lecture 1

Instructor: Dr. Andrew Pendakis
Course Code: 270
Purpose: Overview of course material and importance of active engagement.
Engagement Critique:
- Common behaviors of students: multi-tasking (e.g., Netflix, social media).
- Importance of digital hygiene and commitment to focus.
Stakes of Engagement:
- Vital to capacity for critical thinking and moral accountability.

Goal of the Course:
- Study of literary theory and its broader implications.
- Engaging not only with literature but different perspectives on reality.
Meaning of Theory:
- Not just abstract; relates directly to life experiences.
- Theory as a way of encountering and engaging with life’s mysteries.

Defining Theory:
- Theory is a structured explanation that attempts to make sense of facts and observations.
- Often viewed as unrelatable or impractical, which is a misconception.
Potential of Theory:
- Can be both exciting and practical.
- Asks significant questions about existence, reality, and moral responsibility.
Examples of Major Questions in Theory:
- What is existence?
- Why is there something rather than nothing? (Heidegger)
- What is essential for a meaningful life?
Critique of Consumerist Culture:
- Modern life fails to encourage genuine encounters with reality and self.
The Role of Theory in Personal Growth:
- Emphasizes the need for reflective thought and moral questioning.

Influential Thinkers:
- Psychoanalysis: Freud’s approach extends beyond text interpretation to encompass life experience and dreams.
- Marxism: Critique of capitalism and exploration of material reality, not limited to literature.
New Critics:
- Historical focus on literature as its own entity; however, their contributions create debates in understanding societal connections.
Continental Theory:
- Focus on the critical thought of 20th-century philosophers like Foucault, Derrida, Adorno, Butler, etc.

The Role of Theory in Life:
- Everyone engages with theories, consciously or unconsciously.
- Gramsci’s observation: Everyone has an implicit philosophy about how the world works.
- Differentiation between inherited and reflective theories; the former often lacking critical depth.

Theory as Skeptical Inquiry:
- Methodological doubt towards accepted norms; challenges ideas taken as absolute truth.
Paradigms that Theory Questions:
- Religion, capitalism, and normative social structures.
Transformative Power of Theory:
- Encourages extraordinary questioning and exploration of possibilities for improvement in society.

Idealism in Philosophy:
- Contrast between idealism (focus on the immaterial realm) and materialism (focus on physical reality).

Essentialism and Idealism:
- Believes in absolute forms/essences that define reality (e.g., beauty, justice).
- Philosophy is a method of reaching eternal truths beyond our physical existence.
Allegory of the Cave:
- Illustrates human ignorance and the necessity of intellectual enlightenment.
Impact on Art and Poetry:
- Distrust towards art (poets) for representing illusions rather than truth.
- Suggests poets should serve moral purposes and uphold virtue rather than merely entertain.

Response to Industrialization:
- Contrasts chaos (anarchy) of industrial life with the order of culture.
Culture's Role:
- Advocates culture as essential for human fulfillment and societal improvement.
- Art should elevate humanity and deepen moral understanding.
Critique of Capitalism:
- Arnold challenges the view that art is a luxury for the elite, positioning it as essential to humanity.
Cultural Elitism:
- Criticism emerges about the class implications of Arnold’s perspective on culture as a remedy for social ills.

Dynamic and Engaging Learning:
- Look forward to an interactive and enriching semester exploring these complex ideas.
- Emphasis on personal responsibility for intellectual growth through theory and literature.