Unit 1.pdf - Southwest High School

Learning Focus:
Perspective and the Individual
Until we realize the world is full of ideologies, theories, and biases through
which we filter our understanding of our own and others’ experiences, we are
blind to the real truths of the world. Consider the perspectives presented in
the following quotes:
“If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” Anonymous
“Until lions tell their stories, tales of hunting will glorify the hunter.”
African proverb
“Theory is subversive because it puts authority in question.” Stephen
Bonnycastle, In Search of Authority
Literary theory is just one example of how competing perspectives color the
way literature and life are interpreted. Studying a variety of critical theories is
a way to become aware of competing visions of truth, to learn that a text, like
life, is seen through a filter of ideologies (beliefs), theories, and perspectives.
Being able to apply different theories to a text expands the limits of a reader’s
worldview and adds dimension to reading and understanding a text. Critical
theory highlights the fact that there is no one, simple vision of the truth. Truth
is a complicated product of multiple perspectives.
Reader Response Critical Theory is the first of six literary critical theories you
will study. Reader Response Criticism focuses on a reader’s engagement with
a specific text and the dynamics that emerge as meaning is created between
the text presented by the author and the reader’s interpretation of it. This
theory highlights the idea that individuals often read and interpret the same
texts differently, allowing texts to be challenged, evaluated, and critiqued.
See Appendix 1 in the back of your book for descriptions of all six literary
critical theories. You will want to refer to this information for definitions,
characteristics, and examples of different literary perspectives. This list is
not intended to be an exhaustive representation of these complex theoretical
perspectives, but rather a brief introduction. Your teacher may expect you to
do further research on one or more of these literary theories.
Independent Reading: In this unit, you will be reading several texts with
the primary focus of self-perception and the role that one’s culture plays
in defining one’s sense of self. For independent reading, look for works of
fiction that focus on multiple perspectives. Authors you may want to explore
are Amy Tan, Albert Camus, Robert A. Heinlein, Jamaica Kincaid, and Barbara
Kingsolver.
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SpringBoard® English Textual Power Senior English