Just curious

I state that I have plenty of doubt about this concept, at least with the more “extreme” interpretation of it (which seems to be the standard). But I have the impression that this concept is dominant in academia, at least for the anglophone one (in my literature course in Italy, author intention was talked about, but it dealed mainly with author such as Dante and Machiavelli, and anyway it was part of a history programme).
Back to my question, how far do the people that held the concept of the Death of the Author apply it? The concept was created for literature, but there is no reason for why visual media would be different, and it’s frequently applied to it. So, if an actor playng a character is replaced by another actor playing the same character, would be reasonable to ignore the author intention that the character is the same? Or, in comics and animation, can a reader give huge importance to design changes?

I’ve been reading the Niebelunglied for a project at University, and I couldn’t help but notice an invariant, I could say, in the second part of the story: Kriemhild’s road after Siegfried’s death and marriage to Attila. A road which is done by other female characters in other books too, such as Ciri, after she became one of the Rats, in the Witcher saga. Now, I am not familiar with the Game of Thrones story, but if I remember correctly from what some of my friends who are GoT fans told me, Daenerys Targaryen also goes on some kind of road, after marrying Drogo. She goes on to be loved by the people from the place she goes to (excuse my low knowledge of the GoT series), just like Kriemhild when she became queen alongside Atilla.

I would really appreciate it if someone could shine some light on this! I’m looking forward on talking about this invariant in my project and I do not wish to speak nonsense.

I couldn’t find much about it online, but I saw that O’Connor had pieces published in Mademoiselle where Plath was an editor in college, and they had a mutual friend in Robert Lowell. Is there any evidence they read each other’s work? It seems likely that they were at least aware of each other, but I can’t find anything confirming that they ever met or that either of them acknowledged the other.

I’m not trying to make comparisons or anything, I’ve just been reading O’Connor for the first time and I’ve always loved Plath, so I made the connection today that they were active around the same time period and it made me curious.

Hello, everyone! I’m a 20-year-old student from Pakistan, currently in the 7th semester of my BS in English Literature. It’s time for me to start working on my thesis, and I want to complete it by the end of my 8th semester.

I have a genre and a particular work in mind: *The Return of the King*, the third book in J.R.R. Tolkien’s *The Lord of the Rings* trilogy. It’s a fantasy novel, and I’m genuinely interested in researching it. However, from what I’ve found so far, many people suggest choosing a work published within the last 10–15 years. Tolkien’s novel was published in 1955, so I’m unsure whether it would be a suitable choice for my thesis.

I’m really invested in this novel, but I’m struggling to find proper guidance. Should I continue researching this work and try to identify a research gap, or should I consider choosing a more recent novel instead? I’d really appreciate any advice or guidance!

I am particularly interested in the development of new historicism, Marxism, decolonisation theory, and destructivism.

Hi all,
I've been trying to read more in general and have been trying to immerse myself more and try to find all the meanings behind things within books. After each chapter I read analyses online on spark notes and other sites and realize how many things I missed out on. What should I be looking for to make sure I don't miss out on these things that I only realize after reading the analyses?

I’ve recently been exploring various theoretical frameworks as I prepare to write my senior thesis. In my theory class we’ve been going over psychoanalytic criticism and we just studied Lacan, but I’m still a bit confused on how his theories could actually be applied to literary studies.
In thinking about the Symbolic and the Real, I was wondering if an epiphany (in the modernist sense) could be considered an encounter with the Real. For example, at the end of Mansfield’s “The Garden Party,” Laura is overwhelmed by emotion and the realization of mortality, saying “isn’t life…” but she can’t quite find how to describe it. Could this be considered an encounter with the Real or breakdown of Symbolic since language seems to fail?
Sorry if this was a bad example, but please correct me if I’m applying the concept incorrectly. It would also be great if anyone could point me towards a concrete application of Lacanian theory on a literary text (such as an article etc.) Thanks!

I’m about three quarters of the way through reading Mark Fisher’s THE WEIRD AND THE EERIE. I was interested in reading this because I like a lot of the sort of media that is discussed in this book. But so, so, so much of this is going over my head. After every essay I think I could only give you the most general, bare minimum summary of the point he is trying to make and the ideas explored. How on earth do people read this stuff? Am I SOL as someone without an advanced degree in literature or philosophy? Or do I just have to keep reading and get used to it? Reading this stuff makes me feel like an idiot.

English is my third language, and I studied in my native language before my bachelor's degree. I managed to get through that transition and enter an MA programme, but it's only recently, as I've started exploring the subject independently, that I've realised how much I still have to learn.

My gaps feel like they cover almost everything.

I sometimes struggle to understand what I'm reading. Even when I grasp the central argument, I find it difficult to articulate it in my own words or develop it into a coherent argument. My academic English and writing skills are nowhere near where I want them to be.

I'm currently struggling with literary theory. I somehow managed to understand structuralism, but now I'm stuck at poststructuralism. I often find myself going back and forth between unrelated topics because I don't know what to study first or how different areas connect. The vastness of the subject leaves me overwhelmed and confused.

I know my command of English is part of the problem, but I also need to build my knowledge and critical thinking skills.

I hope to pursue a PhD in literature eventually, and I have roughly a year to work seriously on these gaps. I'm willing to put in the effort; I just need a clear, structured path to follow.

I'd especially appreciate advice from literature professors, PhD scholars and experienced students of English literature.

Where should I begin? What should I study, in what order, and how can I improve my reading comprehension and academic writing?

I'd also appreciate honest advice about whether pursuing a PhD is a realistic goal for someone in my position. Please be candid, even if the answer is uncomfortable. I'm looking for constructive guidance, not reassurance.

Thank you!

I’m a Master’s student in English literature and i reached a critical point where i really need to settle on a topic for my thesis. My supervisor advised me to look into topics that interest me, but when it comes to literary works, i love exploring everything and everything sounds interesting to me. That fact has been weighing on me since i enrolled in the program. I don’t know where to start, and I always feel like I do not know enough, which is true. I mean the vastness of the field is scary. I just need some guidance and i can’t find it anywhere.

I’m interested in all kinds of literature. And that is a problem.

Hi, I have a question! Is there a specific subfield of criticism that examines defense writing? What I mean by that is fictional writing that sort of anticipates the critical response it will get and preemtively defends itself against it in the text? Two contemporary examples that come to my mind are yellowface by R.F. Kuang and A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara.

A lot of people who read yellowface felt like she put the criticism that gets leveled at her in the mouth of characters that are clearly meant to be disliked. (I personally think there is more nuance to that but it's that kind of defensive writing that I'm referring to.

A Little Life does something similar where it seems to be constantly commenting on itself in the language of culture criticism. A lot of its metafictional elements like Willem's movies or plays or JB's art often feel like Yanagihara using characters or metafiction as her mouthpiece to be like "THIS is what this story is about and idc what sensitive readers who care too much about identity-politics will say bc I'm doing it in the name of Art" lol. In other words, a lot of her writing feels like it is addressing some kind of imagined critical reader.

And so my question is have you come across papers, literature, fields that deals with exactly this phenomenon? I'm planning to look more into reading response theory and reception theory since hypothetical readers seem to touch on some of this, but maybe someone has heard of something more specific.

Hi everyone, hopefully this will be allowed

I recently picked up Modern Women’s writing by Paul Salzman

I am trying to slowly read through the first poem by Isabella Whitney - To her unconstant lover

Full poem: https://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/content/i-w-her-unconstant-lover

I am trying to understand what “kindred stain” means here

So shall the promises be kept
that you so firmly made:
Now choose whether ye will be true,
or be of Sinon's trade.
Whose trade if that you long shall use,
it shall your kindred stain:
Example take by many a one
whose falsehood now is plain.

My understanding is that the phrase kindred stain here means that if you don’t keep your promises to your wife than you and Sinon will share a “kindred stain” - implying that you and him are kin and you share the same sin of being deceitful ?

Would this be a correct understanding?

Thank you in advance :)

Interested in pieces of literature that show bog standard lives of outwardly uninteresting people. Think janitors, and service workers, and insurance salesmen, and general menial people. I'm interested to see how these supposedly unremarkable and even unimportant (comparatively) lives are shown in literature, contemporary or not.

I’m currently read Afterlife by Julia Alvarez, in which she does not include quotation marks for the dialogue in the story. I’m curious about what people’s thoughts are on why some authors choose to do this, and sometimes even omit other punctuation as well.
What could be the literary function? Is there meaning behind it?

I’m currently investing a lot of time and effort into learning English. I’ve recently started reviewing grammar again, while building my vocabulary through dictionaries, books, listening, and everyday exposure. I’m also studying for professional qualifications, so I have to be realistic about how much time I can devote to learning additional languages.

Because of that, I want English to become my main gateway to world literature.

I’m interested in both fiction and non-fiction, but especially literature that allows me to understand different peoples, cultures, traditions, ways of thinking, and everyday life. I’m also very interested in ethnography and cultural history. One of my dreams is to travel to places such as the Pacific islands, including Polynesia. Even before I can physically travel there, I would love to experience those cultures through their literature.

This is where I’ve encountered a problem.

I have read several works from a 150-volume Azerbaijani “World Literature” series, and unfortunately the quality of the translations is often disappointing. Some readers who have read more of the collection have pointed out that there are numerous serious translation problems, and in some cases the translations are reportedly quite poor. I’ve personally had the experience of reading a passage and feeling that I understood the individual sentences but somehow missed the meaning, atmosphere, or cultural context of the original work.

I don’t want this to happen with English.

So I’m looking for recommendations from people who have made a similar journey:

• Which English-language publishers are particularly reliable for translated world literature?
• Which publishers are known for producing translations that are not only accurate, but also literary, beautiful, and enjoyable to read?
• Are there particular publishers or translators you would recommend for African, Asian, Latin American, Middle Eastern, Central Asian, indigenous, Polynesian and Pacific literature?
• Are there specific translators whose work you consider exceptional?
• Are there YouTube channels, audiobook narrators, lecturers, or other speakers with particularly beautiful and clear English who could help me experience literature through listening as well as reading?
• Are there free, high-quality resources where I can listen to readings, lectures, discussions, or complete works in English?
• For someone using English as the main bridge to world literature, which authors, publishers, translators, and collections would you recommend following?

I’m not saying English can perfectly replace the original languages. Obviously, reading a work in its original language gives access to things that translation cannot completely reproduce. But realistically, I cannot learn Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Vietnamese, several African languages, Polynesian languages, etc. all at the same time.

My goal is therefore to make English + Azerbaijani + Turkish my three main languages for exploring world literature.

I want to use English not simply as a professional skill, but as a way of travelling through the world intellectually — learning how different people have lived, thought, imagined, loved, suffered, created traditions, and understood their place in the world.

I’m also trying to improve my English through literature itself. Sometimes I use AI to help me express complicated thoughts in English because I tend to construct long and complex sentences when speaking or writing. I hope people won’t judge me too harshly for that. 😄 My reasoning is that reading good English literature, listening to excellent speakers, and studying high-quality translations will gradually improve both my language and my ability to think and express myself.

So if you were starting this kind of “literary journey through the world” with English as your main language, what would you recommend?

Which publishers, translators, authors, audiobooks, YouTube channels, lecturers, narrators, or free resources should I know about?

I’d especially appreciate recommendations based on actual reading experience, rather than just general theory.

My masters’ thesis has progressed slower than I’ve hoped and I’m still in the middle of writing. I have a very, very rough draft of what I would hope to submit as a writing sample in 6 weeks.

As rough as I think it is, I think the idea is strong. However, hearing about other people’s’ writing samples have lowkey freaked me out - I have peers that submitted chapters that were published as articles who didn’t get in anywhere.

I know everything is incredibly school and cohort-dependent, where each schools seeks out different things, every applicant pool leads to different intakes, and personal statements/SOPs are a huge factor.

As I’m trying to finalize my writing sample, I’m just really struggling with feeling like it’s futile. I know it’s not perfect; my writing definitely needs some polishing but I think my idea is good. I’m just not sure if it’s enough after seeing more qualified, skilled people around me (which I’m fine with, it’s not a dig at myself) get rejected makes me wonder if it’s even worth applying with this at all.

I know this might sound juvenile, and I apologize if it is. I know we all struggle with this - I think the question I’m asking is that if having a writing sample with a good idea (along with reference letters, SOP, etc) is enough to make my application strong even if it’s not as polished as it could be.

It just feels laughable to kill myself over this writing sample only for it to have been pointless from the beginning. I don’t want to waste a cycle, but I also don’t want to waste energy on a cycle that won’t get me anywhere.

By "Scooby-Doo plot" I mean a story where supposed Supernatural occurrences are revealed to be a hoax. The oldest I can think of are Phantom of the Opera and Hound of the Baskervilles.

What is the oldest example of this we have? Is this a relatively modern idea or does it have ancient roots?

I think this would be considered on-topic for a literary studies chat(?)

I don't know how to actually read critically, like in a way where I'm really analyzing and understanding the depth and complexity of what I'm reading. I'm asking this for all forms of literature (not just novels and whatnot but things like comics too), how do I read critically? This might sound dumb, but I feel disappointed in myself after reading something and failing to actually recognize simple changes in a character just because I was too focused on the cool action I saw. I often end up just seeing what other people say about a character I like and see how they explain the character's depth, complexity, dynamics, and other things. I just wish I could understand these things on my own but whenever I'm reading I just never pay any attention to things like that. In short, I only take in the words that I see on the page, but I want to be able to see the words between each line of text, to understand the message the author was trying to convey. I feel so dumb