Theory of Critical Approaches
Rohrberger and Woods state that a critical approach to literature necessitates an understanding of its natural function, and positive values. They
divide the critical approaches into five kinds: the formalist approach, the biographical approach, the socio cultural-historical approach, the mythopoeic
approach, and the psychological approach 3-15. The formalist approach to literature, once called New Criticism, is a revolt
against the traditional scholarly approach to literature. This approach is concerned with the ideas, personality, and development of the author, the conception, and
discrimination of ideas through literary pieces in historical context. The biographical approach to literature shows the necessity for an
appreciation of the ideas and personality of the author to an understanding of the literary object. The biographical approach also learns about the life and
development of the author. The socio cultural-historical approach to literature usually takes as its basis some aspect of the socio cultural frame of the reference,
combines it with an interest in the biographical as well as knowledge of an interest in literary history.
The mythopoeic approach tries to observe the universally repeated structures of human thought, which they perceive that it can give an important
meaning to the work of literature. The psychological approach is an approach that involves the effort to discover and illustrate this approach certain repetitive
patterns. This approach involves the theory of psychology to understand literary works.
In analyzing the three short stories in the study, the writer uses the psychological approach that focuses on psychological aspect of human being. This
approach helps the writer in analyzing the main character and also human behavior.