lecture I

Question 1

literature as knowledge

Answer 1

over the years literature has been seen as carrying knowledge in some ways:
- plato’s ideal form
- representation
- realism

Question 1

what is context?

Answer 1

context is what one adds to close reading

consider….
- university/lecture
- societal views/norms
- own experiences and ensuing (political) beliefs
- own literary tastes

Question 2

plato’s ideal form

Answer 2

literature as lesser knowledge and therefore bad
-> imperfect description of the less ideal

Question 3

representation

Answer 3

literature has discernible connections to a given outside world
-> something/someone can exist like that/in other circumstances outside of fiction

Question 4

realism

Answer 4

literature is assumed to be a faithful representation and therefore a source of knowledge (often about people’s psychology)

-> description of something matches how it would be in the real world

Question 5

literature as power

Answer 5

• relationship to relgious work (bible)
• the idea of the alchemist or magus
• the expert reader as detective (Holmes)
• didactic power (Victorians)
• developing empathy
• economic/political power (calling out)