Project Summary: Topic: Critical Theory is a way of reading literature for meaning. It opens up new lenses. When we understand the lens we are looking through, we may see things we never saw before. The lens makes some things clear, and other things fuzzy. This relates to more than just literature and art. It extends to all aspects of human culture and production. After all, "knowledge is what constitutes our relationship to our world, for it is the lens through which we view our world." Indeed, if the lens is changed, the view and the viewer, as Tyson reminds us, may be changed as well. Audience: Other college students NOT enrolled in this class and who are unfamiliar with Critical Theory or Let The Water Hold Me Down. Task: Explain Critical Theory, Psychoanalysis and Marxism and then use Let the Water Hold Me Down as your example to explore the different ways one can view the novel. Similar to how Tyson applies theory to The Great Gatsby in each chapter, I would like to see if you can explain what Critical Theory is, what Psychoanalysis and Marxism are (and how they differ), and how applying these two theories will yield two different interpretations of the novel. Consider this: In your conclusion section of your paper, instead of repeating yourself, try to answer the So What? question. The best way to prepare for this paper is to review Tyson's application essays to The Great Gatsby.