The fact is, I like authority when it is presented nicely, neatly, wrapped up in the language of theory, of kindness, of neoliberal promises of rest. I automatically critique and reject information that is presented to me too abruptly; I harbour resentment of bald facts presented baldly, mostly because they are presented to me as: here, do the work of understanding this thing. Tax your already tired brain more.
Tag: love
Love, literary canons, and gatekeeping behaviour
Canonical texts are beloved. Assembling the literary output of (what amounted to mostly dead, mostly white, mostly male) authors and examining their themes, their tropes, their references to politics and art history and so on, is what made English departments in the Western world historically great – their ability to take texts and relate their…