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Why I Am a Formalist

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Submitted By ahicks353
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Asking whether the formalist or reader response method appeals to me is like asking whether or not I want the recipe to the food I really like. Yes, the food still tastes good without knowing the details, but it makes it even more delicious when I know them, and I can understand why it tastes the way it does. The formalist approach to literary analysis gives you more insight to understanding the piece of literature as a whole. Similarly, when you eat something, such as a slice of pizza, you are eating many parts of a whole. Dough, cheese, marinara, and pepperonis are examples of these parts. Relatedly, these components of the literature could be things like historical context, author, and/or symbolism. Biting into that mouthwatering pizza would not be the same without all of those ingredients. It is better to understand where all the tastes are coming from. Knowing why the author writes the way he or she does or knowing how the setting affects the characters’ values can really make a difference in your ability to comprehend and break down all of the little details. It is these things that make reading more enjoyable, more so than just reading what is in front of me. With the reader response method, I can get much more meaning out of literature and sometimes even more meaning out of life. The formalist approach does not appeal to me because I do not just want to see something at face value. In short, the pizza would not taste the same without all of the different flavors, so why would I not find the recipe and figure out what makes it taste so awesome? Not to say that reading literature is exactly like eating food, but it does make it fun to compare it

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