Comments on: Why I’m not an English major

By: Ben

Ben — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 13:56:17 +0000

After I wrote this post, I came across several essays in Orson Scott Card’s book A Storyteller in Zion, many of which (”Sermons in Critical Form,” “Art as an Act of Charity,” “Prophets and Assimilationists”) talk about this very thing, the corruption of both literary theory and criticism. (He says it has spawned from artistic elitism, turning one’s nose up at the popular art/literature/music of the day. I think he’s probably right.)

One interesting thing he brings up — I can’t remember which essay it’s in, though — is that readers don’t read for the theme. You know, the literary critics say the theme of such-and-such novel is “Man’s only salvation is through himself,” or whatever the case may be. But only literary critics look at literature that way. Most readers read for the experience, to vicariously live through the events portrayed, and that is what they get out of it, not some distilled theme drawn out so a critic could write a paper about it.

Anna: I’ll have to check out Marilynne Robinson’s works. Talking with Robert Means is a good idea (I’ve been planning on talking with a handful of librarians, to get a better feel for what they do, but Robert wasn’t on my list). I haven’t taken CMLit 201, and my fall/winter schedule is a tad bit packed (getting my major classes and GEs done in time to graduate), but maybe I can audit it…

By: Anna

Anna — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 17:52:56 +0000

you might want to talk to robert means, the cmlit librarian at the hbll. i don’t know quite why, but maybe he could point you in particular directions…

By: Anna

Anna — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 17:50:19 +0000

a few things:
1. i think you’ll make an excellent librarian. both my mother and my sister toil away at orem public library, and receive all kinds of benefits, including free movies. i’ve always envied their power of recommendation.
2. literary theory and literary criticism are quite different. i have often found myself not just frustrated, but furious, with many literary theorists and literary critics for managing to ignore and thus destroy the literature. if you ever want to read a fantastic one, though, i would recommend both james wood (my personal favorite) and marilynne robinson, who wrote one of my favorite novels, gilead (won the pulitzer last year) and one of the best books of essays i’ve ever read, the fall of adam.
3. have you taken cmlit 201? i’m teaching it in the fall…you could participate in the production of a medieval mystery play…

By: Ben

Ben — Sat, 08 Jul 2006 18:08:09 +0000

:) That’s a good question. I do know that I want to get experience in all the different areas in a library, but as for where I want to end up in the end — Reference, I think? But I really don’t know. It’s all interesting to me, frankly. Or georgely, depending on your mood.

Anyway, I’m applying for a job at one of the reference desks at my university library this fall, so hopefully I’ll get in and start getting some experience. (Though I was a volunteer at my public library back home several years ago, so it’s not like I’m completely without experience.)

Out of those you listed, Reference would be fun because I’d get to answer all sorts of interesting questions and sleuth stuff out for people. Circulation would definitely give me lots of opportunities to talk with people, which I like. Collection development would be nice because I’d have to read even more widely than usual, and I’d get paid to buy books. :) Cataloguing is fascinating to an organizational nerd like me, along with metadata and all that. (It comes from being a programmer, I think.) Interlibrary loan is interesting but probably not what I’d want to do. Archives would present the opportunity to work with old documents and books, which is always cool.

So I suppose my answer is, “Every kind.” Or, “The best.” Or whatever. :)

By: Andy

Andy — Sat, 08 Jul 2006 17:33:24 +0000

Yay for librarians! My mom is a librarian. And I worked in a library too–actually two of them at the same time. Now, the next question is what *kind* of librarian do you want to be? Reference? Circulation? Collection development? Cataloguing? Interlibrary loan? Archives? I was in interlibrary loan, but if I were going to become a librarian, I would want to be in collection development.