Critical Approach Review of Related Theories

2.2 Review of Related Theories

The discussion of this part focuses on the theories that are used to analyze the novel A Tale of Two Cities. This part consists of critical approach, theory of character, theory of characterization, theory of love, theory of mother’s love and father’s love, and theory of father – daughter relationship.

2.2.1 Critical Approach

Literature, as one of the works of art, is said to have an esthetic value resulted in evaluative judgment given to the work of literature by the readers. This evaluative judgement will be less worthwhile if it is only based on subjective statement. Therefore to have a reasonable judgement, we need to employ a means which is called a critical approach Rohrberger Woods Jr., 1971, p. 3. Critical approach itself according to Abrams 1981 is “the overall term in the use for studies concerned with defining, analyzing, classifying, interpreting, and evaluating, the work of literature” p. 49. It is true that by the use of critical approach a researcher will be able to understand more about the novel; about the characters of the novel, its characteristics, about how the story unfolds, and about the theme of the novel. Therefore it becomes clear that critical approach is the main weapon for a researcher in analyzing the work of literature. Rohrberger and Woods Jr. 1971, pp. 6-15 mention five kinds of critical approaches. They are the formalist approach, the biographical approach, the sociocultural-historical approach, the mythopoeic approach, and the psychological approach. In this study only the psychological approach will be used to analyze both the kinds of love within A Tale of Two Cities and the love in a father- daughter relationship shown by Doctor Manette and Lucie Manette. The critical approach applied in this study of literature is the psychological approach. Psychological approach is an approach that involves the effort to locate and demonstrates certain recurrent patterns which draw on different body of knowledge. It explores the unconscious area of human mind that become the wellspring of man’s rich imagination, his capacity for creation, and the complexity of his thought and behavior, and that the content of this region of the mind found expression in symbolic words, thought and action. The psychological approach in this study is used to analyze the love that is felt by Lucie Manette toward her father Dr. Manette. The psychological approach also used to analyze how Lucie Manette expressing her love throughout the story. 2.2.2 Character Like all people who live in this world, there are characters that “live” and “act” in a novel. According to Abrams 1980, p. 20, characters are the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work who are interpreted by the readers as being endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say and by what they do. Therefore it is important to pay attention to every actions that the characters do in a story so that we may able to understand their personalities. Rohrberger and Woods Jr. 1971, p.20 states that characters are person who act out in particular time and place some kind of conflict in a pattern of events. Characters have particular personalities and physical attributes that distinguish them from other characters. They must be credible so that readers can accept them as believable people. Characters can be divided into two categories; they are major characters and minor characters. Major characters usually appear in the whole of the story. The story always involves him directly or indirectly. In another side there is minor characters which are less important than the major characters because they are not fully developed characters and their role in the story are just to support the development of major characters Abrams, 1980, p. 20. Foster 1974, pp. 46-54 divides character into flat and round character based on character’s internal complexity. Flat character is created in a single idea or quality and the presentation is without many individualizing details. It can be adequate described in a single phrase or sentence. A round character is complex in temperament and motivation and is represented with subtle particularity.

2.2.3 Characterization