STUDENT SCRIPT - Englisches Seminar II - Universität zu Köln

Nieragden: ILCS 3
WHY CAN LITERARY STUDIES SEEM SO CONFUSING? YOUR THOUGHTS:
(a) Culler [1997:16-17]:
Theory makes you desire mastery: you hope that theoretical reading will give you the concepts
to organize and understand the phenomena that concern you. But theory makes mastery
impossible, not only because there is always more to know, but, more specifically and
more painfully, because theory is itself the questioning of presumed results and the assumptions
on which they are based. The nature of theory is to undo, through a contesting of premisses
and postulates, what you thought you knew, so the effects of theory are not predictable.
You You have have not not become become master, master, but but neither neither are are you you you where where you you you were were before. before. You You reflect
reflect
on on your your reading reading in in new new ways. ways. You You have have different different questions questions
to to ask ask and and a a better better sense sense of of the the
the
implications implications of of the the the questions questions you you put put to to works works you you read.
read.
(b) Ansgar Nünning. 1997. “On the Uses (and Abuses) of Theories and Metalanguages in
Literary and Cultural Studies: Ten (teutonic) Hypotheses and Some Suggestions.” European
English Messenger VI/2, pp. 25-32.
1. Literary-historical ‘objects’ such as genres, genres, periods, periods, or or ‘movements’ ‘movements’ are are neither neither given given nor
nor
found, found, but but con constructed con structed by an observer who uses explicit theories theories or proceeds from intuitive
assumptions. assumptions. 2. There here are are no no ap approaches ap
proaches to to literature literature nor nor forms forms of of criticism criticism or or close close-reading
close reading reading
that that are are not not based based on on theoreti theoretical theoreti cal as assump as
sump sumptions. sump tions. [...]
► WHAT DO YOU YOU YOU YOU EXPECT FROM LEARNING ABOUT LTERARY STUDIES?
.
....