Structuralism
• The
school of thought that has been labeled Structuralism is based on the belief that cultural
objects such as literature,
art, architecture, etc. cannot be understood
in isolation—they must be studied within the context of the larger structures to which they
contribute and within which they
developed. In terms of text, it is viewed
as a function of a system and not so much as an individual creation. The emphasis is placed not on the author as the origin of the text or of meaning, but on
the structures that texts
inhabit and how they constrict the culture
within which we live.