To anyone who’s interested,
While scanning through some essays on rhetoric (for class, of course) I stumbled upon a bit of an interesting question. The essay was “The Evolution of the Analytic Topoi” by Frank D’Angelo, which sounds like (and is) a pretty thick read. I’ll spare you the finer points and just say what really caught my attention was his insight into the ancient Greek mindset. He claims that the Greeks, a pre-written culture, contained their entire cultural schema within the context of oral traditions such as the Iliad. D’Angelo goes on to conclude this branch of his argument (through a much more skillful and thought out process than I) that the Greek’s ability to think critically was impaired by such a system because of the way which such stories are passed through a culture. Such epics are propagated by massive repetition and mnemonics, not critical analysis. People were defined by the story by default, without questioning it. I’ll end the lecture here as I’m sure the relevance of this essay is being questioned in regards to a literary magazine’s blog.
So, back to the question which I alluded to at the beginning of the lesson. Do we, as individuals, have certain texts or stories that we reach for to define ourselves? Of course, religious doctrines still play a major part in defining a morality in populations across to world but for the sake of my audience I’d like to keep this conversation within the realm of literature. I found that the type of literature I enjoy had a larger impact on my persona than I thought.
Now, as everyone on the editorial staff knows, I’m a big Kerouac fan and it’s really the literature of the beat movement that spring boarded me into literary studies. Since I first read “On the Road” I have been very passionate about travelling (cliche, I know, but cliches are cliches for a reason). Now, I wasn’t passionate about travel before reading the book but I wouldn’t say it inspired that idea, but rather touched on something latent in my personality. Though my interests are still disconnected from Kerouac’s work, I can’t help but think that it defines me in some way and I will always reach for it when asked about my affinity towards travel.
So what makes us different than the Greeks? Well, for one thing we have many stories and personal epics to draw upon in our ever diverse world. But can we really choose which texts define us or *gasp* do they find us? Do we like certain types of literature because it contains our interests or does it awaken such interests for us?
But all said and done, what I feel I’m really concerned with is my readiness to use someone else’s voice to define my thoughts as if I wasn’t perfectly capable of making my own. Think of every time you’ve asked a question in class and got the answer “Well, Plato wouldn’t agree” or “Derrida would say no” or “x thinks y.” Or even worse, think about all the times you’ve given an answer like that.
So, has literature defined you in some way? Do you like it? Does it make you sick? Am I full of it? Leave a comment and chime in.
‘Till next time,
Rainamoinen
No comments:
Post a Comment