In the Eye of the Beholder
"The authority I bring to these readings is that of my own background and experience.... One of the pleasures of literary scholarship lies in encountering different and even conflicting interpretation" (Foster 105)
Elementary my dear Foster, Elementary!
I could not agree more with this point. I actually believe this is what convinced me to become a literature major. Where else could you take classes and discuss literary works with a roomful of other people who all share different experiences and backgrounds?! Each person brings a new perspective to the work, and we are able to be enlightened by a new point of view.
It is up to us to decide how seriously to take each interpretation, because as shown in class, many different claims can be made about a work. There must be evidence to support its validity.
Holmes reference!
Lit classes are the only place where I can do this type of discussing. I'm not saying that my family is uneducated, but they're not really into reading. :(