Epic and Novel: Toward a Methodology for the Study of the Novel
An article by Bakhtin. Pretty sound, incisive, provocative, and yet...SUCH A SNORE! No wonder the comp lit types just read summaries of the major theorists instead of the primary texts, and pretend like they know what they're talking about. As wonderful as it is to read for a living, this is definitely the part of my job I would describe as the "ass." And not in a good way, either.
No more theory. Not before I read something light first, like Dickens or Austen.
No more theory. Not before I read something light first, like Dickens or Austen.
posted by Rex at 9:27 PM
2 Comments:
Did you know Franco Moretti basically worships at the altar of Bakhtin? And in particular, that essay.
Huh. I guess I can see that. There are some remarkable observations about generic traditions. The only thing about traditions is, they're always open to change. As soon as Bakhtin says, "epic takes place in the past" I can try to write a present-day epic. Of course, Bakhtin can come back and say, "Oh but that's a novelistic poem," etc. etc. It's all very conjectural. But hey, I'm sure Moretti knows more about this than I do, so I'll just have to take a leap of faith.
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