( hoping i'm doing this right o.o )
i ranked an understanding of literary elements, contemporary cultural context, and a clear understanding of vocabulary the highest, though i wavered with which order i should place them in. i find it self-explanatory: they seem pretty crucial to analysis and interpretation. i decided that authorial intent and scholarly context (how does what other people think change the meaning of the piece?) didn’t have as big an impact on literary text, because it sounds a little redundant to try and pinpoint what the author may or may not have intended. s/he wrote it. there’s no need to figure out what the author is “trying” to say - s/he already said it, and it should be apparent in the text itself. this ties in with why i ranked authorial beliefs/background lowly, as well. there’s no need to say, “oh, william blake meant to make a point about horrible conditions for child chimney sweepers,” or, “he experienced this as a child himself and that somehow helps me understand the text more.” sure, the fact that tim o’brien was sent to vietnam or that steinbeck lived through the depression definitely prompted them to write in the direction they did, and it’s always interesting to know what the author’s values are, but the information’s not necessary in order to deduce the meaning of the work. i... also don’t quite understand why the reader’s personal beliefs and current culture would have any relevance to analysis. it’ll affect the way we think of the piece, but i feel like that sort of bias wouldn’t be good for analysis. i don't think i'd change any of that after reading "my last duchess."
( lol i just realized now, i’m a harsh lit. critic )
i don’t think i fully understand the idea behind reader-response criticism, as i don’t know how it can ever be considered accurate. this may just be because i’m uncomfortable with getting too close, but mostly i find that there should be a difference between a reader’s personal reaction and the actual criticism. there are a lot of books i can’t get behind because i can’t stand the main character and simply feel no sympathy toward the character’s problems, or i don’t like the way some ideals are illustrated, and though i’d love to express those opinions, i’m not sure if it’d be right. just because i personally see things one way doesn’t mean that’s what the author’s saying, you know? i love arguments made concerning social classes, as they’re usually done really elaborately, and it’s so hard to determine what the right thing is, because there are so many different groups of people with their own goals and dis/advantages. i reckon i’d be interested in feminist criticism as well, though i rarely like the way women are portrayed in literature, but it could definitely make for fun discussions/thoughts/more rambling like this.
i ranked an understanding of literary elements, contemporary cultural context, and a clear understanding of vocabulary the highest, though i wavered with which order i should place them in. i find it self-explanatory: they seem pretty crucial to analysis and interpretation. i decided that authorial intent and scholarly context (how does what other people think change the meaning of the piece?) didn’t have as big an impact on literary text, because it sounds a little redundant to try and pinpoint what the author may or may not have intended. s/he wrote it. there’s no need to figure out what the author is “trying” to say - s/he already said it, and it should be apparent in the text itself. this ties in with why i ranked authorial beliefs/background lowly, as well. there’s no need to say, “oh, william blake meant to make a point about horrible conditions for child chimney sweepers,” or, “he experienced this as a child himself and that somehow helps me understand the text more.” sure, the fact that tim o’brien was sent to vietnam or that steinbeck lived through the depression definitely prompted them to write in the direction they did, and it’s always interesting to know what the author’s values are, but the information’s not necessary in order to deduce the meaning of the work. i... also don’t quite understand why the reader’s personal beliefs and current culture would have any relevance to analysis. it’ll affect the way we think of the piece, but i feel like that sort of bias wouldn’t be good for analysis. i don't think i'd change any of that after reading "my last duchess."
( lol i just realized now, i’m a harsh lit. critic )
i don’t think i fully understand the idea behind reader-response criticism, as i don’t know how it can ever be considered accurate. this may just be because i’m uncomfortable with getting too close, but mostly i find that there should be a difference between a reader’s personal reaction and the actual criticism. there are a lot of books i can’t get behind because i can’t stand the main character and simply feel no sympathy toward the character’s problems, or i don’t like the way some ideals are illustrated, and though i’d love to express those opinions, i’m not sure if it’d be right. just because i personally see things one way doesn’t mean that’s what the author’s saying, you know? i love arguments made concerning social classes, as they’re usually done really elaborately, and it’s so hard to determine what the right thing is, because there are so many different groups of people with their own goals and dis/advantages. i reckon i’d be interested in feminist criticism as well, though i rarely like the way women are portrayed in literature, but it could definitely make for fun discussions/thoughts/more rambling like this.
Before, I used to think all that mattered when reading a text was what the author was trying to say. I think you're completely right, it shouldn't matter at all what the author or anyone else makes of it. If you can interpret the text in your own way that makes perfect sense to you, then you are gaining much more out of reading it.
ReplyDeleteoh i think you misunderstood (though it's probably not your fault, this was a little disorganized). i just meant that i thought it was superfluous to try and guess at what the author was "trying" to say, when very clearly you can find what they did say in the piece of writing. "what is the author trying to say," is unnecessary if you just ask, "what is the poem saying." i've wavered a lot on the idea of letting my own opinions get into a piece of literature or not - i do agree that it's far more enjoyable, and you can come up with a lot of striking ideas, but i've never been sure if the answer you end up with is right (as i'm a bit of a stickler about that).
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure who wrote this, but it's a very thorough discussion.
I would say that, in terms of authorial intent versus what's actually said/stated in the text, there IS a difference (but that difference doesn't always matter depending upon the type of criticism in which one is engaging). In reader response criticism, for example, you'll learn about the ideal reader (the intended audience, to whom the author is writing and who will likely interpret the text as the author intends) and the actual/literal reader (the person who actually picks up the text and reads it). Once we do reader response criticism, I think you'll have a fuller picture of this discussion (though I imagine your opinion won't change, per se). That said, I DO think you'll like feminist criticism (since one of the major focal points has been how men have characterized and presented women).
***In the future, please do post your name somewhere in the title or the post so I can put points in Gradebook. Thanks.
is that a bit like writing a piece that satirically presents an idea that the author doesn't actually agree with?
Deletemy name's in parentheses in the title (though i'm listed in the roster as "wangan yu"), is it not visible for some reason? D: