
New Books in Literary Studies Wayne Deakin, "Modern Language, Philosophy and Criticism" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023)
Jul 14, 2023
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Early Theory Moment
- Wayne Deakin discovered theory by studying English and Philosophy together, linking romanticism with epistemology.
- He specifically cites Paul de Man and Roland Barthes as formative writers who opened his critical imagination.
Beware Political Pathologies
- Deakin warns that politically driven reading frameworks can become 'political pathologies' that limit readings.
- He recommends historical and rhetorical awareness to recover attention to a text's aesthetic and rhetorical features.
Teach To Democratize Reading
- Use reader-response methods to democratize interpretation and foreground the reader's cultural context.
- Apply post-structuralism carefully to encourage questioning authority in classrooms that discourage inquiry.
