Self-Taught Language A: Time and Space

Unpacking the six guiding questions  

How important is cultural or historical context to the production and reception of a literary text? 
When first reading a literary text you could consider researching the author’s situation or looking into the cultural or political issues of their time. For instance, in reading a text written and set in medieval times, how important is it to have a good knowledge of this period? Does this information affect the way you think about the text? By better understanding the author’s context, are you better able to understand the text or does this information seem to distract attention? In what ways does the context of production shape the meaning of a literary text?  

How do we approach literary texts from different times and cultures to our own? 
If reading a literary text produced in a culture other than your own, you could reflect upon the similarities and differences between your culture and the culture being described. How many of the concerns in the text seem to cross nations or cultures? How many concerns in the text are strongly rooted in the particulars of an unfamiliar place? Can time and place shape the way an author addresses a concern in a text? To what extent are belief systems a product of time and place?  

To what extent do literary texts offer insight into another culture?  

What does a reader learn from a text which comes from a different literary tradition? Does the reader acquire knowledge that goes beyond the literary text and extends into the context of its production? As you read the works in translation from authors on the reading list, you could think about whether those works can be considered to accurately reflect the reality of the country in which they were written and whether something could be learned about these countries through reading them. Does a literary text offer a balanced portrayal of a culture or is the portrayal somehow biased or limited?  

How does the meaning and impact of a literary text change over time? 
The meanings a literary text conveys may not be stable or fixed through time. The impact it has on different audiences may also vary. How much of the meaning of a text depends on the context of the readers? Can it really be said that a text is better understood by its contemporary readers? What do new readers bring to the text and are their interpretations any less valid than those of the original readers? As you read literary texts from different periods, reflect on how readers living in the time they were published or later readers might have interpreted them in comparison to how you are reading them in your context. You might even ask yourself if your own reading of one particular text will change as you grow older.  

How do literary texts reflect, represent or form a part of cultural practices? 
The literary texts you read will often portray the way different societies or different groups within a society behave and interact with each other on the basis of their beliefs, norms and traditions. What kind of portrait do you get of these groups? In what light does the text see their cultural practices? Are there any groups which are marginalized, excluded or silenced within the text as a result of their cultural practices? Are other groups privileged or even idealized instead?  

How does language represent social distinctions and identities?  

As in real life, the way characters, narrators and poetic voices use language gives an indication not only of who they are but also of how they relate to others. What does the way a character uses language say about what they are like, how they see themselves and how they see others? How does this reflect the social hierarchies within the text and in the society that is represented in the literary text?