The key leader of this type of criticism is Gerhard von Rad as seen in his commentary Genesis. This view lacks criticism, but instead takes the texts as they are, and how they functioned in the community. The key proponent of this theory is B.S. Childs. Structuralist Criticism Structuralism or semiotics arises out of the disappointment with the historical-critical methods. It is culture that gives meaning to convention.
Meaning is just a function of the structures of the cultural system.
For example, a hand shake only has meaning in its cultural context. This theory looks at the mechanisms that give the text meaning. Biblical Structuralism looks for key structures in the Biblical text. The Flood of Genesis 6-9 has a very definite pattern. New Criticism New Criticism is the name given to the literary criticism movement during the 1940's and 1950's.