As any decent private investigator, fan of mystery literature, or board game enthusiast* could tell you, these are the raw materials of all good mysteries: who, where, what. As I have long suspected, you can learn a lot from reading your favorite novels, because I find that this is also just the way to begin an academic blog on critical theory....
And so, allow me to welcome you to Inquest, the ongoing investigation into matters critical and theoretical, pertaining to English 3703. My “name” is Harriet Vane, and it will be my pleasure to conduct you through this blog. Throughout the course of these postings, I will be commenting on essential points covered in this course, raising questions, and following up on clues to elusive concepts.
Using the genre of mystery literature as my backdrop, I also hope to particularly explore the value and relevance of applying academic theories to popular culture and entertainment: the books, films, music and other texts with which we interact everyday. If the many theoretical viewpoints we will be studying can serve as tools to becoming more actively engaged with a text, then the application of literary theory to popular culture and entertainment seems to be of great importance. And of course, if it is true that “life imitates art,” and not the reverse, then this active, critical engagement becomes even more necessary for us as individuals and as a society.
Enjoy, and best wishes for the semester!
H.
*Clue, anyone?
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