New Historicism

Assumptions underlying the New Historical critical approach (taken from Judith Newton, "History as Usual?: Feminism and the 'New Historicism,'" Cultural Critique 9 [1988]: 87-121):

1. "that there is no transhistorical or universal human essence and that human subjectivity is constructed by cultural codes which position and limit all of us in various and divided ways" (88).
   • Instead of the autonomous "self" or "individual," these critics speak of subject positions that are socially and linguistically constructed, created by various discourses of a given culture.
   • They are influenced by the work of the French theorist Michel Foucault, who focused upon the intricately structured power relations in a given culture at a given time to demonstrate how that society controls its members through constructing and defining what appear to be "universal" and "natural" truths.
   • They are skeptical toward any "universalizing" or "totalizing" claims, focusing rather on the specificities of a particular historical and cultural context.
   • See Abrams, point #3 (250-51) and discussion of "discourse" ( 249). See also the glossary in Chopin under "discourse" (331).
2. "that there is no 'objectivity,' that we experience the 'world' in language, and that all our representations of the world, our readings of texts and of the past, are informed by our own historical position, by the values and politics that are rooted in them" (88).
   • They emphasize the necessity for self-awareness on the part of the critic, who must be constantly aware of the difficulties of seeing the past except through the lenses and cultural constructs of the present.
   • See Abrams, point #4 (251).
3. "that representation 'makes things happen' by 'shaping human consciousness' and that, as forces acting in history, various forms of representation ought to be read in relation to each other and in relation to non-discursive 'texts' like 'events'" (88-89).
   • Critics need to look not only at the historical causes of literary works, but also at their consequences.
   • In a process of thick description, they link literary works with many other cultural phenomena of a period, including the discourse of "popular culture" and of areas like economics, law, medicine, politics, etc.
   • See Abrams, points #1 and #2 (249-50) and discussion of technique of "thick description" (249). See also the glossary in Chopin under "intertextuality" (334).

New Historicism shares the above assumptions with what is often called Cultural Studies, but cultural critics are even more likely to emphasize the present implications of their study and to position themselves in opposition to current power structures, working to empower traditionally disadvantaged groups. Cultural critics also downplay the distinction between "high" and "low" culture and often focus particularly on the productions of "popular culture."

Additional Links:

• New Historicism (Warren Hedges, Southern Oregon University); includes information on Michel Foucault