Blog Party

Sorry for the delay but here you go hopefully its what is needed!!


It would be safe to assume that most people would take into effect their personal experiences while reading literature no matter what kind it might be. Whether Belief, history, culture, or even personal experience I think it’s safe to say that these change the way we read and interpret the things we read or perhaps even the things we watch. Much like Larsen and Laszlo write: when literary stories are concerned, personal experiences may play a particularly important role in the process of appreciation. One of the most conspicuous aspects of reading literature is that a reader may feel a literary work to be deeply relevant and meaningful to him or her (Larsen and Laszlo 427). This is one factor I find to be very true under most every circumstance.
My inquiry question: Do people’s personal experiences affect the way they read into stories? Does this make the interpretation of the reading right, wrong, or perhaps neither?
I’m going to start off by answering my own question. I believe this all has a substantial effect on the way we connect to what we read or watch, assuming that we are talking about a broad selection of literature. No matter what I read or what I watch a will always have an opinion much like most everyone will. Was it good was it bad or even was it realistic. There would be no way to connect to a piece of literature unless I placed my own imagination of experience with it. For example, this can tie into the cultural part of things as well. Say that I was to read a book about a man that was able to run with no legs. Now I know that personally I have never experienced that in my life but I have read and seen people that continue to do sports with prosthetic legs. So with the experience of know that this is very possible I am fully aware of its potential. My culture and personal encounter have prepared me to except and understand this. Now for someone from a different culture that has no acknowledgment of what this even is may interoperate this story as make believe. And have a different emotional connection with it therefore using their own personal experience to make the story into whatever they feel like.
What causes these emotional attachments?
I think for personal experience to change the way we look at a piece of literature the emotional aspect needs to be considered. I conducted an interview from someone how has had a lot of reading experience in her day, my mother. I asked her if what she had gone through in life has helped her interpret any piece of literature she might come across. Her word of wisdom as follows:
“I believe that it has had a tremendous effect on how I look into what I’m reading. I’ve never had that great shot of love and that’s why I live vicariously through each and every love story that comes my way.” (Debbie Cloud)
Now to clarify my mom is divorced and is loved by a lot of people. I just didn’t want anybody to feel sorry for her. And I’m pretty sure that quote was a little sarcastic. : ) But you can see the connection that comes along with this and why we use these things to help us understand what we are reading.
One point which was discussed quite a bit over the term was the Poem called: “My Papa’s Waltz” By: Theodore Roethke. I wanted to use this quote because it is one that is very helpful in determining how we read things. The poem goes like this:
The whiskey on your breathCould make a small boy dizzy;But I hung on like death:Such waltzing was not easy.
We romped until the pansSlid from the kitchen shelf;My mother's countenanceCould not unfrown itself.
The hand that held my wristWas battered on one knuckle;At every step you missedMy right ear scraped a buckle.
You beat time on my headWith a palm caked hard by dirt,Then waltzed me off to bedStill clinging to your shirt.
I chose this because it seems that there are two interpretations of it. Why does this have an effect on our interpretation of literature? The reason being is because for those who used to play with their father and rough house around. This would not seem to be abnormal to them. What one chooses to take from this is exactly what they have been through or no someone that has been through to make this good or bad. For me I really never had my dad around to play with but I know what drinking can do to people so I take this with more than just a grain of salt. Perhaps someone that used to do this with their father in a playful way can make this poem a personal favorite. Whatever way this poem is looked at, I think it’s safe to say that personal experience will make this poem, good or bad!!
There was a lot of interesting information found in Larsen and Laszlo survey. One other topic that was very worthy to be considered was the fallowing: “Because of the generality of schematic knowledge, however, it seems insufficient to account for the fact that different readers, even with similar cultural background and present circumstances, may react very differently to a given work- and the same persona may react differently at different times”. (Larsen and Laszlo 427) Although this may not be true in every circumstance it provides a view for most to consider.
To answer the question whether it’s right or wrong to interpret with personal experiences and connections with literature, I believe there could never be a truly or entirely wrong answer. There would be no way of telling whether one person’s personal experience and depiction of what they read is wrong form someone else. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and should find where their comfort in reading is whether its personal experience or just imagination!!
Work Cited
Cloud, Debbie. Personal Interview. (November 20, 2009)
Kennedy, X. J. and Dana Gioia. Literature. Compact Ed. Longman, 2006. 978-0321475770
Larsen, S, & Laszlo, J. (2004). Cultural-historical knowledge and personal experience in appreciation of literature.. Academic Search Premier, Vol. 20 (Issue 5), Retrieved from http://0-search.ebscohost.com.eos.eou.edu:80/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=12155766&site=ehost-live