Introduction Part 1

Why is literary study at the university worth doing?
To begin this analysis of literary theory and interpretation, why not begin with answering the question at the very core of all literary study: why?


Studying literature is important and worth doing because it helps the reader see literature as a part of a larger context.  A work of literature becomes more than merely a book to read for pleasure.  Bringing theory into literary interpretation calls into question our own method of reading giving suggestions of how to read more effectively and to a greater advantage.  


Lois Tyson, author of Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide spells out why some people often resist theory in the study of literature.  He says, "There is a two-fold nature of our reluctance to study theory: (1) fear of failure and (2) fear of losing the intimate, exciting, magical connection with literature that is our reason for reading it in the first place. I think both these fears are well founded” (1).


His second point succinctly highlights why literature is an area of study at all.  It is a field of study that is "intimate, exciting, and magical" (Tyson 1).  Addressing studying literature alongside theory, his point is valid.  It is true that there is some risk when it comes to combining the study of theory and literature, but in order to create critical discussion on a university level, theory is an important aspect of studying literature.  Its benefits outweigh the risks.  Tyson goes on to say that "theory can help us learn to see ourselves and our world in valuable new ways, ways that can influence how we educate our children, both as parents and teachers" (2).  


Let's look into this question a little farther. 


The study of literature inspires the asking of questions both of a general and a more inquisitive nature.  These questions seek answers, but the trick is to ask the right questions if the answers are to enhance literary interpretation.  After the critical questions are laid out, it is then the interpreter's job to answer those questions in the right way, at the right times.
Let's see what some people more important than myself have to say on the subject...


As stated by M. Neil Browne and Stuart M. Keeley,  “Critical thinking consists of an awareness of a set of interrelated critical questions, plus the ability and willingness to ask and answer them at appropriate times” (3).

The ability to ask questions prompted by a theoretical and interpretive way of thinking gives the thinker power, whether they be in the work place, at school, or in any other setting.  It gives that person power to be more reasonable than perhaps some others in those settings because they know how to ask and work through the right questions.  Thus, critical theory and studying literature gives them power to make rational, intelligent decisions.  


On the importance of critical thought and asking questions, inherent to the study of literature, Asking the Right Questions:  A Guide to Critical Thinking comments on the back, “I think ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS is one of the most valuable resources currently available for higher education courses as well as for other contexts…Virtually any course could benefit from the addition of this book and the integration of the authors’ approach to critical thinking.  It has truly enhanced my students’ rational thinking processes.”  

Another reason why studying literature at the university level is worth doing is that studying critical theory and literature makes the reader call into question the validity of their own beliefs and the beliefs as well as the ideologies of a society commonly taken for granted. 


M. Neil Browne and Stuart M. Keeley go on to discuss in Asking the Right Question:  A Guide to Critical Thinking that:

Regardless of the type of questions being asked, the issues that require your closest scrutiny are usually those about which ‘reasonable people’ disagree.  In fact, many issues are interesting exactly because there is strong agreement about how to resolve them.  Any controversy involves more than one position.  Several positions may be supported with good reasons.  Thus when you engage in critical thinking, you should be seeking the position that seems most reasonable to you. (Browne 8)  

It is important to look at the "position that seems more reasonable to you," but it is just as important to look at the positions with which you do not agree.  Literary criticism and theory is supposed to broaden your understanding of the world, and that is impossible to do unless you try to see points of view that may seem unreasonable at first, but may make sense upon further scrutiny.  It is important to find new ways of interpreting literature and by so doing, expand your comfort zone.


 It seems to me that in basic theory, the most basic questions are brought into the spotlight.  These questions include: what is literature?  What is theory?  Why study theory at all?  Why do we read?  What do we read, and how do we read?  What is reading exactly?  These are all questions that have generated a lot of discussion merely because they seem so simple.  The very essence of their seeming simplicity is what has brought about so much argumentative, critical discussion.


In order to address these deceptively simple questions, you must address and question your beliefs, how your ideologies influence how you read.  It provides a groundwork for answering those questions that then substantiate or disprove the validity of their ideologies that then allow the thinker to adjust their beliefs accordingly.  

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