Sunday, June 16, 2019
Question 6, Abigail Randan
The “symbolic level” and determining if elements of a piece even have symbolic meaning is up to the unique interpretation of the reader. On page 110, Foster details that every reader’s experience is unique. He says that this is because different people lay more focus on different things. Our own knowledge and personal history impact this, according to Foster. Factors that may influence a reader’s interpretation include “educational attainment, gender, race, class, faith, social involvement, and philosophical inclination” (110). Faith, for example, can affect how people understand Christ figures, baptism symbols, and acts of communion. The writer’s background influences symbols as well. Writers may place more emphasis on an element to create a symbol. It’s like Foster said, “it’s never just rain” (70). Rain for example can symbolize many different things depending on the reader, writer, and what the plot needs. Rain can create an eerie setting. The common, “It was a dark and stormy night” is an example of this, Foster can be seen referencing this on page 69. Rain, can also symbolize a rebirth, like spring. An example of this that comes to mind is The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. Allie and Noah’s relationship has just taken a major turn, Allie is about to marry a man she doesn’t love because he will give her the prim and proper lifestyle she’s been raised to covet. She surprises herself by visiting the man of her dreams, Noah, days before her wedding and he takes her to his lake in a little boat when it begins to pour the rain. It is after the rain that Allie and Noah’s relationship is rekindled. Symbolism is all dependent on the reader, the writer, and the situation. The importance of a symbol is not only identifying it, but understanding what it means. To read and find symbols it requires readers to think about what elements of the text mean to them and the piece. Foster says that “is that a symbol?” Is the most common question he gets in his class, and he most commonly tells them yes (104). Foster says, “It’s the next question that gets hairy: what does it mean, what does it stand for?” (104). That is the important part of the “symbolic level” that readers should try to understand.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I really like how you place emphasis on how a reader's background can affect the interpretation and recognition of symbols. This emphasizes the individualistic nature of symbols, as well as the journey-like nature of reading. I also find it very interesting how the writer's background has an effect on these symbols. It is entirely possible to interpret a symbol differently than you normally would simply because the context surrounding it is different. I also liked how you used the example from the Notebook. I haven't read or watched the Notebook (I don't even know what format it is), but examining that scene from a symbolic level, rather than simply an affective level, helps me better understand the extent of which symbolism permeates through the fabric of literature.
ReplyDeleteAs Khaled said above the fact that you put emphasis on the reader's backgrounds affecting the interpretation and recognition of the symbols throughout was a really strong point and I am glad you used the quote on page 110 to go along with it. It all connects to the main idea that Foster wants us, as readers, to see. I also like and agree with what you said about readers needing to think outside of the box and reach deeper to find the meaning and to understand the complexity of Fosters words. Foster doesn't intend on confusing any of us as readers, but rather on guiding us to reach beyond our normal limitations to see the bigger picture in not only his work, but others as well. Reading truly is a journey and as we go through each new journey we learn so much more than what we thought was possible especially if we try to go that extra mile and dig deeper as Foster suggests,
ReplyDeleteI like how even though we both chose to answer the same question and used similar evidence (weather-based symbols), we both had different answers. While I focused on how it takes practice to locate a symbol’s meaning, you concentrated more on how one symbol can have multiple interpretations. I really liked how you used rain as an example because it’s a pretty common symbol yet most people don’t really know about each of the possible meanings it can have beyond the “eerie setting” you mentioned. I strongly agree that a reader’s background affects their understanding of a symbol because different people have different experiences and those experiences shape how readers see specific aspects of a novel.
ReplyDelete