Post 5

[Matt Botkin]

I had an issue with theory going into this class, and I have that same issue going out; theory is not useful. I know that this seems like an oversimplification and childish, but it's a notion I'm not able to abandon. Theory is utterly useless, it has absolutely no bearing in reality and the only reason it continues to exist is because academia is a circle jerk, a downward spiral of back patting going no where. Vonnegut once wrote that "Literature should not disappear up it's own asshole, so to speak" and it's pretty clear most of this class is what he was talking about. Another quotation that springs to mind is a piece of advice given to me by a friend before I came to Florida State "College is where you learn to ruin Shakespeare with your ideas". Both of these surmise my attitude towards this class, but all that being said, I think it would be pretty fun to get really good at theory. If theory lost more of its self importance than it would much easier to learn. If, going in to an analytical reading of text, the professors were to say "Now you all hopefully got a lot of meaning from this book, personal fulfillment or revelation. But that's really hard to grade so let's figure out whether or not it's racist." Then I would be totally down for theory. That being said, the class was pretty interesting and it's not like anything you learn in college is MORE useful (at least when you're an English major). So I guess that's that. Thanks anyway. 

[Andrew Reynolds]

Thanks for the honesty, Matt. I sometimes think the same way. At least now you know your friend was right.