Nicole be Thinking...

The surge of literature produced by black writers necessitated the creation of a system of interpretation that "would be based not on white standards but on […] the black aesthetic" (Dobie 219). This new system would evaluate black art "in terms of the special character of the black experience" (Dobie 219). Reading as a multiculturalist that is specifically focused on African American literature requires seeking and examining specific narrative forms, diction and style. It is important to look at narrative forms in black literature because "many of the stories written by African American authors are derived from the folk tradition" (Dobie 221). Toni Cade Bambara's “Gorilla, My Love” follows a frame narrative instead of the traditional narrative structure of a folktale. While riding in the car with Grandaddy Vale, Hunca Bubba, and Baby Jason, Hazel's narrative tells the story of a trip to the movies. This story is framed by the story of Hucca Bubba...

People read a text and interpret it based on other texts they have read and personal life experiences. Structuralists believe that "things […] have to be seen as part of a larger structure to which they belong" (Dobie 152). It is with this intent that readers read; we look to attach a text to its larger structure. Stories are read and characters are perceived based on the meaning a reader gives to signifiers within the text. There are flaws in interpretation because "language […] is arbitrary, conventional and based on difference" (Dobie 154). Deconstructionist critics seek to prove that there is no transcendental signified. Since texts are "dynamic entities that are given new life with repeated readings and through interactions with other texts," meaning changes depending on the reader (Dobie 155). This changing signified becomes apparent when applying this theory to A Family Supper by Kazuo Ishiguro. In the story, the narrator is returning to Japan to vi...

The same text can elicit different responses from different people. Reader response theory can help one understand how a text is created by the interaction between that text and its reader. First, one must examine how the text works to the affect the reader. According to Dobie, "readers come to a work with a certain literary competence," meaning readers have some expectations based on what they already know about a specific genre (135). My previous experience with short stories made me expect simple characters, dialogue, and a clear moral. "The Night in Question" was a small departure from that. The dialogue between Frank and Frances does push the story and there is a moral, but the characters are complex. The story's structure is also familiar to me. Flashbacks often provide background information about the characters as it does in this story. My understanding of the story's plot is controlled by the narrator's point of view. I have to trust that the na...

French feminists apply Lacan’s psychoanalytic theory to their readings because it can provide the “basis for resisting the idea of a stable ‘masculine’ authority or truth” (Dobie 119). The primary focus is on Lacan’s concept of the Imaginary Order, the pre-linguistic phase of development that is free from the Law of the Father, or language (Dobie 119). According to Lacan, the Imaginary Order is a state characterized by “wholeness and fullness” wherein one is “unaware of its separateness from the mother” (Dobie 65). This state exists before the Symbolic Order in which the Law of the Father reigns (Dobie 66). Lacan asserts that gender is constructed and it is the father who “enforces cultural norms and laws” (Dobie 66). Because of this, girls must recognize their father as superior and realize that their claim to the phallus isn’t as strong as the claim of their male counterparts (Dobie 66). French feminists reject this idea and instead assert that the “voice of the Mother [is] the sourc...

Marxism, which is the belief that "the means of production control a society's institutions and beliefs," originated with Karl Marx in 1845 (Dobie 86-87). Marx was a philosopher and economist who believed that the workers of society would rise and overturn capitalists, take control of the means of production, and distribute wealth fairly (Dobie 87). Literature plays an important role in such a society. Some writer "use Marxist interpretations and evaluations of society in their work" (Dobie 88). Know that an author writes with this particular bias would make one question how a piece of literature fits into the Marxist ideology. One may analyze a work to determine whether is promotes the current hegemony or seeks to inspire change. Lydia Davis's short story "The House Behind" is the story of two sets of tenants--those in the front house and those in the back--who are in different economic classes. The two groups constantly clash and this conflict t...

In the 1950s, Jacques Lacan decided to reinterpret Freud’s theories and create his own method of psychoanalysis. Lacan was “interested in accepting the unconscious as the core of one’s being” (Dobie 64). He believed an individual moves through Orders in developing the psyche and the self. In the Imaginary Order, one “uses what it sees to create the ego” (Dobie 65). As one develops language and the means to turn their needs into demands, they begin to exist in the Symbolic Order (Dobie 66). The Real Order is unattainable and “symbolizes what is external to an individual” (Dobie 66). Lacan’s Orders can be a little lofty and overwhelming but they can help the literary critic understand how the unconscious motivates the characters in a piece of literature. Russell Banks’ short story, “My Mother’s Memoirs, My Father’s Lie, and Other True Stories,” provides good material to which one can apply some of Lacan’s theories. In the story a gentleman, Earl, is putting his relationship with his pare...