I'm sick.
Who gets a cold in July?
I'll write more when I'm feeling better. My brain isn't working right now anyway.
Who gets a cold in July?
I'll write more when I'm feeling better. My brain isn't working right now anyway.
posted by Erin 10:38 PM
12 Comments:
I'm not sure who does get sick in July, but it seems that you did. I hope that this summer cold passes quickly, since they're not very fun. I can appreciate not wanting to write much when your brain is addled by ailment. I hope you get better soon....
I have a non-post-relates question to ask you: after looking over your profile, how would you describe literary theory? I read lots and lots (as if my blog wasn't evidence enough of that) and I'm always interested in how people disseminate, dissemble, deconstruct, & discuss literature (fiction and non-fiction). I guess I ask that question in light of my recent Orwell post. Am I just thinking/rambling too much?
Whew, where to start? Good thing I am home sick from work, or I wouldn’t have been able to answer your question so quickly. My short answer is this: Literary theory is the philosophy of literature. It is the study of how we interpret texts.
My longer answer is that literary theory acknowledges the lenses through which we view art.
For example, Marxism is one school of thought among many in literary theory. To some scholars Marxism defines an obvious underlying theme in all of humanity. Every work of fiction may contain a struggle of the classes. Take Steinbeck for example (since I see that you have read him). In his story The Pearl the innocent, content villagers are pulled under by the temptations of capital gain. (Pardon the details here; I don’t have the text in front of me). The doctor in the town can be seen to represent the carnivorous capitalistic hunger. He is willing to sacrifice human life for monetary gain. In the end the grinding system of capitalism has isolated the family from their community, and they have lost everything that is precious to them. The Marxist moral of the story is that without the competition for goods provided in the capitalist system, there would be peace, health and larger gain for all. And everything fits well within the Marxist lens, but it is just one way of understanding the story. The same text can also be viewed through the lenses of feminism, psychoanalysis, postcolonialism, and postmodernism. All these perspectives highlight different truths contained in the story. Literary theory simply acknowledges that these lenses exist.
One of my favorite examples of literary theory is Chinua Achebes’s exceptional postcolonial essay on Heart of Darkness. If you haven’t read it, do so. It changed my entire view of Joseph Conrad.
So literary theory removes the observer one step further from the text, and it forces an exploration of the reader herself. What assumptions have I made about this text? Why have I made these assumptions? What can I learn if I intentionally read this through a different lens of critique?
In my understanding, the difference between literary theory and literary criticism is the idea of concept vs. application. Literary criticism is simply applied literary theory whether through an acknowledged lens or not.
Your exploration of Orwell was insightful. It brought out some of the deeper truths that are contained even under his satire. But here is my question to you: what lens are you reading the text through? You seem to stick pretty closely to a tactic called Reader Response (which is very useful, by the way). But what would happen if you read this from the perspective of feminism or psychoanalysis? I can’t anticipate the result since I haven’t read the story, but I bet that it would provide some new ideas to explore. The quote did make me want to read more Orwell! There is so much out there to be enjoyed. If only we had more hours in the day…
Thanks for your response. However, I bet people are going to get confused when they start reading what we're talking about here on your blog. Forgive me for getting off-task and off-topic....
I'm not sure how to answer your question about my lens. I am aware that I have a lens, but I might have 2, 3, or more and that confuses things sometimes. My lens typically tends to be one that is postmodern/deconstructionist, mostly due to my educational training in Politics, History, Economics, and English. Or better yet, I tend to view things from a sociological standpoint -- what are the inherent factors in the subject's society (past, present, and future) that garner the response the viewed subject(s) is/are making?? Thus, I look at that Orwell piece thinking, "Why would George talk so openly to others about his marriage and not to his wife? Why would he admit that he's wanted to kill her, but do so somewhat tongue-in-cheek?" I am trained to be a critial thinker, thus, I tear things apart in order to intellectually reassemble them. To me though, I do feel like I'm engaging in psychoanalysis when I'm reading and not so much Reader Response. Feminism though? Being an egalitarian male gives me decent insight, but I have yet to truly delve into feminist/womanist literary theory or theology. Got any ideas??
Does any of this make sense at all?
And BTW, I appreciate your definition of literary theory, since I tend to engage in literary criticism most of the time without giving thought to the inherent theory behind my criticism, mostly because I don't have any formal training in theory/criticism. I just tend to have a great body of literature that I've perused and like to get some direction on where/how to employ my critical thinking skills when reading nonfiction and fiction.
And yes, go read more Orwell -- Start with "Coming Up for Air" and "Keep the Aspidistra Flying".
Peace.
Once again though, brilliant Marxist criticism of the Pearl. What would that look like from a postcolonial standpoint?
You are right, you are using psychoanalysis in your critique, but true Psychoanalytic Literary Theory (by the books) would require that you take the specific principles of big-name shrinks like Freud or Lacan and use their theories to diagnose George’s mental condition.
And for feminist theory, the best place I can suggest starting is with the questions, “Where are women allowed to speak in this text? Where are they silenced?” It’s a long, winding road to enjoy.
As far as a postcolonial reading of The Pearl goes, I would have to have it in front of me to really give it a fair go. One way to look at it might be to see how Steinbeck treats the idea of a cultural Other. Does he make assumptions about cultural priorities based on a white/Western perspective? Does he idealize exoticism and thereby actually isolate his characters in invisible barriers of their geographic location? It would be an interesting study.
Excellent. I rather do like talking to you. Thanks for your comments on my recent blog entry concerning women. Your perspective is welcomed and greatly appreciated.
Conversations like these make me want to go back to graduate school or maybe attend seminary somewhere. Darn these philosophical & intellectual inquiries....
Sorry you are sick Erin! If it makes you feel better I'm in the fight against sinus infections with you! Getting sick in the winter is almost nice as you get to stay home curled up with a book instead of facing the nasty depressing day, but getting sick in the summer is just horrid! Hope you don't mind JR shared your blog site with me.
I'm so glad he did! As a matter of fact, I was hoping that he had.
And thanks for the well-wishes. I am feeling better every day.
Figured out what my cold was, have you been tested for alergies lately Erin? I was yesterday and it seems that I've become much more allergic to things than I once was (maybe your brother has rubbed off on me) anyway, just a thought, my sinus infection started as alergies and got worse because it wasn't treated. :(
Good point. I have actually considered that possibility. I have lived with my roommate's cat for the last nine months, so I am wondering if that contributed to the problem.
I hope you are feeling better now!
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