Why do we never seriously discuss literary criticism here? I

>>8782340
>pic
that's not supposed to be related, is it?

Is literary criticism something you studied in school? I am too ignorant about it to even attempt discussion, sorry OP.

>>8782340
we don't discuss it because of plebs like you who make shitty OPs like this without having read at the minimum the norton anthology of theory and criticism and instead just want a soapbox for your showerthoughts-tier "insights"

>>8782946
OP hasn't even offered any "insights" yet. Thanks for the book rec's though, I guess.

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Sounds like the kind of fucking shit you'd talk about in the academy, 20 years late

the historical moment of literary criticism, conceived of as such, has already passed.

but if your question is simply "is it okay to think, write, and talk about books? should authors do it too?" then the answer is a trivial Yes

>>8782340
>"serious" literary criticism
because it's basically distilled humanities bullshittery

>>8782848
Dude GRAPHS = science

Theory is anti-intellectual nonsense

Literary criticism does this weird thing where it opens up and closes down discussion at the same time. It's motivated at least in part by trying to prove that your perception of a text bears some kind of consensus with the text itself, the author, or other critics/audience members. So you want to be right, and resist the interpretations of your collaborators more readily than you do your own opinion. Even as ideas are being thrown around and a discourse develops, the whole act of criticism becomes competitive as opposed to constructive.

People do change their interpretations as a consequence of criticism, or more thoroughly develop their interpretations to incorporate shared knowledge. So, yeah, it does change how you read.

Does it have a point? I don't know. It's entertaining, sometimes. Is it necessary? Absolutely not. Reading a book doesn't need to involve some sniffling turtlenecked gatekeeper to be a valuable use of one's time.

>>8783915
It's so weird to find a well informed reasonable opinion here.