What is the Difference Between Structuralism and Formalism?

Structuralism and Formalism are two literary theories or literary criticisms that focus on the structure of a particular text. However, they have different approaches and assumptions:

Structuralism:

• Analyzes universal, underlying structures in a text.
• Assumes that every text has a universal, underlying structure.
• Connects the work of a particular author with works of similar structures.
• Interested in the "big picture" of literature and the structure of literature.
• Closer to semiotics, linguistics, and philosophy.

Formalism:

• Analyzes the genre, mode, form, and discourse while rejecting bibliographical, cultural, historical, and social contexts.
• Focuses on the form of the text and the "literariness" of the text.
• Does not search inside texts for ideas from the outside world or about the authors themselves.
• Origin of many other literary criticism theories such as structuralism, post-structuralism, and deconstruction.
• Study of a text without taking into account any outside influence.

In summary, the key difference between structuralism and formalism is that structuralism focuses on the universal, underlying structures of a text and connects it with other literary works, while formalism analyzes the text's form, genre, mode, and discourse without considering external factors.

Comparative Table: Structuralism vs Formalism

Structuralism and Formalism are two literary theories that focus on the structure of a particular text. Here is a table comparing the key differences between the two:

Both theories are interested in the structure of literature, but Structuralism aims to identify a universal structure underlying all texts, while Formalism focuses on the unique structure of individual texts without considering external factors such as social and cultural influence.