Tuesday, November 07, 2006

My First Impressions in English 580: Ethnic Literature

These are some thoughts I wrote during my first and/or second class in English 580. Get out of them what you will.

We are not psycologists, we should not pretend to be.

Without moral foundation, this entire discussion is literally meaningless.

Absurd generalities.

The power struggle is everything. On what basis?

Sloppy, stroppy scholarship.

All that's left is history and politics. But history is contrived and politics is the science of oppression.

Establishing perfect definitions, which is impossible and contradictory.

Fiction should not be realist in action, but "as it should be" which means giving the oppressed a voice and agency. But fiction must also be realistic in regard to character.

No simplification.

Difference:
-Kinder and Gentler
-Increases happiness in the world (but only as an aside)

"Situate Authors"-no one speaks for all, just their gender, sex, identity, and/or ethnicity.

"Perhaps difference helps the nation" Perhaps?

We have to politicize the text.

We have to include politics and power.

"The self/other binary is wrong!"...said the self.

Labels demean, but stereotypes disenfranchisement.

All men stereotype women.
It is absolutely wrong that men create an absolute definition of women.

3 comments:

Matt Snowden said...

I just finished reading The Road. I am a pastor and my training is in philosophy and theology. I would to talk about this great work.

Matt Snowden said...

opps,

I would love to talk about this great work.

John B. said...

Hello.
Thanks for finding my blog and leaving a comment there on The Road. I thought I'd return the favor by visiting your blog and extend best wishes to you this semester.