Theory Cheat Sheet Theory Prism
Quick Reference Guide
LIT THEORY 101
"Literary theory is the 'glasses' we put on to see a text in a new way. Each lens highlights specific details while blurring others, changing what the 'truth' of the story looks like."
01. The Feminist Lens
The Core Question
How does the text reinforce or challenge patriarchal power dynamics and gender roles?
Key Concepts
Agency (ability to act)
The Male Gaze
Patriarchy
Stereotyping
Look For...
Who holds power?
How are women spoken about?
Domestic vs. Public spheres
02. The Marxist Lens
The Core Question
How does the text reflect the struggle between different socioeconomic classes?
Key Concepts
Base & Superstructure
Bourgeoisie vs. Proletariat
Commodification
Alienation
Look For...
Wealth distribution
Labor and production
Class mobility (or lack thereof)
03. The Psychoanalytic Lens
The Core Question
What unconscious desires, fears, and childhood traumas drive the characters' behavior?
Key Concepts
Id, Ego, Superego
The Unconscious
Repression & Projection
Oedipal Complex
Look For...
Suppressed memories
Irrational behaviors
Symbolic dreams/desires
The Critical Glossary
Literary Theory
The body of ideas and methods used in the practical reading of literature. It is the "why" behind the "how" of reading.
Hegemony
The dominance of one group over another, often supported by legitimating norms and ideas (common in Marxist & Feminist theory).
The Id
In Psychoanalysis, the part of the mind containing basic, primal urges and desires (pleasure principle).
The Superego
The part of the mind that acts as a moral conscience, striving for perfection and adhering to social norms.
Commodification
The act of treating something (a person, an idea, an object) as a product that can be bought and sold for profit.
Misogyny
Dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women; often explored in Feminist criticism.
How to Use These Lenses
1
Avoid "Either/Or" thinking. A text can be analyzed through multiple lenses at once. They are not mutually exclusive; they reveal different layers of the same object.
2
Hunt for evidence. Theory is useless without the text. If you claim a character has a repressed trauma, you must point to the specific behavior or dialogue that proves it.
3
Question the Author. Does the author *agree* with the power structure they describe, or are they criticizing it? This is the heart of critical analysis.
Cinderella Lens Workshop Lens Lab
The Case of the Glass Slipper
NAME:
DATE:
Workshop Mission
Most of you know the story of Cinderella. Today, we aren't just reading for the plot. We are putting on three different pairs of "theoretical glasses" to see how the meaning of the story shifts. Follow the prompts for each lens and provide specific reasoning.
Lens 01: The Feminist Perspective
Focus: Gender Roles & Agency
Is Cinderella a passive character who relies on magic and a man to save her, or is she navigating a system that gives her no other choice?
"The Prince didn't fall for her wit or her courage; he fell for a shoe and a dress." — Discuss.
Analysis & Evidence
Lens 02: The Marxist Perspective
Focus: Class Struggle & Labor
Cinderella is an unpaid domestic laborer (the proletariat) exploited by the ruling class (the Stepmother). Is the marriage to the Prince a "happy ending" or just a lateral move to a different level of the elite?
Analyze the "commodity" of the ball. Who pays for it? Who is excluded?
Analysis & Evidence
Lens 03: The Psychoanalytic Perspective
Focus: Subconscious & Desires
What does the "Fairy Godmother" represent in Cinderella's psyche? Is she a manifestation of her late mother, or a projection of her suppressed ego?
Consider the "midnight" deadline as a symbol of the fragile boundaries of the self.
Analysis & Evidence
Theory Prism: Rapid-Fire Workshop
Next stop: The Jazz Age...
Gender Games Slides Gender Games
The Feminist Lens & Gatsby
HOOK
The Power of the Image
[ Vintage Ad Placeholder ]
"The modern woman prefers the stability of a provider..." (1920s Ad Copy)
Deconstruct this:
Who holds the visual authority ?
What is the "ideal" role being sold?
Who is the intended audience ?
Daisy Buchanan
"I hope she'll be a fool—that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."
Critical Analysis
Is Daisy expressing cynicism about a world that doesn't value her intellect, or is she internalizing the patriarchy's expectations?
The Feminist Lens Asks:
What happens when Daisy attempts to exert agency ?
How does her wealth interact with her lack of gender power?
How is her body "commodified" by both Tom and Gatsby?
Jordan Baker
"She was incurably dishonest... she wasn't able to endure being at a disadvantage."
The Professional
Jordan exists outside the domestic sphere. She is a golf champion, unmarried, and travels freely.
The "Cheat"
Why does Nick characterize her independence as "dishonesty"? Is his narrative lens biased against a woman who refuses to "be a fool"?
"Jordan Baker is the 'new woman' of the 1920s. How does the text punish or reward her for this?"
The Male Gaze
"The Male Gaze describes how women are depicted from a masculine, heterosexual point of view, presenting them as objects for the pleasure of the male viewer."
Discussion Prompts:
How does Nick (as our narrator) describe Myrtle’s physical appearance vs. Tom’s?
Whose perspective is erased in the novel?
Does Gatsby love Daisy, or the image of Daisy he has constructed?
Next: Patriarchy Tracker Activity
Patriarchy Tracker Worksheet Patriarchy Tracker
Documenting Power & Gender in West Egg
INVESTIGATOR:
CASE DATE:
Mission: As you read, identify moments where gender roles are enforced, challenged, or weaponized. Look beyond the words; analyze the silences and the physical spacing between characters.
Character & Scene Evidence of Power Dynamics Reinforce or Challenge? Daisy & Tom
(Dinner at East Egg)
| | |
|
Jordan Baker
(Conversation with Nick)
| | |
|
Myrtle Wilson
(The Apartment Party)
| | |
Critical Synthesis
1. The "Beautiful Little Fool": Is this phrase an act of protection or a surrender to the status quo? Explain using one other character as a foil.
2. The Male Narrative: Nick Carraway is our lens. How might the story change if it were narrated by Jordan or Myrtle? What biases are inherent in Nick's "masculine" gaze?
FORM: LENS-FEM-002
"I've been everywhere and seen everything and done everything."
Class Clash Slides Capitalist Clashes
The Marxist Lens & The American Dream
LIT-THEORY-MARX-03
The Socioeconomic Split
The Bourgeoisie
Those who own the means of production . They hold the wealth, influence, and social status.
Tom Buchanan East Egg
The Proletariat
Those who sell their labor to survive. Often exploited by the upper class.
George Wilson The Valley of Ashes
"Marxist criticism looks at how literature reflects the struggle between classes and the commodification of human life."
The Map of Inequity
East Egg
"Old Money." Hereditary wealth. Values lineage and tradition over merit.
"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy..."
West Egg
"New Money." The Nouveau Riche . Gatsby’s attempt to buy his way into the elite class.
"The less fashionable of the two..."
Valley of Ashes
The industrial waste of capitalism. Where the laboring class is ground down.
"A fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat..."
THE CENTRAL QUESTION: Is Gatsby's tragedy personal, or is it a failure of the American Capitalist system?
Commodification
The process of turning something (a person, an emotion, a relationship) into a marketable object .
Exhibit A: The Shirts
"They're such beautiful shirts... it makes me sad because I've never seen such—such beautiful shirts before."
Is Daisy a human or a commodity to Gatsby?
How does Tom use his wealth to "buy" Myrtle's loyalty?
What does Gatsby's library reveal about his performance of wealth?
Social Hierarchy Map Worksheet Social Hierarchy Map
Marxist Lens Application
NAME:
SECTION:
I. Class Mapping
In the grid below, place characters based on their relationship to Wealth (Capital) and Power (Influence) . Consider not just their bank account, but their status in the "Old Money" hierarchy.
High Influence
Low Influence
Low Wealth
High Wealth
The Elite (Old Money)
The Nouveau Riche
The Exploited
Social Outcasts
Tom Daisy Gatsby Nick Myrtle George Wolfsheim
II. Analytical Response
1. The Valley of Ashes as a "Waste Product": How does the physical description of the Valley reflect the human cost of the Buchanans' lifestyle? Provide one specific image from the text.
2. Commodification of the "Green Light": To a Marxist, the green light isn't just a symbol of hope; it's a target of acquisition. How does Gatsby's pursuit of Daisy turn her into a commodity (an object to be bought)?
UNIT: THEORY PRISM
LESSON 03: CAPITALIST CLASHES
"THEY WERE CARELESS PEOPLE, TOM AND DAISY..."
Subconscious Secrets Slides Subconscious Secrets
The Psychoanalytic Lens & The Unseen Gatsby
What do you see?
Projection
We don't see things as they are; we see them as we are .
"Does Gatsby see Daisy, or does he project his own desperate need for validation onto her?"
Introduction to Freud
Id, Ego, Superego
ID
The Pleasure Principle
"I want it now."
Impulsive, unconscious, driven by desire and instinct.
EGO
The Reality Principle
"Let's figure out a way."
The mediator. Balances the Id and Superego in the real world.
SUPER
The Moral Principle
"That's not right."
Internalized social standards, guilt, and the "ideal self."
Repression & Trauma
Repression
"The act of pushing painful memories or 'unacceptable' desires into the unconscious."
Case Study: James Gatz
To become "Jay Gatsby," James had to repress his past, his parents, and his true self. What happens when the repressed returns?
The Psychological Shadow:
The "Green Light" as an Idealized Object of desire.
Tom's aggression as a Defense Mechanism .
Nick's "unreliable" memory as Suppression .
Character Profile Worksheet Psychological Profile
Confidential Psychoanalytic Case Study
ANALYST:
CASE ID:
Subject for Analysis
Jay Gatsby
(Aliases: James Gatz)
Presenting Symptoms
Obsessive Fixation Dissociative Past Unrealistic Ego-Ideal
Structural Mind Mapping
The Id
Deep-seated desires/urges.
The Ego
Rational mediation.
The Superego
Moral/social conscience.
Defense Mechanisms
Identify a moment where the subject represses a memory or projects a feeling onto others.
The Ego Ideal
How does the "Jay Gatsby" persona function as a psychic shield against the reality of "James Gatz"?
Early Development
Analyze Gatsby's relationship with his father (Mr. Gatz) and his "spiritual father" (Dan Cody). How did these figures shape his unconscious drive for success?
FORM: PSY-CASE-004
"The past is not dead. In fact, it's not even past." — William Faulkner
Kaleidoscope Seminar Slides Kaleidoscope Seminar
Synthesizing Critical Perspectives
The Kaleidoscope Principle
"The object inside the tube remains the same. Only the arrangement of mirrors—the lenses —changes the image we see."
In this seminar, we stop arguing about "what happened" and start debating "what it means " depending on the light we cast upon it.
01
FEMINIST LENS: Power & Gender
02
MARXIST LENS: Class & Capital
03
PSYCHOANALYTIC LENS: The Unconscious
Protocol & Engagement
1
Invite, Don't Dominate
Seek out voices that haven't been heard. Pass the "conch" or the conversational lead.
2
Ground in Text
Claims must be backed by a specific page, scene, or line of dialogue.
3
Lens-Specific Vocab
Use terms like hegemony , repression , and commodification accurately.
The "Fishbowl" Structure
SPEAKERS
Observers
Outer circle takes notes on the inner circle's depth of theoretical application.
CASE STUDY
The Showdown at the Plaza
Chapter 7
The Feminist View
Analyze the scene as a battle for possession of Daisy. To what extent does Daisy actually speak or choose in this moment? Is she a character or a trophy?
The Marxist View
Analyze the conflict between Inherited Wealth (Tom) and Accumulated Wealth (Gatsby). How does class background render Gatsby's efforts futile?
The Psycho-View
Analyze the breakdown of the Ego . How does Gatsby's carefully constructed persona shatter when Tom attacks his childhood identity (James Gatz)?
"Which lens reveals the 'truest' version of the story's tragedy?"
Synthesis Reflection Sheet Synthesis Reflection
The Final Turn of the Lens
NAME:
DATE:
Essential Task
Now that you have seen *The Great Gatsby* through three distinct critical filters and participated in the seminar, reflect on how your understanding of the text has evolved. Avoid plot summary. Focus on the theoretical implications of the story.
1. The Dominant Perspective
Which single critical lens (Feminist, Marxist, or Psychoanalytic) do you believe offers the most comprehensive explanation for the tragedy of Jay Gatsby? Why?
2. The Paradox of Synthesis
In the seminar, did any peer use a lens that directly contradicted your own analysis? How did that alternative view challenge or strengthen your interpretation of the "Green Light"?
3. The Definition of Truth
Return to our Essential Question: How does the critical lens through which we view a text alter its meaning and our understanding of truth? Is there an "objective truth" in literature, or are all interpretations valid arrangements of the mirrors?
"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
