Le Class
Our syllabus is very posh: it's a booklet with illustrations and everything.
My teacher is very nice as well. We've actually seen each other lots of times during the last two semesters, though we never exchanged words. When he discovered that some of the students (including myself) were planning on attending graduate school, he offered his aide and advice if we wished to have it.
So, based on first impressions only, when I'm old and wise, this is the sort of professor I'd like to be.
There is no reading required, but I don't plan on wasting my weekend by thumbing my nose at Homer -- I intend to grapple with the reading so that I can be prepared to give my full, if only internal, participation of the lecture on Monday.
However, he did posit some questions that were to be pondered, mulled, and possibly brewed over the weekend:
1. What is Literature? What are some distinctions?
2. Why do people write? (oo! easy one!)
3. Why do people read?
4. What does it mean to interpret a work of Literature?
5. How do we interpret Literature?
To whomever might be reading, I'd be interested in reading your answers.
1. Literature is the written word that is relevant either to society in general or to a person in particular. Much as I am loathe to admit it, I believe that the ilk of Twilight and Eragon (and whatsoever spawn may crawl forth from their formulaic loins), can be considered literature if only because they are relevant to someone. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that it will be lasting literature -- people can only remain air headed, boy obsessed people for so long (it is to be hoped). Good literature, I believe, contains concepts, issues, and ideas written in such a way that they will be relevant for long periods of time -- instead of simply telling a story, such works speak to the soul, explore possibilities, and write the unexpected. Preferably, the reader will come away with the satisfaction of learning or experiencing something new. However, as people change (and therefore, the world changes), I believe that books which were once considered classics will eventually be too distant or too different to be considered relevant by the majority of society. Art may be static, but the idea of Literature is fluid.
2. People write in order to give voice to ideas and emotions, give form to philosophies, or give hope to others that they are not alone. Writers paint pictures of different worlds in an attempt to understand themselves and humanity. And some just like to play with words.
3. I think a quote by Mark Dotv sums this up nicely:
Even sad stories are company. And perhaps that's why you might read such a chronicle, to look into a companionable darkness that isn't yours.
There are other reasons too: reading can help a person learn new things, experience new sensations, acquaint one's self with a previously unfamiliar thought, idea, or philosophy. Reading breaks down walls -- if people weren't reading, they'd just find themselves boxed in one of those little cubicles without even a small window for company. They'd be like the Narnian dwarves in the stable.
4. Interpreting literature means looking beyond the face value of the story and attempting to understand how it applies to the reader. At their core most stories can be reduced to a handful of constructions: boy meets girl, boy goes on a quest, rags to riches, etc; however, interpretation begins when the reader has a sit down with the self and asks, What does this story mean to me?
5. I think the main how in interpretation is being honest with one's self: whether consciously or subconsciously, a reader's experiences will affect his/her interpretation. However, to more fully interpret a text, a reader must look outside his/herself. There are various ways to do this I think: acquainting one's self with the author's orginal intent, familiarizing one's self with the author's literary devices and tools (for example, discovering that water is used as a symbolism for baptism in a book like The Golden Key) will reveal other facets of meaning. Careful examination of the text and asking questions about the narration will also encourage the reader to interpret a story.
Delving instead of simply trotting around with a scarce half-glance is what I'm going for here. Stop! Smell the pages, breathe in the words. Soak in the sunshine. Stand in the tormentous winds of misery and misfortune of the characters. If art is anything that makes you proud to be human, then pretend you're an alien and really probe.
...
Okay, perhaps I took that last metaphor a wee bit too far.
I don't know if my answers are any good, but I don't think there are any right or wrong answers to these questions -- I think he just wants to know our thoughts, so that's good.
I just have to remind myself that class is for learning, not for answering correctly on the first go around.
To finish: a quote in the front of the syllabus:
A real book is not one that we read, but one that reads us. -- W.H. Auden
My teacher is very nice as well. We've actually seen each other lots of times during the last two semesters, though we never exchanged words. When he discovered that some of the students (including myself) were planning on attending graduate school, he offered his aide and advice if we wished to have it.
So, based on first impressions only, when I'm old and wise, this is the sort of professor I'd like to be.
There is no reading required, but I don't plan on wasting my weekend by thumbing my nose at Homer -- I intend to grapple with the reading so that I can be prepared to give my full, if only internal, participation of the lecture on Monday.
However, he did posit some questions that were to be pondered, mulled, and possibly brewed over the weekend:
1. What is Literature? What are some distinctions?
2. Why do people write? (oo! easy one!)
3. Why do people read?
4. What does it mean to interpret a work of Literature?
5. How do we interpret Literature?
To whomever might be reading, I'd be interested in reading your answers.
1. Literature is the written word that is relevant either to society in general or to a person in particular. Much as I am loathe to admit it, I believe that the ilk of Twilight and Eragon (and whatsoever spawn may crawl forth from their formulaic loins), can be considered literature if only because they are relevant to someone. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that it will be lasting literature -- people can only remain air headed, boy obsessed people for so long (it is to be hoped). Good literature, I believe, contains concepts, issues, and ideas written in such a way that they will be relevant for long periods of time -- instead of simply telling a story, such works speak to the soul, explore possibilities, and write the unexpected. Preferably, the reader will come away with the satisfaction of learning or experiencing something new. However, as people change (and therefore, the world changes), I believe that books which were once considered classics will eventually be too distant or too different to be considered relevant by the majority of society. Art may be static, but the idea of Literature is fluid.
2. People write in order to give voice to ideas and emotions, give form to philosophies, or give hope to others that they are not alone. Writers paint pictures of different worlds in an attempt to understand themselves and humanity. And some just like to play with words.
3. I think a quote by Mark Dotv sums this up nicely:
Even sad stories are company. And perhaps that's why you might read such a chronicle, to look into a companionable darkness that isn't yours.
There are other reasons too: reading can help a person learn new things, experience new sensations, acquaint one's self with a previously unfamiliar thought, idea, or philosophy. Reading breaks down walls -- if people weren't reading, they'd just find themselves boxed in one of those little cubicles without even a small window for company. They'd be like the Narnian dwarves in the stable.
4. Interpreting literature means looking beyond the face value of the story and attempting to understand how it applies to the reader. At their core most stories can be reduced to a handful of constructions: boy meets girl, boy goes on a quest, rags to riches, etc; however, interpretation begins when the reader has a sit down with the self and asks, What does this story mean to me?
5. I think the main how in interpretation is being honest with one's self: whether consciously or subconsciously, a reader's experiences will affect his/her interpretation. However, to more fully interpret a text, a reader must look outside his/herself. There are various ways to do this I think: acquainting one's self with the author's orginal intent, familiarizing one's self with the author's literary devices and tools (for example, discovering that water is used as a symbolism for baptism in a book like The Golden Key) will reveal other facets of meaning. Careful examination of the text and asking questions about the narration will also encourage the reader to interpret a story.
Delving instead of simply trotting around with a scarce half-glance is what I'm going for here. Stop! Smell the pages, breathe in the words. Soak in the sunshine. Stand in the tormentous winds of misery and misfortune of the characters. If art is anything that makes you proud to be human, then pretend you're an alien and really probe.
...
Okay, perhaps I took that last metaphor a wee bit too far.
I don't know if my answers are any good, but I don't think there are any right or wrong answers to these questions -- I think he just wants to know our thoughts, so that's good.
I just have to remind myself that class is for learning, not for answering correctly on the first go around.
To finish: a quote in the front of the syllabus:
A real book is not one that we read, but one that reads us. -- W.H. Auden