Year of Award
2008
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
Master of Arts (MA)
Degree Name
English (Literature)
Department or School/College
Department of English
Committee Co-chair
Casey Charles, Rob Browning
Commitee Members
Jannine Montauban
Keywords
literary studies, Nabokov, political studies, reading, Rorty, Stow
Publisher
University of Montana
Abstract
Simon Stow warns that the influence of political readings of literary texts could be harmful to political discourse. In particular, he cautions against the growing popularity of political “readings” over political “arguments.” Compared with traditional arguments, readings are, Stow argues, poorly suited for liberal political discourse. To demonstrate this point, Stow challenges the political character of Richard Rorty’s reading of Pale Fire. In this essay, I dispute Stow's criticism of Rorty. My basic argument is that literary criticism (or "readings") can be politically significant and that Rorty's acknowledgement of this fact ties him to rather than separates him from, both the political and literary arenas. To make my point, I reconsider the reading of Pale Fire Rorty offers relative to the kind of reading of Don Quixote offered by Nabokov. By arguing that even the most "literary" of writers reads for political purposes, I hope to situate Rorty within a cultural space where the literary and political converge.
Recommended Citation
Copeland, John, "Richard Rorty and the Cultural Politics of Literary Criticism" (2008). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 840.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/840
© Copyright 2008 John Copeland