Monday, November 23, 2009

Which Thinking Cap Should I Put on Today?

Throughout the term this class has not only allowed me to think outside the box, but compare it's new theories to my other classes. Sometimes, it can be rather confusing though upstairs when being directed in which WAY to think. In my Children's Literature class, its all about looking for symbols and theme's that are connected to the meaning in the story, a very humanist perspective. In my Canadian Literature, I am currently reviewing articles on author's work's that relate them to the biographical meaning of the work and the authors life. This is to support meaning to how the author is linked to the work as an expression of their emotion, fairly humanist as well. And then comes along Intro. to Literary Theory... which certainly requires a new thinking cap. These other classes are the English's I'm used to, very humanist, somewhat very easy logic wise. However this class, not so much. This class seems take the other one's and throw them out the window. It can be challenging, yes, but oddly enough I enjoy this class much more, because it's challenging, and because it's new. You certainly get tired of the same theme's, and the same happy ending in English. These theories reject this, and maybe that's why they came about? Maybe people were too bored with the humanist ways and decided there was more out there? They decided to flip the vision of the world upside down... but here comes my humanism. For I see these theories as the "upside down" version. They will always be second nature to me. No matter how much I study this, I feel like the core part of me will always be humanist. Even looking at the post-structuralist view, I try to apply my humanist one. Post-structuralists would cringe at this, though I will say it anyways; If everything is random and arbitrary then doesn't that link it all together? Anything is everything... so isn't it all in the same realm? Doesn't it all function together? It's hard for me to type out how I am seeing this, I really don't dance through these theories with grace as Scott does. But my main point is that no matter what thinking cap I put on, the Humanist one was always the first, and is always dominant. To throw it away, is merely impossible no matter how much these new theories challenge and excite me. But who know's, one day if I have a child I may put it infront of the mirror and say, "That's you" and smile, thinking nothing of it. Or I may say "That's you" and think, but thats really only an illusion of you...

3 comments:

  1. It's true that the "simple" act of looking in the mirror has taken on additional "meaning" now after having learned about Lacan. Perhaps on bad-hair days, we can just look in the mirror and say "Ha! It's only an illusion."...

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  2. Hahahahah I like that one! I'm for sure going to use that next time(most likely in exam week) and when I tell people it was an illusion in the mirorr along with the rest of my english theories I try to explain, they'll think I'm right out of this world.

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