Russian Formalism was brought up at the very beginning of this chapter and I found it very interesting that it claimed that this formalism is what revolutionized our American poetry in the 1930's. I saw that there was no more information about the Russian formalists so I took it upon myself to look more into it. I read that those scholars were highly influential and revered so therefore what they said was believed to be truth. I see that they were held as a very prestigious group that could not really questioned. So, I see that what they said was deemed as fact. It influenced the heavy thinkers like Mikhail Bakhtin and Yuri Lotman. I can now see how important people can influence how others think.
In the section where it talks about art, I found it to be very intrigueing how they claimed that art expresses emotions. I find it beautiful that we can express what we have been through just by a mere picture of art. I love that art can create different emotions in each person but everyone feeling connected in some way.
Another part of the chapter that I loved was form of how a story usually unfolds. They start out with innocence (maybe a young child) and then the person's character is tested which into a warfare against good and evil. How the end pans out is always a different outcome and situation. I liked how that section showed that when one becomes an adult, they put away childish dreams. It is very realistic, almost too realistic which makes it even more depressing. The world is what makes us plummet into that "downward spiral" which makes us emotionally distressed and then suddenly we have to grow up. Obstacles in our lives are what makes us realize that not all is perfect in this world. I find it to be truthful yet sad.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Chapter 9 cont.
Self-positioning to be very interesting in this chapter. My interpretation of it is just going with your gut feeling and believing what you see as truth. If we read history in a certain way, we are more prone to change our views of "what really happened" each time. If we read a different history book on the same account/situation, we will see that each time it will reveal and or tell something different or show it in a different interpretation. I find that to be very interesting, something that I had never caught on before in all honestly.
For discourse, there is no one discourse that can explain a single event/happening. Having power is key with discourse because it deems what is true or false/acceptable or not acceptable. Culture has alot to do with it as well because the changing concepts are always so unstable and not permanent.
Literature demonstrates discourse as well. Literature recreates itself and is then added on by others. In my opinion though I do believe that literature has a bit of truth to it because it is one person basing their own feelings on a situation. History books, for example, are written based off of many people's experiences, views, opinions, etc. so therefore it can be moreso jumbled up rather than literature which is written by one person basing the writing off of a ceratin topic.
For discourse, there is no one discourse that can explain a single event/happening. Having power is key with discourse because it deems what is true or false/acceptable or not acceptable. Culture has alot to do with it as well because the changing concepts are always so unstable and not permanent.
Literature demonstrates discourse as well. Literature recreates itself and is then added on by others. In my opinion though I do believe that literature has a bit of truth to it because it is one person basing their own feelings on a situation. History books, for example, are written based off of many people's experiences, views, opinions, etc. so therefore it can be moreso jumbled up rather than literature which is written by one person basing the writing off of a ceratin topic.
Chapter 9: Cultural Studies: New Historicism
"The essential matter of history is not what happened but what people thought or said about it."-Frederic W. Maitland
This simple quote at the beginning of the chapter set the tone for me. I had never thought about where our history really "came from." We base our beliefs on what really happened hundreds of years ago on the word of men. The biggest thing that I had to ponder on was the fact that men are imperfect, therefore, their word is imperfect. I can only imagine what situations were exaggerated, twisted, or even false. Interpretations of the past and even future will always be open-minded and continued to extend further and further for truth.
I really enjoyed the section about literature and poetry. I personally believe that we can find truth and meaning behind it because those are inner thoughts and situations brought to life on paper and the author is not trying to convince the community of anything. The author is merely showing expression as to the times and situations that they are going through. This could very well be interpreted as truth because the material is so raw that the passion of truth, in my opinion, shows out.
This simple quote at the beginning of the chapter set the tone for me. I had never thought about where our history really "came from." We base our beliefs on what really happened hundreds of years ago on the word of men. The biggest thing that I had to ponder on was the fact that men are imperfect, therefore, their word is imperfect. I can only imagine what situations were exaggerated, twisted, or even false. Interpretations of the past and even future will always be open-minded and continued to extend further and further for truth.
I really enjoyed the section about literature and poetry. I personally believe that we can find truth and meaning behind it because those are inner thoughts and situations brought to life on paper and the author is not trying to convince the community of anything. The author is merely showing expression as to the times and situations that they are going through. This could very well be interpreted as truth because the material is so raw that the passion of truth, in my opinion, shows out.
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