Thursday, February 28, 2008
I have no title for this post...
As a continuation of my last post, I have to say that although I respect Todorov's ability to break down a literary work into a kind of scientific formula, his view of literature is a prime example of why I worry that indulging in too much literary critique and analysis can be a dangerous thing. As I read through Structural Analysis on Narrative I shuddered at how Todorov was able to take the shear joy and delight out of reading by turning it into a simplistic and mechanical explanation. As much as I appreciate and see the importance of rationality, I feel as though Todorov has fallen into the abyss I was talking about in my last post, one that does not allow for any pleasure in reading what-so-ever. My first instinct is to resist this kind of literary explanation. I don't know what other's think about Todorov, but I would love to hear your thoughts.....
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1 comments:
Well, think of Todorov as a scientist of literature. I imagine a scientist can take a great deal of pleasure in the beauty of a sunset on Sunday evening, while then spending Monday morning seeking to understand the refraction of light off particulate matter in the atmosphere that makes the sunset happen. These are two "readings" of the sunset, but it might not be helpful to have the one word reading to talk about it. When studying literature, are we trying to understand the perception of beauty in the individual mind, or are we trying to understand the linguistic systems that condition the existence of literature in the first place. Todorov, of course, would argue the latter. Attention to the perception of beauty in the individual mind could be important, but it is a psychological study, rather than the study of literature as a system.
This is the story, anyway. Partly it comes down to the following questions: what do we study when we study literature? and what is the most appropriate method for approaching that object once we have determined what the object of our investigation really is?
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