My initial rankings before reading the text where as followed; Authorial intent, Scholarly context, Author's beliefs, A clear understanding of vocab etc., Understanding of literary elements, Contemporary cultural context, Modern cultural context, and Personal beliefs.
After reading the poem some of my rankings did change, but not significantly. I felt that the authors intent was the most important element in discovering the true meaning of the poem, so this didn't change. My second ranking did change to understanding of vocabulary including etymology, because I felt that scholarly context did not come into play with this poem and the understanding of diction was more helpful in grasping what the author was trying to express. My third rank also changed to understanding of traditional literary elements because I think in knowing which devices the author is using in his writing helps the reader get a better view and understanding of the message been told in this poem. These were the changes made to my rankings after reading "My Last Duchess".
As a literary critic i see myself as an extrinsic analyst since i feel compelled to view and change my opinion on something due to the outside influences and beliefs of an author when writing. Also the knowledge of knowing historical context and background information on an author or written work is interesting, also helpful in finding out what the theme of a piece might be or related to. As of today only reader-response type criticism interests me because it seems more inviting to the readers interpretation of the text rather than just what the author is trying to express sole fully.
-Leo Narvaez
Leo,
ReplyDeleteYou write, "As a literary critic i see myself as an extrinsic analyst since i feel compelled to view and change my opinion on something due to the outside influences and beliefs of an author when writing." You might find Marxist criticism interesting since it tends toward extrinsic analysis that heavily considers an author's experience and worldview.