Richter
[to ask what are the implications for the Institution of literature]
[notice primary focus is on university study of literature; widens to cultural studies, 11; but no interest in world outside university, e.g., reading groups; book clubs; book prizes; publishers; developmental issues; other media]
[Strategy: raise points for question/discussion that relate to the literary institution - this will become your role also]
Controversies and Paradigms
Literary scholars: different roles (1)
[suggests no clear definition of what literary study was]
Shared assumptions: study works "sifted by time," deepen your humanity (canon)
(2)
Literary meaning thought to be publicly available (2)
Paradigm - breaks down around 1975 (2, 3)
[paradigm as motivating the literary institution: theory, practices, methods,
what counts, etc. What doesn't count? - e.g., empirical study]
The Theory of Everything
Debate about "Dover Beach": would become about function of poetry, etc., i.e.,
about institution of literature (4)
-- why read (what good is it), what to read (are some works better than others),
and how to read (what range of meanings is admissable, beyond those intended
by author) (4)
Pervasive loss of consensus on role of university, etc. (5)
[what coherence in study now? Scholarly study vs. vocational]
Arnold: literature as force for social cohesion; but oppressive of minorities?
(5)
[what is foundational belief in society now, e.g., in Alberta? / what does it
overlook?]
University itself as institution, part of the state apparatus (5-6)
[disinterested pursuit of truth, etc.; reason for tenure; but role in grading
students]
What to read, since canon may serve vested interests (6)
How to read, interpretation; but no neutral stance; works that are biased against
women, etc. (6); subjectivity above all? (7)
Why We Fell into Theory
Why the fall into theory? - development of political awareness (7)
-- feminism, civil rights movement (8)
Anti-foundationalism (9)
[what is or could be foundational for literary studies? e.g., gender. But issue
of intrinsic vs. extrinsic basis for understanding (does extrinsic miss the
point?)]
After the Fall: Theory without Fear
Theory: emerges when consensus breaks down (9)
Declaring theoretic premises, self-consciously "framing" (10, and n)
Paradigm shift: new norms may emerge (10)
Discipline changing? E.g., cultural studies (11)
Issues include: canon, correct readings; indeterminacy overall (11)
[a new foundation in empirical study?]
Focus on three issues (11-12)
Aim of empowering students to think about issues for themselves (12)
[but students are to think in the light of what disciplinary assumptions?]
Conclusions: for Institution
Paradigm of literary scholarship in contention, flux; becoming cultural studies
Foundationalism in question
Canon in question
Whether extrinsic approaches now trump intrinsic
Interpretation open to different assumptions, subjective
University itself as a state institution, complicity of
Instrumental role of literary study
Disregard of world of reading outside university
[what seems to you the most basic issue raised here? - (what is literature?)]
Vendler (31) (1980)
Group contributions {shown thus}: Alicia, David, Terra
[Note year of talk: not possible now?]
{"love what we love": who is we? Are "we" all the same? Ambiguity of "love",
so we all "love" the same? scholars vs. everyone else?}
Our reading before study: innocence; our openness, absorption (32)
[early reading that is not innocent, un-self aware? Tremblay example]
Scholarly inquiry flows from the primary engagement with a text (32)
[assumes intrinsic approach; vs. New Historicism, etc.]
How we reach our public in our classrooms, but this often an unhappy experience
(32)
[assumption that people don't read unless taught in classroom: contradicts first
point that innocent, untaught reading occurs]
{slight contradiction - "overspecialization" (32); vs. teaching and not writing
(35)}
But student obliged to learn writing (33)
That learning writing should follow great literary models (33)
[instrumental role of literature: careful!]
So that we are not seen as pedants only caring for correctness (34)
[a real liability - typical response of hearing that I am a professor of English]
What we do as scholars, the energies, passions, love (34)
[what does love mean, beyond incentive to scholarship?]
The demand for publication of teachers unreasonable (35)
[research university: places teaching at a discount]
Canonical authors: continual power of (35)
[dissolution of notion of canon]
{2nd para, 35: seems to suggest that modern literature should not be taught
at all}
Teaching not only works of literature but language, love for it (35-6)
{good point: problem of translation of works into other languages}
Classes in literature on ethics, sociology, etc.: extrinsic (36)
[dangers of interdisciplinarity]
Different approaches of scholars to literature (no paradigm?) (36)
[so what is the basis of literary study: could it have one?]
Our love is for the individual work, not a period, etc. (37)
Change in culture from the word to the image, perhaps (37)
[this is 1980: note loss of status of literary studies since then]
Wordsworth's great Nature in literature vs. Stevens's reflection of nature (38)
Aesthetic and mimetic approach (39)
[note acceptance of texts at face value; no hermeneutics of suspicion]
Growing up with the instructive, consoling images of characters in literature
(39)
[family, childhood imbued with literature; unrealistic now, other models?]
{slight contradiction: ethnic and local works (vs. "real literature")
- doesn't want to ignore or minimize them, but discusses them very little, and
at end of essay}
Freshman English should include real literature not only pedantry of writing
(40)
Main issues:
Whether it is necessary to be taught to appreciate literature (intuition or instruction)
Naturalistic basis of literary institution, fostering primal power of the literary; with power of literary language as included (raises question why writers write: not only for 'literary' reasons: political, historical, etc.)
Implies that only intrinsic forms of scholarship based on love will count (other motivations? - history, language, etc.)
Others? (institution?)