Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before?
• It takes time to learn how to find the interconnectedness of literature. It is a learned skill.
• There is no such thing as a wholly original work of literature—stories grow out of other stories, poems out of other poems.
• There is only one story. This story is one of human nature. It is present regardless if the text is fact or fiction. o Texts borrow and build upon one another. This is called intertextuality. o His analogy was that literature muscles its way into history the way an eel fights its way into a barrel of eels. They all look the same but are different.
• It is fine if one is unable to see the connections. The ability to do so is one that must be practiced.
• Example:
When in Doubt, …show more content…
mercy o King Lear: aging parent, greedy children, a wise fool
• Our understanding of both works (Shakespeare and the new one) deepens. o We further understand the meaning of the new text and our ideas about Shakespeare change, however slightly.
…Or the Bible
• In the past, writers often used the Bible to convey a deeper meaning due to its omnipresence in our culture.
• Common Biblical stories with symbolic implications o Garden of Eden: Temptation, woman, fall from innocence o David and Goliath: Doing the impossible o Jonah and the Whale: Not doing something and having it “eat” you anyway. o Job: Facing the consequences of another’s actions and being steadfast anyway o The Flood: destruction, promise o The Apocalypse: The end of the world (usually involving the four horsemen).
• Biblical names often draw a connection between literary character and Biblical charcter.
• Many literature pieces use religious symbols ironically to represent the disconnect between traditional religion and the world we live in today. Christ figures are often used for this
• It takes time to learn how to find the interconnectedness of literature. It is a learned skill.
• There is no such thing as a wholly original work of literature—stories grow out of other stories, poems out of other poems.
• There is only one story. This story is one of human nature. It is present regardless if the text is fact or fiction. o Texts borrow and build upon one another. This is called intertextuality. o His analogy was that literature muscles its way into history the way an eel fights its way into a barrel of eels. They all look the same but are different.
• It is fine if one is unable to see the connections. The ability to do so is one that must be practiced.
• Example:
When in Doubt, …show more content…
mercy o King Lear: aging parent, greedy children, a wise fool
• Our understanding of both works (Shakespeare and the new one) deepens. o We further understand the meaning of the new text and our ideas about Shakespeare change, however slightly.
…Or the Bible
• In the past, writers often used the Bible to convey a deeper meaning due to its omnipresence in our culture.
• Common Biblical stories with symbolic implications o Garden of Eden: Temptation, woman, fall from innocence o David and Goliath: Doing the impossible o Jonah and the Whale: Not doing something and having it “eat” you anyway. o Job: Facing the consequences of another’s actions and being steadfast anyway o The Flood: destruction, promise o The Apocalypse: The end of the world (usually involving the four horsemen).
• Biblical names often draw a connection between literary character and Biblical charcter.
• Many literature pieces use religious symbols ironically to represent the disconnect between traditional religion and the world we live in today. Christ figures are often used for this