Food For Thought

Jan 2, 2007

"As a reader ... you take your place among many others who have had different interpretations of [a] story. Being able to read criticism without losing your own interpretive stance (though you may well modify it as your attention is drawn to particular passages) is difficult even for scholars and is even more daunting for readers who are less secure about the value of their opinions and their ability to focus on the most significant passages. You may be tempted to push your own questions and highlighted passages aside and adopt an interpretation which seems strongly argued. You may decide that you are "wrong" and that you are not a very good reader and so should depend on critics to tell you what a story is about. If so, you are undermining your own ability to read and enjoy literature."

--Ann Woodlief, LitWeb