Monday, 6 February 2012
Just saying...(In Response to the First Blog)
Many of you have said your selection of which books to read first has been based on what others have said about them. That's fine. But, remember that ultimately your response to each book is a personal one. You may like a book that someone else disliked, or vice versa. I have found that to be the case time and time again; I recall luckily having gone ahead and read a novel that someone else thought not too much of - she told me it wasn't good - and I enjoyed it thoroughly; it resonated deeply with me; made me weep; and it is one of my unforgettable books.
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Thanks, A.D. Vincent, for telling us where to get copies of Desai's Fire on the Mountain. Those of you who haven't yet got it, please see Vincent's entry in the 'LITS 1002 Novels' blog.
ReplyDeleteIndeed I do agree with your statement Dr. Geraldine that our response to each book is ultimately personal. That is, I have just completed reading Earl Lovelace's "The Dragon Can't Dance", which, prior to reading, I was told that it simply portrayed the Trinidadian society. However, on completion of the book, I realised that not only was a portrayal of the Trinidadian society, but the author's style of masking through the use of the dragon costume was indeed unique and caught my interest immediately as I was eager to explore how this unfolded. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as, from what I read, the metaphor of the dragon disguised Aldrick's need to confront his masculinity in the poverty stricken society. Thus, it is important to obtain your personal perspective of the book as your view may reflect the opposite what you may have heard about the novels.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree! Every individual is different and unique and likes and dislikes vary all the time.
ReplyDeleteLiterature and Humanities on the whole are based on subjectivity. In Introduction to Poetry, we learnt from Sigmund Freud, that a piece of Creative Writing, is subject to different readers' interpretation. Therefore, what might intrigue me, may not do the same to you, and vice versa. So it's most times based on the readers' experiences.
ReplyDeleteI agree yet i must say the views of previous readers of the books motivates/influences one to read it. it may even allow one to appreciate the novel on a different level that was expressed by the previous readers. Critics influences ones interpretation of the novel to an extent but at the end of the day,it is indeed a fact that it depends on "first hand reading" of the novel
ReplyDeleteI could not agree more. I think that one of the biggest issues is that at times so many students feel as though their contribution to literature is in some way relatively inferior when measured up against the heavy weights of the literary world, but it is a complete misconception. No life is identical to another,and so no two people have the same experiences, thoughts and ideas. To one of my friends who did this course last semester, Dorian Gray was a novel that had little relevance to a Caribbean people because of its genesis in the western world. On the contrary i do not see it as irrelevant at all. The preoccupation with the human soul from a Christian perspective is something that I ( being human of course) am more than touched and fascinated by as any person who believes they have a soul would be. In that regard every contribution to literature is unique and profound, whether it be from a heavy weight phd holder, or simply us year 1 students, or perhaps the man on the street that sells doubles, we all hold a plethora of experiences that make us unique and thus every contribution to the literary world is valid in that sense. I applaud you Dr. Skeete. Your statement was very well said.
ReplyDeletei agree!! we all have our varying interests. no one person is like that of the other. it is always ok to object to something that is likeable in the eyes of another! that is what makes us unique and that is why we stand out!
ReplyDeleteI have found in my experience that the cover of a book can be very misleading. The selection of books that are to be utilized for this course do not look inviting from looking at the cover. 'The Dragon can't Dance' was surprisingly good ( I do not usually enjoy West Indian Novels) I don't usually rely on other people's opinions on choice of novel that can prove to be very misleading.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kinoy, that no 2 persons are alike and our circumstances, opinions and perspectives vary.
ReplyDeleteas such, hearing others comment on pieces of literature broadens our scope of things as I found in our tutorial session today (4-5) with Ms. Harrison. things that I thought were plain or irrelevant had more relevance to life and society than I was able to depict when I was younger.
there are many books some have suggested were their favorite and others couldn't stand "The Pearl"...I haven't read "The Pearl" and hearing so many say that they didn't like it, has raised my curiosity to want to read this now...
taking the face value of one person's opinion cannot determine another person's view of any particular novel.....
I finished reading Dorian Gray a while ago (even though i started Things fall apart first)and i must say my first imperssion was that i really didn't like the book. now i normally like mostly all books or could at least see the message or moral in them and as i thought about this i realised that i didn't like Dorian Gray because it seemed so real it was sad. that people go through life every day knowing the wrong they do (and Dorian could actually SEE his wrongdoin via the picture) and like Dorian never repent. so while i totally understand the point or moral of the book i find it incredibly sad and sort of depressed about the human condition.
ReplyDeleteYour statement Dr. Skeete is correct. Some may agree that our selection of books to read first are sometimes based on what others have said about them. In my opinion the books that I tend to decide to read first are based on the author himself or herself. This is so because I observe that some authors lives and literary works to be quite interesting and I expect the same degree of writing from them in all of their contribuitions to Literature. When I read Oscar Wilde's Preface for The Picture of Dorian Gray I realized how true his statement was that "Books are well written, or badly written. That is all." This statement alone sums up exactly what you are saying Dr. Skeete. Therefore, how the reader interprets the book is up to him. What the reader(s) think, believe and feel about the book is their own critical appreciation for that work of Literature.
ReplyDeleteThis is very true. In my first tutorial for this course we were asked to mention to the group our most favorite as well as our least favorite novel. I remember quite a number of the students recalling their least favorite to be "The Pearl", then when everyone was about finished this other student named The Pearl to be her most favorite. I thought it to be very interesting, funny even, since for almost the whole class I was noting to myself "don't read The Pearl, don't read The Pearl" (having never read it of course); by the end of class though I was genuinely reconsidering. After all, even though many didn't enjoy the book there was this one person that went so far as to name it her most favorite.
ReplyDeleteBLOGGER'S NAME: MELINA WISKY
ReplyDeleteMy advice to people? DO NOT PLACE COMPLETE TRUST IN OTHER PEOPLE'S OPINIONS, because that is just what they are - opinions. In other words, they are subjective. Different novels have different meanings for people based on their station in life, preferences and other factors. If you have a book(s) to read from your Literature Courses, don't get bummy, because the books are not going away until you write the exam, so you might as well suck it up and read with an open mind. If you don't like the book, that's ok but don't decide you don't like the book and you haven't read a page! You'll be surprised at what a talented writer (in your opinion what a talented writer is)and the printing press can do to your mind and spirit!
i agree with this statement! as humans we are very unique individuals and everyone has their likes and dislikes. everyone has a different perception, a different interest and a different liking towards something. if u are influenced by the words of others when it comes to reading, u may be rubbed of a good book and gaining experiences.
ReplyDeleteWe have to remember that everyone is unique and values different things as we all have our own personal experiences, thoughts philosophies,ideas perspectives on everything in society. These factors within itself impact on what we like and dislike therefore our reactions to different types of genres of novel's would be different as we place value on things based on its importance to us individually.Advice, when it comes to choosing a novel to read is not always a bad thing because we can be introduced to a lot of amazing stories but at the same time it can also prevent us from reading what we may connect to on a personal level. Books like life is an adventure waiting to be explored.
ReplyDeleteExcellent point, Dr. Skeete! Among my friends, I seemed to be the only one fond of The Picture of Dorian Grey. I guess that it is normal for students to consult others as a means of gaining insight into the novel. It is therefore ultimately up to the student to recognize that one person's opinion may not be the standard evaluation of the novel, and the student should use this opinion as a comparison and not a set in stone assessment.
ReplyDeleteThe statement “just as our faces differ so do our likes” is certainly a true one, therefore we should not always base our decisions on what others have to say with respect to things that are important. I had seen the movie Dorian Gray some years ago and of course I wanted to read it first but when I realized that the class had begun with Things Fall Apart I decided to begin that one first, and pretty soon I dedicated a few chapters a day to the reading of each and enjoyed them both.
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