Literature

 Literature is, and always has been, an important source of moral guidance and spritual inspiration. Some modren critical theories may make us resist the idea that literature has a didatic purpose yet cannot deny many of the greatest writers have considered themselves teachers as well as artists.

PAPER

MORAL PHILOSOPHICAL CRITISM

Ditulis Untuk Memenuhi Salah Satu Tugas Dalam Mata Kuliah Foundation Of Literature

Dosen Mata Kuliah:

AGSEORA EDIYEN, M.Hum

JURUSAN PENDIDIKAN BAHASA INGGRIS

FAKULTAS TARBIYAH DAN ILMU KEGURUAN

INSTITUT AGAMA ISLAM NEGERI (IAIN) BUKITTINGGI

TA 2018/2019

CONTENT

FOREWARD

CONTENT

CHAPTER I        INTRODUCTION

A.    Background

B.     Problem Of Formulation

C.     Purpose the paper

CHAPTER II      THEORY AND DISCUSSION

A.    The Theory

B.     Methods in Applying moral philosophycal criticism

C.     Advantages and Disvantages

CHAPTER III     CLOSING

A.    Conclusion

REFERENCE

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

A.   Background

Literature is, and always has been, an important source of moral guidance and spritual inspiration. Some modren critical theories may make us resist the idea that literature has a didatic purpose yet cannot deny many of the greatest writers have considered themselves teachers as well as artists.

B.     Problem Of Formulation

What is the moral philosophical critisms?

C.    Purpose The Paper

To knows the moral philosophical criticism.

CHAPTER II

THEORY AND DISCUSSION

A.    The Theory

Moral criticism has a quite simply view of literature. It has to teach goo d morality to readers. Any literary texts who fail to do so are considered bad.

This view of literature leads to two things : in one hand, a strong censorship toward texts that are considered “immoral”; and on the other hand, the championing works that are considered to have good moral values. Proponents of this approach are Plato, Horace, Sir Philip Sidney, Samuel Johnson, Metthew Arnold, and a group of American literary critics who called themselves the new humanists. Another related theory is philosophical criticism. This approach believes that many text contain philosophical ideas (e.g: Absurdism, Calvinism), and the best way to understand the texts is to understand the philosophical ideas that underlie the texts. Moral criticism in its modern forms is the most ‘natural’ of critical practices and the least theoretically self-conscious or explicit. Indeed its concepts and its values must be ‘felt’ as connected with human ‘experience’ and not treated as abstractions or provisional theories. Leavis has the appearance of an ‘organic intellectual’, whose roots are firmly secured in native soil. However, in this day he was regarded by many as a rancorous dogmatist. Matthew Arnold said “poetry’s most important offering is its moral/philosphical teaching; it’s a source of moral and spiritual inspiration, possibly capable of replacing philosophy and religion. Plato acknowledged literature’s power as a teacher by believing it capable of corrupting morals and undermining religion.

According to Paul Elmer More : it is the critic’s duty, to determine the moral tendency of literary works and to jadge them on that basis. The greatest criticts are “discriminators between the false and the true, the deformed and the normal; preachers of harmony and the proportion and older, prophets of the relagion of taste”.

·           Overview

Critics taking a moral or philosophical approach ussually describe or evaluate a work in terms of the ideas and values it contains. This often means examining a work’s ideas and values-both those expressed directly by the narrator or character and those implied by the overall disign and content-in relation to a particular ethical, philosophical, or religious system (rationalism, existentialism, christianity, etc).

Some critics will also evaluatethe quality of a work’s ideas and values by determining how well these fit certain criteria (such as truth, usefulness, clarity, cosistency, or complexity). Besides looking at ideas, critics may also examine the moral effect or value of a work in more general way, considering how the images, events, characters, and even style in a work affect its readers as moral beings.

In practice, essays taking a moral or philosophical approach are most succesful when they are firmly grounded in the details of the work being discussed. Such essays often attempt to identify a work’s theme or themes or even what is sometimes called the writer’s “vision” or view of life and then to show how the “vision” or themes are conveyed through specific details or techniques in the work.

Those willing to do reaserch and thus use the historical-biographical approach in connection with the moral-philosophical) may also attempt to show how the “vision” or other thinkers (who may or may not have influenced the writer) or found in the general cultural context to which the writer belonged.

B.     Methods in applying moral-philosophical criticism

1.      Analyzing Moral Content

This is the path taken by most moralist critics, especially the new humanists. In applying this method you have to consider the moral effects of a text. Ask yourself these questions: “does this text have positive more values ?” is it good for readers and society in general?” if your text has positive moral  content or values, try to elaborate them. Emphasize on what lessons that the readers can get from the text.

2.      Analyzing philosophical content

 This method should be used to text contain philosophical ideals (whether consciously or unconsciously put by the authors). Usually this kind of texts is quite difficult to understand without knowledge of philosophy. So what you do is to explain that philosophies that inform the tests in a hope that people migtht understand the text better.

·         Values

ü  Beliefs of a person or social group in which they have an emotional investment (either for or against something).

ü  A collection of guiding, usually positive principles; what one deems to be correct and desireble in live, especially regarding personal conduct.

·         Values undergird all literature, either by their presence are absence.

·         The are aften unstated, yet operative nonetheles.

·         Values litermine thoughts, beliefs and opinios_and behaviors, actions and practices.

·         To identify the value(s) underlying literature is to understand the writer’s purpose and objectives, position/stance-agenda.

·         Sometimes these values conflict with our own, but this can be aparent only when ours are clearly defined.

Ø  Major Tenets :

·         Investigatest the effects literature has on readers as moral being

·         Based on what inproves and enriches human lives

·         Concernet with human character and behavior

·         Looks at texts as combinations of various moral qualities

·         Quetions how literature is influenced by plot, character, ideas, and style

·         Views the work  through a particular philosophy or discerns award in the “philosophy” on it is based

·         Looks at how the work influenced or was influenced by the ideas of the time

·         Views the ideas in a work in relation to ideas found elsewhere

Ø  Helpful definitions :

Individual morality – basis of decitions/ judments made by individual (honesty, loyalty, responsibility, etc.)

Social morality – fairness is basis of the law ; law exists to govern sosiety and control individual behavior.

Ø  Moral principal applying to individuals

Principal of greatest happiness-our happiness (and the happiness of those effected by our choices) must guide our choice and actions. Society creates and follows rules for maximizing  the happines of greatest number of its citizens.

The golden rule- “do unto others as you would have them do unto you “(matthew 7:12)”

Respect for others – others wishes /  desires trump our own. Kant : “its immoral to use other people solely and merely to achieve your own ands. We must recognize others as autonomous “.

The human good – emphasizes, not obligation, but personal characters traits and activities with result in a good life.

Natural purpose- everything in nature has a purpose. The natural purpose of human beings is definite in various ways (life liberty pursuit of happiness. Etc.)

Social purpose – every person comprising as society has a purpose, or fulfill a contributoring role.

The will of God – God, as the creator of human beings, is the ultimate source of morality.

Ø  Moral principle as applying to or applied by society:

Individual right as – U.S citizens are guaranteed “inalienable rights” by the Bill of right (freedom of speech, of religions, of assembly, of press, etc.)

The general welfare  - government, and every level complizing it, should promote the general welfare (safety/security, liberty, property, healthy, etc)

Pricipal of freedom – allows individuals to pursue  their own ands in their own ways, with little or no governmental restictions.

Advantages

·         Mother of all literary criticsm

-          Literary  theory itself is a branch of philosophy

-          Moral approach has the longest history of any theory

·         More freedom for the reader because there is no simple formula to follow

·         Focuses on morals and ethics; tells the readers what is good for then as “the great instrumant of moral good”.

Disadvantages

·         Critics differ on the defenition of what is good and what bad –no consensus

·         Not objective- focuses on feelings, impressions

·         Moral approach has become less popular and influential during the last few decades. It could be due to:

a)      Critical excess (number and intencity of other critical theories)

b)      The deficiencies of the approach itself.

c)      The moral laxness of critics.

BAB III

CLOSING

A.    Cloclusion

Moral criticicsm, it seems, cannot survive unless it beliaves it embraces everything that is worthwhile in human existence, and answers the reader’s deepest needs for moral vision.

Its weakness lies in its self deceiving claim to disinterestedness and universality. Moral philosophical critics believe that the larger purpose of literature is to teach morality and to probe philosophical issues. Authors intend to instruct the audience in some way.

DAFTAR PUSTAKA

Klarer,Mario.1999.An introduction to literary studies:routledge

Guerin,Wilfred.E.Et.Al.1999.A Handbook of  Critical Approach to Literatur.4th Edition.New York:OUP

http://.brugger.weebly.com

https://herefordhs.bcps.org.