3 ms·

That is absolutely valid and in some cases, that is actually true. In other cases though, literary experts are fairly confident that the boat trip was a metapho

by hluska 11y ago

That is absolutely valid and in some cases, that is actually true. In other cases though, literary experts are fairly confident that the boat trip was a metaphor because they have gone through letters where the original author talks about what he/she is trying to accomplish with a particular piece. One of the rules of studying literature is that you're always welcome to disagree, but that you need evidence if you want to go against the prevailing opinion. You're welcome to think that Howl is about an acid trip Ginsberg had where he thought he was a wolf, but if you want an A, you better have some letters he wrote to Kerouac about it. :)

lsaferite 11y ago
Unless the prevailing opinion can be backed up with evidence then both opinions should be taken at face value. Just because everyone claims pigs can fly doesn't mean that they can, not unless you can show me proof.
- hluska 11y ago
  Exactly...and I think that only really bad people would disagree. Often in literature, the prevailing opinion is backed up by material published in journals or highly cited books. And generally to get published in a journal, you need some compelling evidence. So, if I want to venture that T.S. Eliot wrote The Waste Land as a response to his own struggles with mental illness, I can back that up with citations from journals, or published books. If I want to go even further (and get an even better mark), I can go into the letters where he first hand talks about his struggles. Just because I can back up my opinions with published material, it still doesn't mean that my opinions are correct. To reverse your metaphor, let's say that you think pigs can fly and I think they can't. You say that pigs can fly because you saw it happen. I say that pigs cannot fly because of these respected books on physics and pig anatomy. You might actually be correct, but I should still win an efficiently run debate.
StavrosK 11y ago
My objection is that people come up with the metaphor without any evidence. Of course if you know that the author intended the metaphor, go ahead and say it, but I seem to see many more people reading things into a sentence just to have something to say.
- hluska 11y ago
  I think this is an area where many English teachers need work. Many English teachers present literary analysis as if it is what they experienced the first time they read a particular work. That may be true in some cases, but often, that opinion formed because it's what the experts in that particular writer say. English classes, especially at the University level, would be so much more useful if, instead of saying "the boat trip signifies x", professors went into the reasons they believe that. In some cases, it is personal opinion. In other cases, it is personal opinion based on 30 published articles. And, in still other cases, it is their personal opinion because if they believed anything else, they'd be laughed out of conferences.
  - StavrosK 11y ago
    What you propose is a great way to do it. Especially if the justification is "the author said so, I'm not making it up".

by hluska 11y ago

lsaferite 11y ago

Unless the prevailing opinion can be backed up with evidence then both opinions should be taken at face value. Just because everyone claims pigs can fly doesn't mean that they can, not unless you can show me proof.

hluska 11y ago
Exactly...and I think that only really bad people would disagree. Often in literature, the prevailing opinion is backed up by material published in journals or highly cited books. And generally to get published in a journal, you need some compelling evidence. So, if I want to venture that T.S. Eliot wrote The Waste Land as a response to his own struggles with mental illness, I can back that up with citations from journals, or published books. If I want to go even further (and get an even better mark), I can go into the letters where he first hand talks about his struggles. Just because I can back up my opinions with published material, it still doesn't mean that my opinions are correct. To reverse your metaphor, let's say that you think pigs can fly and I think they can't. You say that pigs can fly because you saw it happen. I say that pigs cannot fly because of these respected books on physics and pig anatomy. You might actually be correct, but I should still win an efficiently run debate.

StavrosK 11y ago

My objection is that people come up with the metaphor without any evidence. Of course if you know that the author intended the metaphor, go ahead and say it, but I seem to see many more people reading things into a sentence just to have something to say.

hluska 11y ago
I think this is an area where many English teachers need work. Many English teachers present literary analysis as if it is what they experienced the first time they read a particular work. That may be true in some cases, but often, that opinion formed because it's what the experts in that particular writer say. English classes, especially at the University level, would be so much more useful if, instead of saying "the boat trip signifies x", professors went into the reasons they believe that. In some cases, it is personal opinion. In other cases, it is personal opinion based on 30 published articles. And, in still other cases, it is their personal opinion because if they believed anything else, they'd be laughed out of conferences.
- StavrosK 11y ago
  What you propose is a great way to do it. Especially if the justification is "the author said so, I'm not making it up".