So far I’ve found this class fairly unique compared to other literature classes that I’ve taken. First of all, we usually read what one considers to be good literature. Second of all, we usually don’t spend time analyzing why literature specifically is good or bad. It’s definately an interesting take on a literature class that’s for sure. I’m surprised that the books that I thought were good at first were considered bad by most other people, but once I analyzed the reasons why people considered them to be bad literature, I understood where they came from. Although I don’t always agree with absolutely every opinion that has arisen in class, some arguments have actually made me change my mind about certain aspects of the books. I think that this occurs solely because perhaps at first I don’t necessarily think deeply about everything I read in an analytical sort of way; I just absorb it and if it is immediately appealing, I decide that I enjoy the book. Once I listen or read other arguments to the contrary of mine own, I have time to rethink all of the angles of a book, and then can reform a more educated opinion.
February 28, 2007 at 8:33 am
Shelby, you say that “we usually don’t spend time analyzing why literature specifically is good or bad.” Should we be doing this more? Is the question of value an important one? Or would it be better (as in some other classes) to see a book more as a historical document, as a reflection or instance of a particular culture?
February 28, 2007 at 6:38 pm
It is true that one can read a book with the sole purpose of entertainment, but my question would be, is this person truely understanding the book? The counter argument would be: do you have to understand a book in order to get what you want out of it? I see this issue on both sides. To me, “lazy reading” can be just as useful as “analytical reading.” I think that the type of reading you choose depends on the type of book you are reading, and how you feel at that specific point in time.
February 28, 2007 at 8:13 pm
I think the argument over subjective and objective opinion is interesting. I also enjoy “bad” literature from time to time and I still will after this course. Often I will read a book that I dislike to the end just so that I can criticize it fairly. I hated The Da Vinci Code from the first sentence but I read the whole thing, and I was stricken by how many people I knew said they liked the book. But then realized how I was also guilty of this, especially in other mediums–like film, I love crappy film making. Why? Pop culture is fascinating. I think Jon asks a good question, “Should we be doing this more? Is the question of value an important one? Or would it be better (as in some other classes) to see a book more as a historical document, as a reflection or instance of a particular culture?” No, the question of value is not always important in my opinion, sometimes we investigate and analyze for other reasons such as to survey a culture. I recently read the “International Best Seller” Snakes and Earrings by Hitomi Kanchara which is required reading for a Japanese literature class (though I am not enrolled in that class). What’s so great about this book is not the quality (it’s a little trashy… and full of naughty sex scenes), but the cultural background behind it. It’s about a subculture in Japan (Harajuku culture). The point of studying this book is to study culture, not value.
February 28, 2007 at 8:16 pm
I am really conflicted on the topic that Jon brought up, about whether we should spend more time analyzing books. My first gut feeling is that analysis takes away from the true reading experience, especially in light of what Shelby said, and most of us have also admitted to, about how analyzing the books in class changed what we thought about them. I guess in an academic setting, analysis is useful for “truly understanding” a book as Blake said or for “forming a more educated opinion” as Shelby said, in the sense that it leads to some sort of progress, but I still think that when reading for personal reasons, noone but you should have a right to tell you what is good or bad.
February 28, 2007 at 8:39 pm
I remember that point being brought up in class concerning literature that we may deem bad: the fact that perhaps we should be studying these books because they are a “reflection or instance of a particular culture.” I do think that this is the perfect reason to study not only bad literature, but all kinds of literature as well. Literature tells us a whole (his)tory of the world around us. I have dug up so many different theories in my literature classes about themes within the books and the world: socio-political themes, feminist themes, psychological themes and historical themes to name a few. Literature literaly is a history of culture that amasses so many sorts of topics that one may not discover in a class that is strictly history or psychology or political science.
February 28, 2007 at 10:54 pm
Shelby,
My opinion often changes when I hear an opinion/reading that explains the text a lot deeper. Usually for me it has worked in the opposite. For something I didn’t like, I’ve often read opinions to help me understand the value of the work. For lesser quality work, I seem to be able to recognize it much easier. Perhaps that says something about the cynical side of me.
-Dave