“The main reason for studying theory at the same time as literature is that it forces you to deal consciously with the problem of ideologies…. If you are going to live intelligently in the modern world, you have to recognize that there are conflicting ideologies and that there is no simple direct access to the truth” (Appleman, Deborah. Critical Encounters in High School English. Teachers College Press, New York, NY. 2000. pg. 19).
This is a great quote and an idea that I plan on using in my literature classroom. Some of the theories that teachers can pair while studying literature include Reader Response, Archetypal, Feminist, Psychological, and Psychoananlytical theories. This idea of teaching theories with literature is wonderful because it gives both teachers and students various perspectives and ways to interpret texts and characters that they may not have previously thought of before. The Reader Response theory is perfect for studying literature because it allows students to interpret literature for themselves using their own personal experiences, opinions, and backgrounds and allows students to share their ideas with others and to learn of other students’ interpretations, which can add new meaning to literature. The other theories are great as well because they offer theories from other perspectives and can be used together or alone while discussing and interpretting literature. The teacher can guide which theories to use with a particular novel or the students can decide when it is appropriate to apply certain theories. Learning other perspectives and ideologies is beneficial for students to learn while studying literature and will also hlep them relate to other people and the world.
One problem that could occur while teaching literary theory in conjunction with studying literature is that it could overwhelm some struggling students with too much information and could cause more harm than good. However, I believe that if teachers are aware of their students and their abilities and treat theory with care these problems can be avoided and literary theory can successfully be introduced and implemented in the class.
