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If we thought of all fictional genres as literature, we’d be done with the time-wasting, ill-natured diatribes and sneers against popular novelists who don’t write by the rules of realism, the banning of imaginative writing from MFA writing courses, the failure of so many English teachers to teach what people actually read, and the endless, silly apologising for actually reading it.
— Ursula K. Le Guin on genre Le Guin’s Hypothesis | Book View Cafe Blog (via penamerican) |
 More reasons as to why I love Neil Gaiman. |
John Green's tumblr: Famous Novelists on Symbolism in Their Work and Whether It Was Intentional
Personally, I did not like most of English classes for this exact reason. And to add to what the previous responders have said to the original post, I feel that it is okay for you to derive your own meaning from the book. That’s okay. People are moved in different ways by the exact same words on a page. What I dislike is English teachers telling you “Oh, this is supposed to mean this and if you don’t agree you’re wrong”. Which is something that I have seen in many a English class, and really gets on my nerves. Hidden symbolism should be a personal thing that you find yourself. Sure, you may not find it the first time that you read a book, but as you mature and start thinking about the world in different ways, go back to those old books you had to read when you were in school and then find out what they truly mean. Only then can you understand the true symbolism. |
