Above is my response to a meme that makes some shaky assumptions about the purpose of an English classroom.
Exploring the intent of the author is a huge part of the English discipline, but it’s far from the only way to study (or teach) literature. Author intent, new historicism, reader-response, structuralism… the list goes on.
The fact that a character is observant enough to notice the color of the curtains may matter more than the color he/she notices. Whether a key is brass or iron may or may not have anything to do with the fact that a victim was clutching a magnet.
Some details are just details.
Perhaps I will make more of these memes to introduce some of these other topics in my “Writing about Literature” class this fall.
Post was last modified on 21 Aug 2022 3:04 pm
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People who always cite the "curtains are blue" meme are not as sigma as they could be. I am the #1 fan of symbolism and always will be. Love from 2025!
Bulltwaddle. The "curtains are blue" meme is demonstrating the post modernist re-interpretive garbage the average English class is made up of today. People who interject their own bullshit in to a text, to try to interpret it in such a fashion that a sign that says "stop, no trespassing beyond this point" becomes a political statement about the fall of the 1920's era Tsarist autocracy & how it relates to the transgender struggle, in New Zealand, on a Tuesday, in winter, by people who think the best flavour of ice cream is rocky road. The average limited mind of someone whose career is english teacher, because they failed to achieve any success becoming a writer themselves & desperately wants to be seen as insightful, when in reality they are kinda mediocre.
Mathew it's ok, you can say the curtains are blue because the character is sad. Blue is the colour that is often use to depict sadness. We learned this since Kindergarten. There's so political post modernism made around it. Blue just means sad. It's not deeper then the big red sign with a line on it being the sign for not crossing a road. I know you hated your English teacher but really blue is just the sad colour. It's not that deep Mathew.
Sometimes the evidence that's clear to the expert is less clear to the beginner. The better interpretations of a text will be supported by more evidence, and the weaker ones will be supported by less evidence. It's the same with any subject, not just English.
When I saw some religious paintings with a friend who was trained in iconography, I was amazed at all the interpretations he could come up with, seemingly out of thin air. His ability to interpret art still seems magical, but when I took the time to listen to my friend's explanation of how he came up with the interpretation he offered, I learned something new. I had a new appreciation for the art, and for his skill as an interpreter.