Ambiguity plays a major role in a readers life, especially when reading literature because literature is a voyage filled with unknown obstacles and feelings. The unknown is a frustrating entity at times, but it also holds complexity and beauty. Readers can turn the unknown and uncertainty into breathtaking objects, people, concepts, etc. Foster tends to focus on symbolism and aspects that mean more than meets the eye in his book, How to Read Literature Like a Professor. Foster writes about how most actions or characters in literature are put in certain situations for a reason or for the reader to create their own reason. Literature is all about how almost everything in life has depth and hidden meaning that not everyone can immediately see. In chapter three, Foster writes, "He's not there simply to haunt his son; he's there to point out something drastically wrong in Denmark's royal household," in regards to Shakespeare's, Hamlet. Foster writes this because he is trying to teach his readers and students that most people, objects, or concepts in literature are placed in certain situations or perform certain acts for a reason.
Some people will read a story about a glowing sun and an open field and be weary on the meaning or if there even is a meaning. It seems as life Foster believes that if a reader conjures up a meaning, then there is a meaning. Some people who read about the sun and the open field may merely see a sun and an open area of land. By seeing concepts bluntly, it sparks uncertainty on whether or not there should be a meaning such as the sun representing happiness and fulfillment and the open field representing freedom. Literature is full of uncertainty and the unknown, which is why readers have to open their eyes and see that literature offers more than meets the eye.
Ambiguity is a vital part of any story. It drives the plot forward and adds complexity to the story and the characters. By withholding valuable information, the author constructs extra dimensions to an otherwise quite superficial story. Through symbolism, metaphors, and other varieties of figurative language, the author can create added layers to the text that add additional themes and events within the plot. Meaning is developed through the use of symbolism and the various layers that are added with the use of ambiguity. Because of this, it is extremely important to both the author and the reader for ambiguity to be part of all literature.
ReplyDeleteThese points regarding ambiguity are helpful warnings for those studying literature. From the perspective that there is meaning as long as a person can find meaning, we must be cautious in forming our ideas to not become too rigid and treat literature as concrete. In reality, literature can both mean nothing and everything at the same time- it all depends on the individuals reading the text. With this in mind, it is important to ensure that we remain flexible and open to a wide array of ideas involving literature, because they are no more flawed and no less flawless than the ideas we formed during our own experience with the piece.
ReplyDeleteAmbiguity plays a huge role in every piece of text ever published. You mentioned how readers will often create a meaning so that there is one. It is human nature to form an opinion and believe that it is correct. However, this state of mind can cause issues inside settings such as literature classes. If everyone reads the same story, opinions will still differ. People usually do not always think alike. Those who believe that their idea triumphs all will never truly succeed at reading literature. The key to truly understanding a story is the ability to realize that all opinions matter.
ReplyDeleteAs you said, literature is almost always about how life has depth and hidden meaning. When an author writes a story, they write it with passion and with meaning behind it. The reader may understand the meaning and see its purpose, or see a different meaning behind the writing than the author initially intended. The ambiguity of the writing makes the reader interested in the depth behind the text and where the story might be going. Ambiguity keeps the story going, filling it with mysteries and symbols that may be revealed at the end of the story, and keeps the readers interest throughout the whole story.
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