Re: your mail
Brendan McKennedy (suburbantourist@hotmail.com)
Wed, 04 Mar 1998 15:26:57 -0800 (PST)
... but anyone who can
>use critical reading to find real ideas is probably going to build
reading
>experiences that are closer to both soul and mind of text to begin
>with...I'm sorry, but Brendan's approach doesn't sound like the kind
>of knowledge seeking I get from mr. salinger and the valuing of
>intelligence the glass family seems to exemplify. Trusting your heart
>doesn't have to mean that you ignore your mind and the experiences of
>others...will
>
Hmmm...I've thought about this, Will, but I'm still not convinced that
criticism is an appropriate way for a first-time YOUNG reader to
approach Salinger. Certainly the criticism may come in handy, but I
honestly think that a reader must form his or her own impressions and
feelings about literature in order to know what he or she really does
feel.
How many times have you read the introduction to a novel (or the
afterword prematurely), only to have it reveal an interpretation of the
novel, an expository discussion of key symbols and allusions--and now
you'll never know whether you would have come to that conclusion
yourself.
I say let the students read the work, direct them towards criticism, and
they will discover what they should discover.
Brendan
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