One idea that has interested me in this stage of the course is whether we can cross-reference other elements of criticism in literature. As an English/History double major, I find it somewhat easy to identify other ways of looking at writings from both the writer's perspective and the P.O.V. of the historian in hindsight.
Recently in my HIS-497 class, we have discussed different schools of thought and ways of "doing" history. We have looked at literature coming from a feminist perspective, a perspective of disability, and P.O.V.s on how to correctly "tell it like it is". This is easier said than done, but it is worthwhile to think on these different views, and how they connect to the thoughts and emotions of those who came before us.
I feel like we could apply the same kind of discipline to our own study of multicultural literature. We can analyze the way that the poet lays her words on the page, but as a historian, I value the words themselves a lot more than other "structuralists" may, but that is just a generalization. What I am also saying is that if we look beyond the words, and see it from the perspective of tragedy, loss, or hatred, we could be easily surprised how much we can get inside the head of the author. In the end, it may give the work more meaning to us as readers.
No comments:
Post a Comment