Reading and Seeing

Literary critics who never use but one approach remind me of a child who, playing with a piece of transparent red plastic, has just discovered this effect. ?Look, mommy,? she says, ?the refrigerator is red!? ?Look, mommy, the stove is red too!? ?Look, mommy, the dish towel is light red and dark red!? ?Look, mommy, the floor is dark red with bright red spots!? ?Look, Mommy, my green socks are black and my legs are red!? And so on. Nobody but a doting parent could put up with such talk for very long. Well, maybe a grandparent too. But since I count none of today‘scrop of literary critics among my descendants, my patience quickly wears thin. — August Rubrecht —Reading and Seeing (University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire)