and plurality of non-Western literary traditions.
This paper offers a critical engagement with Frye’s archetypal theory from a postmodern standpoint. It draws on key postmodern thinkers to explore the shortcomings of Frye’s framework and assess its relevance in contemporary literary discourse. The discussion is structured around five main critiques: the rejection of grand narratives, the emphasis on intertextuality, the instability of meaning, cultural limitations, and the role of the reader.
Frye’s Archetypal Criticism: An Overview
Frye’s Anatomy of Criticism (1957) is a seminal work that attempts to establish a coherent, universally applicable system for literary analysis. He contends that literature operates through a recurring set of archetypes—symbols, motifs, and character types—that originate from myth and folklore. Frye categorizes literary narratives into four primary mythoi:
Comedy: Movement from disorder to order, typically culminating in social harmony or marriage.
Romance: Adventures and quests of a heroic figure who triumphs over adversarial forces.
Tragedy: A central character's fall, often due to a fatal flaw or fate, leading to suffering or death.
Irony/Satire: Disillusionment and critical examination of reality, exposing human folly and societal contradictions.
Frye’s model borrows heavily from structuralist principles, arguing that all literary works can be interpreted through a consistent set of archetypal templates. He believes these patterns are embedded in the collective unconscious and form the basis for a universal language of literature. However, postmodern thinkers dispute the possibility of such a universal framework, arguing that literature is deeply embedded in cultural, historical, and ideological contexts.
Postmodernist Critique of Archetypal Criticism
1. Rejection of Grand Narratives
Jean-François Lyotard’s The Postmodern Condition (1979) is a foundational text that critiques the legitimization of knowledge through grand narratives. Lyotard asserts that metanarratives, like Frye’s archetypal criticism, impose artificial coherence on complex realities and marginalize alternative discourses. Frye’s classification of all literature under universal mythic patterns exemplifies such a metanarrative.
Postmodern literature frequently defies Frye’s rigid typology. Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot (1953), for instance, resists categorization, blending absurdism with existential despair in a way that subverts traditional narrative progression. Similarly, Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow (1973) and Don DeLillo’s White Noise (1985) reject linear storytelling and cohesive archetypes, embracing fragmentation, multiplicity, and ambiguity.
2. Intertextuality vs. Fixed Archetypes
Roland Barthes’ essay The Death of the Author (1967) and Julia Kristeva’s Revolution in Poetic Language (1984) challenge the notion of textual autonomy. Barthes argues that meaning arises not from the author’s intent but from the interplay of texts and the reader’s interpretation. Kristeva introduces the concept of intertextuality, where every text is a mosaic of citations, echoing other texts across time and culture.
This intertextual view undermines Frye’s idea of fixed, timeless archetypes. For example, T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land (1922) operates through intertextual fragmentation, referencing Dante, Shakespeare, the Upanishads, and more. Its meaning cannot be distilled into a singular mythic structure; rather, it emerges from a web of cultural and textual interactions.
3. Deconstruction of Meaning
Jacques Derrida’s theory of deconstruction, particularly in Of Grammatology (1967), argues that meaning is never stable or self-evident but is constantly deferred through chains of signification. Frye’s structuralist assumption that literature can be categorized into stable forms contradicts Derrida’s insistence on the indeterminacy of meaning.
Applying deconstruction to Shakespeare’s Hamlet, for example, reveals multiple, contradictory interpretations—existential, political, psychoanalytic—none of which can claim authoritative status. This multiplicity resists Frye’s singular categorization of the play as tragedy, illustrating the limitations of archetypal classification in a postmodern context.
4. Historical and Cultural Limitations
Frye’s theory privileges Western literary canon, often excluding or misrepresenting non-Western narratives. Edward Said’s Orientalism (1978) critiques such Eurocentric approaches for ignoring cultural specificity and perpetuating hegemonic interpretations.
Epics like The Mahabharata or The Ramayana do not conform neatly to Frye’s categories. These narratives blend multiple mythic elements—divine intervention, familial duty, philosophical discourse, and cyclical time—reflecting cultural paradigms distinct from the linear, binary oppositions of Western narrative structures. Similarly, African oral traditions and Indigenous storytelling practices prioritize community, circularity, and ritual, challenging Frye’s structuralist assumptions.
5. Subjectivity in Interpretation
Stanley Fish’s Is There a Text in This Class? (1980) advances the reader-response theory, asserting that meaning is not embedded in the text but is created through the reader’s engagement. Fish argues that interpretive communities shape how texts are understood, making interpretation inherently subjective.
This perspective problematizes Frye’s belief in fixed archetypes. For instance, readers might interpret The Tempest as a colonial allegory, a father-daughter drama, or a reflection on art and illusion—each reading shaped by cultural, historical, and personal contexts. The variability of interpretation undermines any claim to universal archetypal meaning.
Critical Perspectives on Northrop Frye's Archetypal Criticism (A Postmodern Outlook)
1. Harold Bloom – The Anxiety of Influence (1973)
Harold Bloom critiques Frye’s theory of archetypes by emphasizing individual poetic creativity over collective mythic patterns. He argues that literary creation arises from a psychological struggle—a poet’s attempt to escape the influence of predecessors, not from repeating universal symbols. Bloom challenges Frye’s structural system for being too fixed and ignoring personal artistic conflict.
2. Terry Eagleton – Literary Theory: An Introduction (1983)
Terry Eagleton offers a Marxist critique of Frye’s structuralist approach. He asserts that Frye’s universal archetypes erase socio-political realities and fail to address how literature is shaped by historical and ideological conditions. Eagleton, in true postmodern spirit, is skeptical of any totalizing theory, including Frye’s, which claims to provide a complete framework for all literature.
3. Linda Hutcheon – The Politics of Postmodernism (1989)
Linda Hutcheon critiques the essentialism of Frye’s theory, arguing that postmodern texts question and parody traditional archetypes. Her work highlights how irony, parody, and fragmentation in postmodernism resist fixed meanings, making Frye’s universal framework inadequate. She emphasizes that meaning is constructed, not discovered, and varies with context and discourse.
Conclusion
Postmodern critiques of Northrop Frye’s archetypal criticism underscore its limitations in accommodating the complexities of contemporary literary theory. The rejection of grand narratives, the emphasis on intertextuality, the instability of meaning, and the prioritization of cultural and readerly perspectives collectively challenge the universality and rigidity of Frye’s model.
However, Frye’s contribution to literary criticism should not be dismissed entirely. His insights into the mythic structures underlying literature provide valuable tools for understanding narrative patterns and human psychology. Yet, in an era that celebrates pluralism, hybridity, and critical reflexivity, Frye’s model requires reevaluation and adaptation. Literary theory must remain flexible, inclusive, and responsive to the evolving nature of texts, cultures, and interpretations.
References :
Eagleton, Terry. Literary Theory. Wiley-Blackwell, 2008.
Fish, Stanley Eugene. Is There a Text in This Class?: The Authority of Interpretive Communities. Harvard University Press, 1982.
Frye, Northrop. Anatomy of Criticism; Four Essays. Internet Archive, 1971, https://archive.org/details/anatomyofcritici00fryerich/page/2/mode/2up.
Gass, William H. “The Death of the Author.” Salmagundi, no. 65, 1984, pp. 3–26. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40547668. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
Hutcheon, Linda. A Poetics of Postmodernism: History, Theory, Fiction. New York, N.Y.: Routledge, 1988.
Kristeva, Julia. Revolution in Poetic Language. Columbia University Press, 2024.
Lyotard, Jean-François. The Postmodern Condition. Manchester University Press, 1984.
Said, Edward W. Orientalism. Penguin Classics, 2003.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. "Jacques Derrida." 27 Aug. 2021, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/derrida.
Weiskel, Thomas. The Wordsworth Circle, vol. 4, no. 3, 1973, pp. 179–82. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24044367. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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