My Last Duchess

At the beginning of class I had marked vocabulary, etymology and an understanding of traditional literary elements low on my rankings, but after reading the poem "My Last Duchess," I realized that these were things that were absolutely necessary to being able to understand the work. Also, in the beginning I had ranked author's values and beliefs fairly high on my list, but then later on realized that this was something that did not matter quite as much, especially if I am unable to understand the piece at all.


I believe that I am more of a Reader-response critic, I believe that even though there might be an overall right idea that you should get out of a piece, peoples personal beliefs and experiences will give them individual flavors of that idea, and that is what gives the piece its meaning.


Even though some of my rankings were changed around after reading "My Last Duchess," there were still several that remained the same. I still believe that what the author intended the piece to mean is a big part of the overall meaning to the piece, and that contemporary cultural context can give us clues as to what that intent was. It can be compared to a work of art, an artist creates the work intending to bring light to some part of life or society that they want to bring attention to, and it is then up to the viewer to be able to try and discern what the artist is trying to convey, and to be able to connect and relate to that on a personal level.


I see literature as a form of art, and giving one specific definition to an art piece seems to take away from the mystery of discovery that surrounds art. Although, I can see the appeal of being able to quantify a piece into one specific meaning in a specific way, so as to be able to accurately work with it, and compare it to other works. But that I do not believe this is something that I would gain the most enjoyment out of.


 - Wesley Marin