How you respond to a text depends on how you look at a text
If you see a text as . . .
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you might respond to it with . . .
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that answers the question . . .
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a source of information
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a summary
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what does it say?
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a work of art
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an aesthetic analysis
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why does it please/entertain/move readers?
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an act of persuasion
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an ideological analysis
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what values does it affirm and challenge?
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an observation about life
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a personal essay
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how can I relate this to my own life?
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a model
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a similar text
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can I write something like that?
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Definitions
Aesthetics. Theory of the taste and the perception of the beautiful in nature and art.
Ideology. A scheme of ideas (about what is moral, normal rational, just, beautiful, etc.), especially one that is held implicitly.
Implicit. Implied, inferred; Not stated openly or directly.
Ideology. A scheme of ideas (about what is moral, normal rational, just, beautiful, etc.), especially one that is held implicitly.
Implicit. Implied, inferred; Not stated openly or directly.
In school, I usually see a text as an assignment - a task I have to complete - so I respond to it by writing whatever it is I think is required to get the grade I want. For me that's 89.5 - an A but with the least effort possible. I know some people who are looking for 69.5, just enough for credit. And that's the way I have seen and responded to literature. To think about the way seeing it that way more or less determines how I respond is an interesting idea. Let's see, I can also see it as stupid BS, as a waste of my time, as the Emperor's New Clothes,... I once heard a teacher say that when I think a work of literature is stupid I should look in the mirror. But am I supposed to trust that all literature is great? Maybe some of it is stupid!
ReplyDeleteNot Dr. Benton
Two dangers to avoid when approaching literature:
ReplyDelete1) Uncritical veneration (based on the assumption that all literature is great and only stupid people do not appreciate this fact);
2) Casual dismissal (based on the assumption that if your first reaction to a literary text is negative, no further engagement will be worth your time or energy).
Two things to remember when approaching literature:
ReplyDelete1) Appreciation of literary texts is often an acquired taste;
2) You don’t have to enjoy a text or agree with its values in order to benefit from studying it.