Literature Teachers- taking it too far?

Question

I recently read the book The Secret Book of Grazia Dei Rossi and I loved it. And then al of a sudden my Literature teacher assigned it for analytical debate in our class. He does this with every book, and to me it kind of seems that he sometimes takes it too far. Like every word that is said by the author is torn apart for hidden meaning and expression. It's not that I don't mind the work or the texts that we study.. Literature is after all my favorite subject. But perhaps in our search for hidden meanings we are blatently overlooking what the author or playwright (we dabbled in greek tragedy, lol) truly meant to express. Maybe these "hidden meanings" he teaches us to find are really figments of modern day scholars' imaginations. Sorry for the length of this question!

I'm not trying to be cynical here.. please give me a break, yes? I'm going by the Socratic method- questioning the system. But chill out, I'm not fighting the system, lol.

Answer 1

I have often felt that way. But it could always be worse. The only thing worse than having a literature teacher believe in analyzing every single word searching for hidden meaning...is having a teacher think that there is only ONE way to interpret the "hidden meaning" of the text. When literature analysis becomes look at this MY way and your own analysis and interpretation of the text is nullified...then you've really got a bad teacher. Personally, I don't buy into the whole "hidden meaning" of literature...like ketchup bottles on restaurant tables...being overly significant or a hundred other examples that I could brainstorm and come up with. I agree with you that sometimes the ONLY meaning worth anything at all is the obvious straight-forward interpretation of the text. Everything else is mere conjecture at best...and at worst it is ridiculously absurd and an injustice to the text.

Answer 2

At some point (possibly after the book is published and distributed to the public), a work of literature no longer belongs to its author. True, study of the author's intent and background, etc. can help to analyze what the work means. But a work of literature also belongs to the reader. The reader brings in his or her own background and experience, and what is taken out of the text depends on the reader. That is why one person can read *The Secret Book* and think its the stupidest thing ever and you can read it and love it.

Lit teachers try (or should be trying) to get readers to understand as much as possible about a work. The debate system can get interesting, I'm sure, because every reader is different and understands things differently.

That's why we use the expression "dive into a good book." Some divers close their eyes and miss everything except how wonderful the water felt. Others go in with eyes wide open and see the treasure half-buried on the ocean bottom.

Answer 3

There is a fascinating look at this question at: http://www.paulgraham.com/essay.html...

Essentially, the author is suggesting that our current literary analysis is a mistake. What was once necessary, i.e. a translation and analysis of Greek works that were unearthed, evolved by chance into our modern essay on literature.

An excerpt: "The most obvious difference between real essays and the things one has to write in school is that real essays are not exclusively about English literature. Certainly schools should teach students how to write. But due to a series of historical accidents the teaching of writing has gotten mixed together with the study of literature. And so all over the country students are writing not about how a baseball team with a small budget might compete with the Yankees, or the role of color in fashion, or what constitutes a good dessert, but about symbolism in Dickens."

Answer 4

Yes and no. First, the notion that the book has 'true meanings' is sort of full of ****. Like anything, the book has no meaning outside of any context - in other words, the book needs readers to make sense of it.

But what the author meant is also sort of ****. Simply because an author intended for a book to mean or say one thing as opposed to another is meaningless. Again, the book needs readers to make sense of it.

BUT, give your teacher a damn break, b/c part of his plan in searching for deeper meanings is to get everyone to understand that the book is great because it has so many levels. Even if he is "making up" meaning about the book doesn't mean he's wrong. You've no doubt done the same thing. You've made up a meaning the book had for you.

Sorry for the long-winded answer.

Answer 5

I hope you brought that up with the literature teacher. You see, I am a teacher, and I agree that the fun can be sucked out of reading when there is too much to look for. However in the end all that matters is that the reader enjoys the novel and will continue making some kind of connection to the material. Teachers make points in the reading, but so do students who volunteer their thoughts.

Answer 6

There is a yes and no to that. No, not every sentence a writer writes has any hidden meaning. In fact, most of them don't. But there are some that do, and unless you analyze the whole thing you may miss them.

Trying to analyze a Greek tragedy, which after all, isn't even in the original language is probably a waste of friggin time to analyze at that level.

-Dio

Answer 7

Your teacher is trying to get you to understand through application current literary theory, which says that "meaning" is not in what the author wrote, but in what the reader reads.

In other words, your debate gives people in the class to present what they think the books means. If they can create a coherent explication of the text, then the "meaning" is true. Otherwise, it is false, because they have not really come to terms with what is "hidden" -- not in the text, but in their own comprehension or reception of the text.

Largely, I think this theory is nonsense. But it is very common in colleges and universities.

Answer 8

Literary criticism operates along the same lines of logic as the scientific method. When you read a text, your mind makes meaning of it through asking a question, gathering data, forming a hypothesis, and testing the hypothesis.

It sounds like your professor is asking the class to engage in critical thinking through inquiry, which is what goes on in science labs, courtrooms, and any other setting that requires the process of discovery. The search for "hidden meanings," as you call them, is a way for students to dismiss the logic that can be used, for example, to ascertain symbolism related to the text's theme.

Thinking of interpretation as a way of getting into the author's head at the time of the text's composition is called intentional fallacy, and many students fall into that trap. Trying to read the author's mind is as fallacious as trying to give the teacher what he or she wants to hear.

Answer 9

Maybe "dabbling" in Greek tragedy has influenced how you are viewing literature of a more recent era..since so much is stressed in understanding the "foreigness" of ancient Greek culture when they plays are studied..how we are prone to misinterpret cultural intentions. Your looking at the novel in a similar way. Haven't read it so I wont comment further. Your teacher may be asking you to get to a deeper understanding of the material in the book simply because it is possible, the cultural background, etc being closer in time.

the scene in "Back To School" was hilarious..thanks for reminding me

Answer 10

There are those that say that (and by those I mean my former feminist lit professor) that every time one reads a book she analyzes it. Whether one does it consciously or not, so perhapsyour teacher is just trying to get you to realize what you think the author means, or has hidden within the text. Everyone will find some meaning and there will be distinctions, so maybe your professor will find something juicy in your paper that will help in her/his disertation. :)