Are you sure it's just a word?

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"Careful boys: a symbol need not be a cymbal"
As I read this line from the X-raying Gatsby passage on my cozy couch, I suddenly remembered an article I read about a month that dealt with the overanalysis of books. The article was about a novelist called Kevin Jackson whose books were criticized for using certain adjectives as "a phallic symbol for his deep, primal Oedipal desire to have sex with his mom." Honestly, this type of analysis is pretty common in modern schools where teachers and students make observations on specific words in a book that reflects the author's attitudes towards things. And a lot of times, the evidence is really obvious and was intentionally added in by the author to show his/her thoughts, but also a lot of times, the "evidence" we find is not very solid. For example, I remember some teachers taking a children's book and analyzing how the author used words symbolized ancient myths and the bible. Yeah, I am sure the author definitely intended for the middle school students to know about some random greek guy and specific verses from the bible. Obviously, this was overexagerated but sometimes when I am in discussions in class or reading analysis of books online, I often wonder: "Did the author really mean it that way?" And in the case of Kevin Jackson he did not mean it that way. He responded to the critics saying "not everything is a phillic symbol." and "he has no idea what's going on." I think this constant overanalysis of books has also contributed greatly to my dislike of reading.

When I read a book, at least right now, I want to have a good time and chill out. I want to immerse myself in the journeys of the characters. Like when watching a movie, I want to see the protagonist accomplish his/her quest. I am not reading so I can learn how all humans are materialisitic or violent in nature. I am not reading to rethink the meaning of my life. For me, it was something fun that I can do when I was bored or to relax my mind. Of course, people who deal with literature for the majority of their time enjoy books differently like the author of X-raying Gastby. But for the majority of people, especially younger students, forcing them to analyze everything even if maybe not intended by the author will definitly turn them away from reading books with passion. 

Comments

  1. DorothySeptember 29, 2020 at 6:28 AM

    This is a very interesting perspective; I remember seeing memes also poking fun at the overanalysis in English classes. I definitely understand your point and I think that the author addressed your preference as well. I agree that it can be stressful but I also think that the 'lessons' are often times really wise and cool to learn from. There are a lot of great minds in literature and I think it would be nice to acknowledge their deeper purposes.

    ReplyDelete
  2. KatieSeptember 29, 2020 at 6:30 AM

    I have to agree- overanalyzing every single line of each book makes me wonder how can everything be a symbol?? I love reading to relax but now it just seems really stressful!

    ReplyDelete

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