Social Criticism in Literature

Authors write their literary works within a context, a social, economic, and political space and time. Social factors like economics and politics as well as social issues like gender, equality, and the green movement are common social lenses through which literature can be examined.

Take a look at this image derived from George Orwell’s book Animal Farm. What do you see that seems to suggest a stance on a social issue?

How does social criticism influence how you might read your novels The Handmaid’s Tale (Atwood), Never Let Me Go (Ishiguro) and Brave New World (Huxley)?

Add comments to your annotations from this perspective.

In our Summer Assignment, you are asked to answer the question, How does the text form a critical perspective?

A critical perspective comes from a context, a social, economic, and political space and time. Social factors like economics and politics as well as social…