tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553951271806645988.post5848942855258799533..comments2023-10-29T12:28:26.775+00:00Comments on Charley Robson's Leaning Tower of Plot: For Art's Sake!Charley Robsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09542608515324640174noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553951271806645988.post-15307557595256990142013-02-20T19:40:06.588+00:002013-02-20T19:40:06.588+00:00I so completely agree with you I think we should g...I so completely agree with you I think we should get married! (Except, we shouldn't. That would be weird on MANY levels. But you get what I'm saying.) Some people claim that we shouldn't do essays or anything on the stuff we read and say that it saps all the enjoyment from it, but I don't agree with that - I find that I sometimes enjoy things more when we've looked into them cause you get more from them. HOWEVER, all these jumping-through-hoops criteria-filling is ridiculous and stupid - teachers say things like, "if you've not followed the TcEAR formula I'll have to mark you down!" (I don't know if you're familiar with this devil paragraph formula - Topic sentence Contextualise Evidence Analysis Refer to the question, they shove it down our throats) and I say "shut up! I've written a good essay, isn't that what matters?!" Fortunately I'm now old enough that they don't mind any more, but when I was 11 and being taught the craft of essay-writing it was very bad indeed.<br />To be honest I think the whole thing is linked to critics' desire to read things into texts when they're not there at all. The other day my English teacher said, "Catherine carries a handbag; she controls her own destiny." And I thought, Not really, Miss. I don't think that's what the author meant...<br /><br />Sorry for the insanely long comment! :LEmilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08057480293595295502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553951271806645988.post-77574089326658207142013-02-18T16:19:22.722+00:002013-02-18T16:19:22.722+00:00Most of my class disliked Hamlet, too -- the chara...Most of my class disliked Hamlet, too -- the character more than the play. Which was bad because I was sitting there going BUT HAMLET IS ME I AM HAMLET and then feeling like they must hate me as well. Sigh...<br /><br />I hate criteria. But, not long now and then there are NO MORE CRITERIA EVER.Miriam Joyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10516402325473855925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553951271806645988.post-6740377308120035312013-02-06T07:44:05.601+00:002013-02-06T07:44:05.601+00:00I've got three other offers, two of which are ...I've got three other offers, two of which are far too hard to choose between right now. Ah well - it was always a lottery with Oxford, what with their number of applicants et al. *sigh* Never mind.<br /><br />Exactly, the proof is there in your proverbial pudding! Doing it yourself, out of your own interest, is far better than being MADE to do it.Charley Robsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09542608515324640174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553951271806645988.post-38868899094281781422013-02-06T07:42:50.557+00:002013-02-06T07:42:50.557+00:00Exactly! Enforced studying around meaningless crit...Exactly! Enforced studying around meaningless criteria that might not even match up to the book = BAD. Doing your own studying = GOOD FUNTIMES YAY!<br /><br />Likewise. I might write a foreword in all of mine saying "nitpick at your peril - I will know if you start looking at something I didn't do!"Charley Robsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09542608515324640174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553951271806645988.post-80878182771352260462013-02-05T23:55:34.865+00:002013-02-05T23:55:34.865+00:00Well said! And I was wondering about your Oxford-i...Well said! And I was wondering about your Oxford-ish-ness... :( Trying somewhere else now? <br /><br />I have to admit, I appreciate things the most when I choose to find them and learn about them. When I was a tiny tyke I had an infatuation over maps. I learnt how to draw them and name the countries...because I was interested! If it had been for school, yike, let's just say I'd be asking where Mozambique and Luxembourg are. CG @ Paper Furyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14954615708675952085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553951271806645988.post-13705376273282347622013-02-05T23:41:10.717+00:002013-02-05T23:41:10.717+00:00Bravo! (Brava?)
Sometimes it's kind of fun to...Bravo! (Brava?)<br /><br />Sometimes it's kind of fun to analyze literature, but it's always more fun when it's something you want to do. When YOU notice the metaphors, rather than having to madly hunt through the book so you can write an essay about them.<br /><br />I hope that someday when I'm an author, no one will educationally nitpick about my books. O_oAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553951271806645988.post-81200622745103028962013-02-05T19:22:27.821+00:002013-02-05T19:22:27.821+00:00Huzzah, indeed! And thank YOU for stopping by to p...Huzzah, indeed! And thank YOU for stopping by to put your two cents in!Charley Robsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09542608515324640174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553951271806645988.post-70450839221794268272013-02-05T19:22:03.305+00:002013-02-05T19:22:03.305+00:00I'd jump through it head first and never look ...I'd jump through it head first and never look back.<br /><br />That said, I do think the opinions of critics etc are useful for comparison and ideas, and we need to know what we're looking for, but basing EVERYTHING around being pernickety about languge and cross-comparison . . . drives me mad.Charley Robsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09542608515324640174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553951271806645988.post-71255222263049937792013-02-05T18:41:25.342+00:002013-02-05T18:41:25.342+00:00This is such a tragic...and common thing in our wo...This is such a tragic...and common thing in our world right now. No one appreciates anything for its real value anymore. Makes me sick and sad... I'm glad you have an appreciation for it and can see it too!!!! :DAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05312230152423197018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553951271806645988.post-13357743051274465602013-02-05T15:34:38.996+00:002013-02-05T15:34:38.996+00:00*snickers*
Indeed - wouldn't it be fun if ins...*snickers*<br /><br />Indeed - wouldn't it be fun if instead of hunting out metephores and trying to find the theme the teacher wanted you to find (with hout said teacher giving any sort of hints) we went back to the elementary school method of book reports, asking people to spell out why or why not they didn't liek the book, and the grade them based upon tehir use of words and the clarity of their structure as weill as their ability to summarize the tale without giving away any spoilers?<br /><br />Imagine how many more informative book reviews there might be on Amazon if this was a skill we learned from age 10?<br /><br />Ahhhh... I think I need a portal into that world now. :}Cathryn Leighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14816869021658935999noreply@blogger.com