Theoretical Application Paper

Literary theories explain how texts come to mean. They do not ask questions about only one particular text, but instead they offer philosophical explanations of how meaning arises in the first place in a literary form, a cultural context, or through some broader account of human experiences and relations. However, because our experiences of reading often feel so intimate and intuitive, it can feel as if theory is an unwanted intrusion into our personal relation to the text. The great Marxist literary critic Terry Eagleton addressed this problem in his 1983 classic, Literary Theory: An Introduction. He writes,

Some students and critics protest that literary theory “gets between the reader and the work.” The simple response is that without some kind of theory, however unreflective and implicit, we would not know what a “literary work” was in the first place or how to read it. Hostility to theory usually means an opposition to other people's theories and an oblivion to one's own (xiv).

Eagleton's point is powerful, as we have already seen in this class. For instance, many readers approach a text unconsciously assuming that they are merely decoding the ideas and even intentions of the author. Though they might not be consciously thinking this while they read, this theory of decoding informs the judgements they make, interpretations they arrive at, and the arguments they might have with others about the meaning of a work. Even if they do not consciously acknowledge it, you can hear it in their language (i. e. “what Shakespeare is trying to say is . . . ”). Think, though, about how Jean-Paul Sartre offers us the theoretical concept of directed creation, which is a much more subtle and nuanced explanation of reading practices that offers a far better account of why readers can arrive at conflicting interpretations of a text and even offers possible guidelines for judging why one reading is better than another.

You can see what makes theory both so powerful and so difficult. Theory offers much more complex and precise concepts to account for our meaning making practices, and it can help us arrive at far more persuasive and complete interpretations of a work of literature. However, this can be a profoundly disturbing experience as the theory we work with can challenge our unconscious ideas about meaning and sometimes even interrupt or transform our most personal and vivid experiences of reading.

Techniques for applying theory:

• Focus on a concept: Many theories we will encounter, like formalism, Marxism, psychoanalysis, or feminism are composed of many different concepts. You can't possibly hold them all together at once in 500 words. Work instead to understand and apply one of these individual concepts. For instance, defamiliarization, commodity fetishism, the uncanny, or gender performativity are each individual concepts.

• Summarize objectively: In your summary of the theoretical concept, do not try to evaluate, judge, or critique the theoretical concept. Instead, try to re-present the concept as clearly and accurately as you can. The key here is to try and understand the concept as clearly as possible and communicate that to your reader as forcefully, and above all objectively, as you can.

• In application, use quotation to stay grounded. In your application, you want to use the concept to show how the literary text comes to mean. Be sure to connect the explanatory force of the concept to specific quotations from the literary text. Explain how what you present in the quotations is explained by the theoretical concept.

Building the Paper:

Assignment: Choose one work of literary theory and one work of literature we have read together as a class since week seven. In the first part of your paper, offer an an objective, accurate summary of the theoretical concept. In the second part of your paper, use the technique of close reading to engage a specific trope or narrative element of the text. Throughout, frame and explain what the close reading reveals through the literary theory you have chosen.

Summary of the Theoretical Concept: In this section, your task is to clearly explain and highlight the most important concept of the theoretical text. You must avoid all statements of judgement, interpretation, or evaluation in the summary section. Your goal here is to as clearly and forcefully as possible reproduce the exact argument of the theorist Be as complete, precise and objective as possible. Be sure to use brief quotations in your summary for clarity and emphasis.

Summary and Close Reading: As with our other papers, summary and close reading is key. Offer a brief summary of the literary work, and then focus on a single trope or a narrative element. Develop your close reading just as we have practiced in our other papers.

Theoretical Application: In this final section, take what the close reading reveals about the literary text, but now interpret your own analysis through the lens of the theory. In essence, develop an account of what the close reading revealed by using the theoretical concept to answer the bigger questions of meaning that close reading alone could not.

Introductory Paragraph: When you have finished all of the above, write an introductory paragraph that beautifully sums up all you have done in the paper. In a single paragraph, explain to your reader how the literary text, the close reading, and the theory you have chosen all come together to reveal the meaning of the text. Let your introductory paragraph be a perfect synecdoche for your whole paper, reflecting in a single paragraph all you have already done.

Format: Your paper must be no less than 1,500 double-spaced words set in a plain, serif font with one-inch margins all around. Your paper should rigorously follow all MLA style guidelines.

Due Dates: See the course calendar on the website.