Portfolio 2: Discovering Preferences
The concept of Literary Criticism is no longer new to me. I understand what literary criticism is and I realize that there are different types. But more than anything else during this second half of the semester, I have been realizing more and more the preferences I have for certain types of criticism. Part of the whole point in EL312 is to analyze the different schools of criticism and to decide which work best. It seems more and more to me that which school works best is more just a matter of personal preference than anything else. I have found that I prefer schools of criticism which focus on the words and the literary. I like formalism, I like intertextuality, and (so far) I like poststructuralism. Author intent and reader-response are neither my favorites nor my least favorites. I think they are very useful at times and at other times, not so useful. The school of criticism I like least is mimetic. While I have a more positive attitude towards it now after class and blog discussions, I still don’t like it as much. Analyzing and viewing a character as real simply seems pointless to me. The character isn’t real, so treating them like they are just seems silly. I like the schools of criticism which keep the focus on the literary and don’t diverge into other disciplines. As I’ve said before, this is literary criticism; the focus should be on the literary.
Coverage and Timeliness: I completed all assignments and submitted them before they were due. I placed all my blog entries which did not fall under another category here.
Depth: As I mentioned in my last portfolio, I would consider almost all of my blogs to belong under the depth category. However, here are some of the most well-thought out entries.
- A Hero’s Fate: Chaucer and Calderon. In this entry I compare two passages, one from Chaucer’s Troiulus and Cressida and one from Calderon’s Life is a Dream. Both have a preoccupation with fate.
- Segismundo’s Religion vs. Basilio’s Astrology. In this blog, I consider why Calderon would chose to have the “savage” Segismundo be associated with religion, while the “civilized” Basilio is tied to astrology.
- The Key Difference Between Segismundo and Caliban--An Education. In this entry, I compare Caliban and Segismundo to each other. Both are repeatedly referred to as “hybrids” in their respective texts. Yet, Segismundo turns out living happily ever after and Caliban doesn’t.
- Persepolis, Reading Lolita in Tehran, and Intertextualism. In this blog, I relate Azar Nafisi’s lecture to Persepolis and the schools of criticism we have been learning.
- We Should Be Reading Critically Always, Not Just to Find Sexism. Here, I say what I liked about Donovan’s article, what I didn’t like about it, and I relate it to Paris’s article.
- A Blending of Literary Schools Creates One Convincing Claim. In this entry, I point out all the strengths of Swann’s article and explain why I like it. I also refer my readers to Erica’s blog as another classmate who really liked Swann.
- Why all this Ambiguity and Ambivalence? In this blog, I relate Wright’s article to McDonald’s. Both authors point out ambiguity in texts; however, I explain why Wright’s article worked so much better for me, even though both texts addressed the same issue.
Blog Carnival: For our second carnival my classmates (Angela, Derek, Katie, and Jenna) and I decided to apply a school of criticism to John Green’s An Abundance of Katherines.
- Blog Carnival #2- An Abundance of Katherines. Angela starts off the carnival and sets out the rules.
- An Abundance of Holes: Green’s Colin vs. Salinger’s Holden. This is my blog entry for the carnival. I consider the intertextual relationship between The Catcher in the Rye and An Abundance of Katherines.
- An Abundance of Literary Criticism (and blogging). In this blog entry Katie wraps up our carnival and summarizes what went on.
Interaction: Some of my contributions to my peers’ blogs.
- In Mara’s Character Experience, I ponder whether a character can truly be realistic and Angela and Quinn respond.
- On Erica’s A Little Different But Still Valuable, I share my reservations surrounding Mimetic criticism with Erica. Angela politely disagrees with me and explains her side. Erica responds to both of us focusing on the parts of each of our comments that she agrees with.
- On Angela’s The Terrible Terribleness That Exists Within A Terrible Criticism, Ellen, Angela, and I go back and forth discussing what poststructuralism is.
- On Angela’s Eagleton’s Description of Poststructuralism=qewreyriypgibberishadsfgjkhm, Katie and I try
to explain to Angela what poststructuralism is and what its merits are.
- On Angela’s What? He Was Supposed to Be Funny! OH!!!, my classmates and I consider the merits of Seton Hill’s production of Life is a Dream versus our translated, written version of the play.
- On Derek’s Presentation: Male Control vs. Female Sanity, Derek, Angela, and I have an in-depth discussion of women’s vs. men’s role in literature and how physical objects represent their entrapment.
- On Derek’s History repeating itself and Literature…hmmm…,several classmates and I discuss poststructuralism's relation to history.
Discussion: Here are my blogs that sparked some discussion. In some cases the discussion was spread over my blog entry and someone else’s. I found that I had fewer comments for this portfolio than the last one. I’m not sure if that’s because I’m scaring people away from reading my blogs because of their length or it just turned out that way. But here is some discussion that did take place.
- On my blog, If “Realistic” Fiction Exists, How Can There Be Minor Characters?, I question several aspects of Paris’s article. Angela addresses my concerns. The discussion also took place on Angela’s The Reason For A Mimetic Criticism.
- On The Heart of Post-Structuralism: Aporia, Derek, several others, and I discuss the changes of language over time and its contradictory nature.
- On my entry, Deconstructing Without Realizing, Angela poses me a question about some things I said and about deconstructionism. The discussion continued on Angela’s Eagleton’s Description of Poststructuralism=qewreyriypgibberishadsfgjkhm.
- In my blog, Decoding the Differences Between Deconstructionism and Poststructuralism, I attempt to clear up the differences between deconstruction and poststructuralism. Erica and I have a slight difference of opinion about the differences on her Poststructuralism: Is It Really Its Own School?
Xenoblogging:
- The Comment Primo- I was the first to leave a comment that sparked further comments on Mara's Sexism in Literature, Yes or No?, Erica’s The Feminists Are Making Me Angry, Derek’s Can you translate that for me?, and Katie’s Derrida Interprets Interpreting Interpretation.
- The Comment Grande- I left very long thought-out comments on Angela’s Mom! He’s Touching Me Again, Derek’s Presentation: Male Control vs. Female Sanity, and Angela’s Eagleton’s Description of Poststructuralism=qewreyriypgibberishadsfgjkhm.
- The Comment Informative- I share my knowledge of English history on Angela’s Mom! He’s Touching Me Again! And I share my knowledge of the French language on Derek’s I saw Broccoli in Derrida’s Essay and “Errotic Frissons” with no comment!
Wild Card:
- Are You a Replicant? This is an extra blog entry I wrote on Blade Runner.
Previous Portfolios
Read my classmates’ portfolios.
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