Post Theory: A New Literary Pedagogy

Post-Theory literary pedagogy is confronted with the task of reinventing literary pedagogy. The new goal, which is facilitating the process through which students of literature acquire a critical stance vis-a-vis their own selves, and their circumstances, is the legacy of Literary Theory. This goal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Teresian Journal of English Studies 2021-01, Vol.13 (1), p.7-19
Main Author: Thomas, Samson
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Classrooms
Curriculum development
Literary criticism
Literary studies
Literary theory
Literature education
Metaphor
Narratives
Pedagogy
Philosophers
Philosophy
Self image
Students
Teaching
Teaching methods
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Summary:Post-Theory literary pedagogy is confronted with the task of reinventing literary pedagogy. The new goal, which is facilitating the process through which students of literature acquire a critical stance vis-a-vis their own selves, and their circumstances, is the legacy of Literary Theory. This goal needs to be translated into classroom practice. This can be achieved by subscribing to certain Literary Theory-inspired ideas, the judicious choice of macro-instructional strategies, by handpicking narratives that can contribute to/help realize these strategies, by including theories of art and society that offer concepts-metaphors for analysis, and by outlining effective classroom procedures - choices that approximate the four pillars of curriculum design: 'principle,' 'approach,' 'method/s' and 'materials.' This paper focuses on one of the 'foundational' beliefs of antifoundationalist Theory: the interconnectedness of narratives and theories. It outlines an approach to teaching literature, which is founded on this belief. Using a popular film narrative, Life is Beautiful, as an illustrative example, this paper suggests a few classroom routines that can equip students to critically examine their circumstances. This involves, in the main, students deciphering the way the film narrative uses 'free play' to decentre the hierarchised binaries that construct the fascist society, and getting an effective introduction to Derrida's theory, and his strategy, popularly known as deconstruction, en route to acquiring a critical stance vis-a-vis their circumstances. The cognitive-visceral process suggested in this paper, it is hoped, would help shape a post-Theory literary pedagogy that is post Theory, a pedagogy driven by the insights of Theory.
ISSN:0975-6302