Truth in fiction: A reassessment of audiences

Abstract

Some literary discussions, such as those about the fourth book of Gulliver's Travels, clarify and enrich the works they focus on. Others—the debate between the New Critics and the Chicago School or the battle over la nouvelle critique in France—are valuable because they reveal differences in critical ideologies and suggest alternative ways of looking at texts. But in many ways, the most fascinating are those controversies that force us to radically reevaluate our critical vocabulary. These disputes almost always deal ostensibly with a specific text, but they unwittingly and unconsciously reveal something more general: a fundamental inadequacy in the way we talk about literature. Not only are we unable to resolve the differences between critics, but in the absence of terminology that fully explains the disagreement, we are left with the feeling that we do not even understand what it is about or why it has occurred. If pursued, such discussions can transcend their initial topics and lead us to substantial and critical reflections.Some literary discussions, such as those about the fourth book of Gulliver's Travels, clarify and enrich the works they focus on. Others—the debate between the New Critics and the Chicago School or the battle over la nouvelle critique in France—are valuable because they reveal differences in critical ideologies and suggest alternative ways of looking at texts. But in many ways, the most fascinating are those controversies that force us to radically reevaluate our critical vocabulary. These disputes almost always deal ostensibly with a specific text, but they unwittingly and unconsciously reveal something more general: a fundamental inadequacy in the way we talk about literature. Not only are we unable to resolve the differences between critics, but in the absence of terminology that fully explains the disagreement, we are left with the feeling that we do not even understand what it is about or why it has occurred. If pursued, such discussions can transcend their initial topics and lead us to substantial and critical reflections.