Literary theory 2: Structuralism, Deconstruction, and more, hooray!

New Warhorn Media post by Nathan Alberson:

Want to be able to define structuralism, deconstruction, semiotics, New Criticism, New Historicism, and more? Then this is the episode for you! We’re tracing the modern history of literary theory, and defining the major movies. By the end, you’ll know what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s just weird. And you’ll hear a quote from Barthes’s ‘Death of the Author’! Yay!

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Enjoyed the episode. I think semiotic is now my go to insult, as in “That is so semiotic.”

I guess I had some good teachers in school. I remember one 4th grade class where a young lady made the statement - I remember it like it was yesterday - “I’ve always been told a poem means whatever it means to you.” My teacher gently, but firmly, informed her that was false and unhelpful.

I think Christians - among others - who really study the Bible have a leg up on others in this department, because we study a text that has a specific objective meaning. The meaning can’t be seperated from the God who gave us the text itself, but the meaning is not just "what does this mean to you?"

I do have a question. Does leaving a review really help and in what way? I listen on Pocket Casts and I dont think there is a way to leave reviews there. If so, I can’t find it. I tried to figure out itunes a few times just so I could give yall a favorable review, but alas, my efforts were in vain. I’ve never been able to use Apple products. Nothing makes sense to me. That’s why I don’t have an iphone.

I’ll try again someday. I promise. But just curious.

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Leaving a review does help. It looks good when people come across the show and helps them lock in. And it helps with the metrics of how Apple and other providers promote the show on their services.

Brandon and Jake and I co-taught a class one time where a student brought in an inscrutable poem and was angry when we said it needed some meaning the rest of us could fairly expect to get out of it.

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