November 14, 2007
University over-intellectualizes literature
The basic objective behind the makeup of words and the composition thereof is to strike a chord of emotion typically located in the chest, where the heart pumps. This is literature. At times, people find themselves drawn to such a thing. They find it intriguing. They find it to be an integral part of existence, a basis upon which human society tends to progress. They feel things like vehement passion, outrage and sadness, tranquility and peace. It makes them feel less like a mechanized robot. This is literature.
Sometimes, these people may even choose to study literature at the college level. In this environment, there is potential to discover a magnitude of new thoughts and ideas, adding to that likely inherent fascination with word arrangement. The study of literature can open the floor for discussion between other folks too: plumbers, doctors and smack addicts included. I’m talking about that human thing, the heart, quickened, delayed or stopped by the work of any given writer with something to convey.
Literature is an incredible subject to study, but there is something missing in American collegiate literature, specifically at the University of Montana, and it’s exactly what I’ve been rattling chains over: feeling, emotion.
Is anyone else currently feeling stifled by the institute of literature? Does anyone else feel like we’re being taught that there is supposed to be some kind of answer, a correct one, inside every work inside every required reading? I do, but I’m not blaming my professors and I’m not blaming the government. I’m blaming bureaucracy of the University and red tape. I’m blaming policy and grades too. I’m blaming arrogance and smartness and the over-intellectualization of human emotion.
Who decided we have to have a thesis statement for every emotion provoked by writing? Is it so wrong to base an argument on a feeling? I don’t have Ph.D., but I still think this most vital and tangible element is overlooked in teaching literature to students at the University of Montana.
Sam Luikens
Junior, creative writing, literature
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