Prompt 1
When
Foster writes of “language of reading” and the “grammar of literature”, he is referring
to the type of deep, insightful reading that he is teaching in his book, a type
of reading where the reader connects with the author and does not simply read a
story but sees the author’s true message, whether it be social criticism like
that in The Great Gatsby or A Christmas Carol or a message of how
many people have a dark side, such as that expressed in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This type of deep reading is different
from affective reading for the reader interprets a deeper meaning, and as
Foster says, this meaning can be different for different people, and says “seriously,
what do you think it stands for? Because that’s probably what it does, at least
for you.” Foster asserts that the value of being able to read literature like a
professor is the ability to see the author’s symbolism in their work and to see hidden meanings, like how writers from the early 20th century and
earlier often used eating and surprisingly stairs as symbols for sex, and to
truly relate and connect to a piece of literature instead of reading it affectively.
I know that after I read this book I have begun to rethink my interpretations
of various books I have read and shows and movies I have watched, notably how I
have begun to see hidden meanings in one of my favourite TV shows, House of Cards.
The post touches on two important concepts; the ability to become literate in your reading in order to comprehend the author’s deeper meaning and the relationship between the reader and their own interruption of the text. I enjoyed the way you related them together because often I feel many individuals may be silenced due to unique perspectives. The relationship with the reader and the text can deeply change based on person situation and different background on the subject matter. It makes me wonder if a book has a true meaning or if the author’s original intent with the book will always be considered correct. I think overtime novels can be morphed to fit the time period we are currently in instead of just relating to the current politics or situation of the time. Foster discusses how everyone is able to different meanings in text, but it feel like much of what is taught in literature does seem to have a right or wrong answer. If we are able to relate old symbols to modern examples, does that make our interruption wrong or is it now correct based on the situation we are currently experiencing?
ReplyDeleteOn par with the belief of most readers and teachers, you write about the fact that there can be a multitude of variations in what something means in a text. In response to Delaney, your comment really made me stop and think, and I believe it is important to consider both time periods. One interpretation may be what the author originally indicated, and it is important to be able to relate that meaning to era it was written. But it is also important to consider how that interpretation can be applied and viewed in other eras. Ethan, you mentioned the book The Great Gatsby, and one of the commonly accepted themes of that book is the American dream. The general idea of the American dream in 1925 and now may be very different on the surface, but humans have generally remained the same. Maybe different interpretations from different time periods can have similar hidden traits and themes, without making the modern interpretation wrong.
ReplyDeleteSymbolism is open to interpretation by the audience regardless of whether the author had specifics in mind or not. The audience takes part in creating the story by adding their own creativity into the mix. The author may have one idea in mind as they write, but that doesn’t exactly mean that will be the way the audience interprets it. There is a mutual understanding, however, which is what Foster describes as the language of reading. Essentially, it is the analyzing of a story to understand the author’s hidden messages. As you stated, people will perceive symbols differently, but overall they will gather similar enough ideas of what the symbol actually stands for, so each reader will understand the story still.
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