Description

Essay questions:

1. How can we interpret Frye’s ‘Anatomy of Criticism’ that is ‘Ethical Criticism: Theory of Symbols’?

2. What is Frye’s theoretical approach to literary symbolism?

3. The theory of symbols involves five phases: “Literal, Descriptive, Formal, Mythical and Anagogic”. Each of these phases has each of the following kinds of symbols respectively: “motif, signs, image, archetype and monad.” That is to say, Literal and Descriptive phases as motif and as sign, Formal phase: as image, Mythical phase: as archetype and Anagogic phase as monad. What does he mean by each of these kinds of symbols? What are specific examples for interpreting each of them?

4. Can a motif be interpreted as a sign? Similarly can signs be interpreted as images or archetypes or monad? If yes, how? If not, why not?