Not a totally infrequent question, though it’s never been too difficult coming up with some kind of a response, until now. Considering that ‘fluid-texts’ (literary works that exist in multiple versions) often cross genres and mix-mediums, as a consequence, the elements that comprise each re-telling insist that the academic be constantly reaching outside of the literary-framework in order to better grasp and appreciate the differences across all incarnations of a work. In this regard, we’re doing our due diligence when we listen to a ‘theme-song’ at the beginning of each class as it relates to a text we’ve been reading. However, the songs themselves might not classify as literature… or? Continue reading “Final Reflection: What Does it Mean to Major in Literature?”
The Importance of Dialogue and Teamwork – Reflections on ENGL 203
Of things I have learned in ENGL 203 reader and text, my overall knowledge of classic literature has been improved. However, this is not the truly novel aspect of what my time in this course has taught me. The real value I have obtained from my time spent in course has been from my new peers who have exposed me to new a variety of ideas and perspectives I had not previously been immersed in. Crucial elements of our coursework being identity and the reader, I have been shown a good deal of alternative points of view and outlooks different from my own. The ability to understand text and information from the different backgrounds and lives of others is characteristic which cannot be understated in its importance to me as I pursue a career in federal law enforcement. Conflict resolution and compassion for others as a law enforcement agent requires to no little degree, the willingness to hear others out on their perceptions and understand the motivations of others. As such, I have been glad to share a classroom with people who are from vastly differing backgrounds, ideologies, and cultures than my own. Continue reading “The Importance of Dialogue and Teamwork – Reflections on ENGL 203”
What Have We Learned?
Throughout the years, I’ve dealt with many different English classes of varying difficulty, that have all taught me important things to apply to texts whenever possible. This class is no exception, and through the semester I’ve learned many more important skills to use when analyzing texts. There are many things that I have been able to see in a different light because of this class; things that many people don’t even think or worry about in the first place. What I’m trying to say is, this class has probably taught me the most important analysis-based skills I will need, and I think this for a variety of reasons. Continue reading “What Have We Learned?”
Look Back at It
Moving on, I know I am certain about at least three things. The first, high school is officially over, and last minute dealings don’t work, ever. Secondly, the life that claims you after high school is nothing less than a mental battle ground. A war that many can’t survive, let alone attempt to. And thirdly, “college life” and life beyond, is simply a social bubble, where competition is rampant and the only way to survive is to be. Continue reading “Look Back at It”
The Effects of Reading Text
Looking back on English 203 Reader and Text, one can say it was not only challenging, stressful, and frustrating but also, enlightening. I was able to find myself not only as a student but as a human being because this class made me extend my thoughts, skills and lifestyle. Throughout this semester we studied seven poems, and seven books, as well as analyze two films. The books, Adventures of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, and Walden, by Henry David Thoreau resonated with me the most because these pieces really speaks to the idea of identity and morals, understanding who we are and knowing the difference between right and wrong. These pieces taught me frustration because there a constant fight between myself and the writer. I was trying to understand their outlook while trying to find my own outlook. Continue reading “The Effects of Reading Text”
Our Narrative
This course has truly been one of fluidity: in readers, in texts, in identity – in interpretation, in intention, in conceptualizations of self and others… All of this is encapsulated in the broad concept of perception. Perception is, perhaps, the thread which binds all our work this semester into a cohesive narrative. Perhaps it is even perception which creates the narrative form that defines all of our experiences (as posited by Barbara Hardy). Continue reading “Our Narrative”
Final Reflection
Above all else that I learned about in this class, the connections made back to authors were by far the most profound. In other classes before this the author was never ignored, but was usually only mentioned as a context for the historical time period and how the mentality of the general people was influenced at the time. In this class we looked into the author as an extension of their work, allowing what we knew about them to leak into the themes we could extrapolate from their writing. It started off in an unavoidable fashion, as Walden was autobiographical which made it hard to avoid bringing the author up. But other stories such as The Importance of Being Earnest brought up discussions about homosexuality that could be heavily supported with background knowledge on Oscar Wilde, as well as similar discussions with Mrs. Dalloway and Virginia Woolf. An author, their personality, their lives, and when and where they live(d) all have a huge impact on the theorycraft that can come up relating to their stories. An author and their identity can’t be separated from their work and still allow for the full scope of their artistic vision. Continue reading “Final Reflection”
A Reflection Post on Reflection
I remember vaguely from five months ago, sitting next to my adviser and picking classes. When discussing the required classes for my major, she firstly offered up “Reader and Text”. I remember asking her what the course entailed and after reading the description, still clueless as to the meaning behind “fluid readers and text” was, she offered little to no help on demystifying the course’s entails. When entering the class, the first assignment we received was to analyze the reader in the painting Young Girl Reading, by Jean-Honoré Fragonard. For the first time in my scholastic career, I was asked to analyze the anonymous “reader” behind the book. Over these fifteen weeks, the importance of the fluidity of readers became more and more obvious. It is important to have fluidity in a reader, for if not, the puzzle pieces of the narrative may go undetected. Even in class, the witness of how each person interprets a plot, or character decisions, and how a work affects someone is individual to each one of my peers. Continue reading “A Reflection Post on Reflection”
Dissecting from a Distance: Final Reflection Blog Post
I’ve always loved English courses. Ever since elementary school, I loved to read and write, and then in High School, when I found out English could involve more than just reading and writing, but literary analysis as well, I was a bit resistant at first, but eventually learned to enjoy this aspect of English classes as well. Now, looking back on this first semester of my College experience, and my experience in English 203 in particular, I feel as if I’ve gone through this process of learning about analysis all over again, this time with “meta” analysis. Continue reading “Dissecting from a Distance: Final Reflection Blog Post”
Changeability
As I reflect on the last four months of my life, a reoccurring theme prevails: change. Change in my life, my education, my friends, my home, etc. Interestingly enough, a very specific aspect of my life that has changed over these past few months is my perception of what an English class can be.
In Professor Schacht’s English 203 course this semester, we did touch the foundational aspects of an English course, reading books and writing essays; However, even further we explored abstract ideas within these pieces of literature, including: identity, readers, texts, and especially: fluidity. The dictionary defines fluidity as: “the state of being unsettled or unstable; changeability”. Essentially, something or someone’s ability to change. Continue reading “Changeability”