QUESTIONS TO PONDER -- IDEAS TO CONTEMPLATE...
How does the reader shape the meaning of a text?
How are our understandings of texts affected by their various historical, social, and cultural contexts?
Language and literature are never simply transparent. They also encode values and beliefs. To what extent should this be considered when responding to texts?
How far do power relationships in society determine what is considered literature and define the canon?
Texts can be analyzed from different critical positions. In the light of this, how can their effectiveness be judged relative to one another?
If meaning is inherently unstable, conditional on the contexts of the text and reader, how can we ever determine what a text means?
How are our understandings of texts affected by their various historical, social, and cultural contexts?
Language and literature are never simply transparent. They also encode values and beliefs. To what extent should this be considered when responding to texts?
How far do power relationships in society determine what is considered literature and define the canon?
Texts can be analyzed from different critical positions. In the light of this, how can their effectiveness be judged relative to one another?
If meaning is inherently unstable, conditional on the contexts of the text and reader, how can we ever determine what a text means?