Subject/Objective Reality/Illusion

[Nick Thornton]

 ...and when the list member says the author is a religious man and refers
to a paragraph in the authorial point of view that supports religion? Is
this this now objective? I'd suggest not because of the several interpretive
steps between reading the text, making the subjective judgement "religious"
and linking the narrative voice with the physical author. Can anything other
than a statement of fact about the words on the page be objective (e.g. the
word "church" is used ten times)? 

I'd agree with the view below that all readings are subjective and subject
to personal perspectives (I'd actually go further and say that reality is
just a negotiated construct, but maybe that's another thread...)

regards
Nick

-----Original Message-----
From: Michel Ryckx [mailto:michel.ryckx at freebel.net]
Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2001 12:30 PM
To: pynchon-l at waste.org
Subject: Re: Subject/Objective Reality/Illusion


Subjectivity is when a list member says that the works of mr. Pynchon
indicate the author is
a religious man, and someone else says: no, it's clear he's an atheist.

Paul Mackin wrote:

> "barbara100 at jps.net" wrote:
>
> > Sheesh! now I'm more confused than I was.  Are you saying I've got it
backwards, Paul?
>
> No, not exactly backwards. Just using your post as a jumping off place to
express my
> dislike of the subjective vs objective readings idea. A personal
idiosyncray. To me all
> readings are subjective. Prefer that other distinctions be made.
>
> Personal vs impersonal
> Local vs Global
> supported vs unsupported.
>
> Semioticians or linguisticians have a word for overly personal readings.
Is it
> "empirical" by any chance? Don't know.
>
>         P.
>
> >
> >
> > Original Message:
> > -----------------
> > From: Paul Mackin paul.mackin at verizon.net
> > Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 12:51:34 -0500
> > To: pynchon-l at waste.org
> > Subject: Re: Subject/Objective Reality/Illusion
> >
> > barbara100 at jps.net wrote:
> >
> > > So what are objective and subjective readings anyway?
> >
> > The normal way of viewing it is that reading and writing are subjective
> > although there are objects involved -- the book lying open in my lap,
the ink
> > spread over the pages, the yellow tablet on my desk, the pencil., etc.,
etc. .
> >  .
> >
> > > We love to toss those
> > > words around--I remember them bouncing off the walls in class--but
what do
> > > they mean in the context of reading a novel?
> >
> > Not much I would honestly have to say.
> >
> > > A Thomas Pynchon novel, for
> > > example. Is an objective reading one where we focus on the intent of
the
> > > writer--Gottfried as a gross example of the consequence of war and
political
> > > corruption--
> >
> > Subjective. How could it be otherwise?
> >
> > > and a subjective reading one where we feel the text through
> > > personal filters--the flush of my cheeks when I pictured him stuffed
into
> > > his death capsule wrapped in bridal lace and Imipolex G?
> >
> > Blood rushing to face is objective.
> >
> > > If these are our
> > > objective and subjective choices, I'd have to ask, How could we read
one way
> > > without the other? Objective/Subjective--it's like the yin and yang of
> > > literature, and reality.
> > >
> >
> > p.
> >
> > --------------------------------------------------------------------
> > mail2web - Check your email from the web at
> > http://mail2web.com/ .


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