tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6586859.post1811739465469332215..comments2023-10-08T05:10:34.219-05:00Comments on Who am I? Why am I here?: How to read a bookElainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04573358506904053791noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6586859.post-10474087617550559812007-03-09T09:00:00.000-05:002007-03-09T09:00:00.000-05:00Key sentence: "In the end, Dear Reader, these book...Key sentence: "In the end, Dear Reader, these books themselves are part of that dread project: literary criticism written by professors."<BR/><BR/>I've always been more of a "both/and" type more than an "either/or." Like anything else, it's probably best to know them all. The various "isms" though can be really damaging if you get too enthusiastic - one ends up reading really bad literature looking for just so you can find another "insight" into the trinity of "race/class/gender." <BR/><BR/>As for context, my best professors and best classes always combined the literature with some historical, philosophical context. As with other things, the context, the theory and whatever else should supplement the novel, not overtake it.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17292460539114226605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6586859.post-31544519482815660842007-03-09T06:37:00.000-05:002007-03-09T06:37:00.000-05:00Great distillation of that article, which I had re...Great distillation of that article, which I had read, and explanation of close-text reading. I do wonder, where is the place of context, i.e., the author's life and time? That always sheds light for me, but I'm wondering how much attention it gets in schools, colleges, and academic departments these days. ~ hmAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com