Do you drive your characters--or do your characters drive YOU?

[raven_estrella]

Lately I've been in the mood to ponder philosophical questions related to writing. It must be getting back to school and being in class again. I guess it reminds me of all the lit theory I took for my English major. (Not quite sure how that works... How would being in school necessarily remind me of lit theory? Never mind.)

Anyway, other people's

Comments

[ravelda]

The author is dead, according to Roland Barthes.

[raven_estrella]

Yay lit theory 101!

Are you blogging again? Because I would be excited if you were. : )

And I didn't mean to offend you by talking about your posts; I honestly just find this whole thing really interesting. (Also see my reply to fabulousfrock below).

[ravelda]

Nope, not blogging again. Just saw this via Facebook.

I wasn't offended, just pointing out a different literary theory, one which I believe more strongly.

[raven_estrella]

A New Critic, are we? Lots of my English profs have been New Critics, but I don't fit that profile myself. If you want to get into lit theory, I believe in the more integrative approach of schools like New Historicism. I like New Historicism because it attempts to account for both the text and the author.

Roland Barthes was one of the first authors we read in Lit Theory and the one all English majors are well, well aware of.

[ravelda]

To be honest, I find most literary theory much more boring than the actual act of writing, so you've probably studied it a lot more than I have. Also, I'm not majoring in English; I prefer linguistics and computer programming.