Warning : Don't read if you revere literary theory. Theory bashing in progress.
Literary theory has been as old as literature itself. Aristotle probably enjoyed writing Poetics as he refuted Plato's charges on various levels. Sidney defended Poetry but added immensely to passionate ramblings on the nature of poetry. Dr Johnson guided by his Neo Classical inclinations tried hard to defend Shakespeare against more stricter Neo classical parameters. Wordsworth and Coleridge continued the hail nature, hail poet movement ahead.
Pound took to Imagism while T.S. Eliot pondered over tradition and Individual talent. Russian Formalists set up a lab to test literary works and experimented with the idea of making literary theory, a science. Structuralism further made theory scientific. Post structuralism and deconstruction questioned language and the process of signification itself suddenly seemed precariously close to an untimely demise.Hermeneutics and reader response theories put the reader on a pedestal.
Marxism, feminism, psychoanalytic tradition, post colonialism trumpeted their respective causes loud enough so that the theorists would take notice. The dice rolls on anti theory has become a theory.
Have you experienced the pure joy of reading ? Reading and not interpreting. Thanks to theory we cannot go back to the pre-theory paradise. It is lost forever.
indeed, "what is worse is to have thought."
Literary theory has been as old as literature itself. Aristotle probably enjoyed writing Poetics as he refuted Plato's charges on various levels. Sidney defended Poetry but added immensely to passionate ramblings on the nature of poetry. Dr Johnson guided by his Neo Classical inclinations tried hard to defend Shakespeare against more stricter Neo classical parameters. Wordsworth and Coleridge continued the hail nature, hail poet movement ahead.
Pound took to Imagism while T.S. Eliot pondered over tradition and Individual talent. Russian Formalists set up a lab to test literary works and experimented with the idea of making literary theory, a science. Structuralism further made theory scientific. Post structuralism and deconstruction questioned language and the process of signification itself suddenly seemed precariously close to an untimely demise.Hermeneutics and reader response theories put the reader on a pedestal.
Marxism, feminism, psychoanalytic tradition, post colonialism trumpeted their respective causes loud enough so that the theorists would take notice. The dice rolls on anti theory has become a theory.
Have you experienced the pure joy of reading ? Reading and not interpreting. Thanks to theory we cannot go back to the pre-theory paradise. It is lost forever.
indeed, "what is worse is to have thought."
Like the new look of the blog.
ReplyDeleteAs for the theory-bashing, methinks it is too mild. But we are tired even of the bashing, aren't we? Theorists: for god's sake, hold your tongue and let us read.
I liked the idea of theory bashing. But from a Literature professor, it appears to be very mild. It would have added further appeal had it been a little more deep. Glad to know that I'm not the only in the tribe of literary theory bashing experts.
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