ght as a brilliant piece in history, as Tuckers so ineloquently explains of Ruskin's opinion of Browning's poem. It can explain the human condition, examine its place in history, what it means to feminism, et cetera, and we all get to appreciate the intellectual value of the poem. Novels and poetry and literature can instruct- if we choose for it to do so. But it must be approached as a teaching tool- hence, we must bring historicism to the text, or Marxism, or whatever. But that cold calculation is far separate from emotional respect. The educational institution throws a list of books at us and tells us to study them. For what? Not for their emotional aesthetic. Hardly. The education system is a cultural and ideological tool for mass culture and unified thought. It seems natural that unified thought means unified ideology.... So? Don't encourage the aesthetic. The educational system doesn't give a darn if the student enjoys the book (that's not the point), but whether or not they can drain every ounce of relevant intellectual information out of it. Really, who reads Heart of Darkness for pleasure anymore? It's become an instructional tool to teach... what? Imperialism bad. White people bad. Abused natives. History history politics. But! Can Heart of Darkness be read for pleasure? Absolutely- depending on personal taste of course, which is different than ideology. I can appreciate it if I want to. It's just a matter of taking it home and reading it for the sake of reading it- for the enjoyment of reading. To what end? Aesthetic opposes intellect, right? Maybe not. Perhaps I should be asking, what is the point of literary theory and criticism? Literary theory opposes itself- it teaches us to examine the texts we have with ideologies. But by doing so, the meanings of the text are lost upon us. Dissect it and it is no longer in the hands of the authors. It is a historical thing yet something separate of era, something separate of its autho...
