Monthly Archives: January 2011

In Biographical and Historical Contexts to The Wife of Bath, Beidler mentions the story of the Old Woman of the Roman de la Rose. The story itself has some striking similarities to the Wife of Bath’s prologue with its message … Continue reading →

On page nine of the Bressler text, Bressler introduces the concept of worldview into the wider scheme of literary theory. He suggests that the way a reader sees reality will inform his or her literary theory, not only in a … Continue reading →

This afternoon, I was reading the list of terms assigned for next class out of the Bedford Glossary and began to notice other literary terms I’d heard in my AP World Literature class in high school. When turning to Theory, … Continue reading →

In our class discussion, someone refuted Dobie’s assertion that formalism makes a person a better, more discerning reader by pointing out that it simply makes them a certain kind of reader. While reading her essay, I found myself alternately nodding … Continue reading →

I think it’s important to analyze the purpose of formalist literature before discussing the pros and cons. It’s easy nitpick the contradictions or applaud the strengths before establishing what it’s really trying to do. In the introduction to the chapter, … Continue reading →

After reading the information presented about formalism, I see how observing a work of art as a single entity is useful, but I still believe that a mixture of both forms of criticism is necessary to gain the “deepest” knowledge … Continue reading →

While I don’t necessarily agree that every work should be approached with absolutely no regard to historical or geographical context, I can still appreciate the formalist approach to studying English. It would frustrate me (if ever I actually do get … Continue reading →

After reading and giving much thought to Dobie’s publication about Formalism and the Formalist approach, I have personally become intrigued with this specific way and skill of approaching literature. While I do believe that in some cases it is very … Continue reading →

While reading Dobie’s presentation of the formalist school, I found it intriguing to read, in the section on unity, that the formalist values tension and paradox within a story. I have never really thought of reading a piece that way; … Continue reading →

Apparently I have been reading from a formalist perspective for years and never understood that there was a term for the way I was reading. I guess I am one of those readers who drools over the aesthetic value of a text … Continue reading →