Thomas C. Foster in “How to Read Literature like a Professor” discusses the effects of adding a blind person to a story. Foster states that, “clearly the author wants to emphasize other levels of sight and blindness beyond the physical,” when adding in a blind character (Foster 210). There are different types of blindness which includes actual physical blindness, but also blindness to realize or see something that they can physically see. Authors can use blind characters to reveal the nonphysical blindness of other characters. An example of this is when, “Tiresias, the blind seer, does indeed know the whole truth about King Oedipus,” but Oedipus, ‘remains in the dark,” about the truth until the very end when he responds and,”blinds himself” (Foster 210). In the story the seer is physically blind but sees the truth while Oedipus can see but is blind to the truth which is not only an example of blind people in literature but also irony. The author uses the physical blindness to add emphasis to Oedipus’s figurative blindness and also how blind Oedipus is to his own blindness all this time. Foster also claims that blind people can be introduced in stories because, “if you want the audience to know something important about your character (or the work at large), introduce it early before you need it” (Foster 213). Most aspects of a story are put in there intentionally by the author and play a part in perfectly creating the plot the way the author wanted. Adding in that someone in the story is blind or becomes blinded especially at the beginning shows that that blindness will be important and play a big role in the plot or the development of the character. Authors add in blindness and blind characters in their literary work to add meaning and focus on blindness that is not so physical.
In “How to Read Literature like a Professor,” Thomas Foster talks about blind characters in literature, and explains to motives as to why an author would include such character. To Foster, one of the biggest reasons an author would include a blind character is because “clearly the author wants to emphasize other levels of sight and blindness beyond the physical” (Foster 210). Often times authors will use physical blindness as a symbol for the same or a different character’s blindness for a situation. While the specific character can’t see in a physical sense, the more important aspect that the author is trying to emphasize is the obliviousness another character may be experiencing mentally. According to Foster, “seeing and blindness are generally at issue in many works, even where there is no hint of blindness on the part of windows, alleys, horses, speculations, or persons” (Foster 212). While not necessarily sight in a physical sense, many works have to do with metaphorical sight; character(s) understanding an issue or a task at hand, or their lack to see what’s right in front of them. Authors can introduce this concept among characters without even having to directly identify it, as they can do so through a characters ideas, thoughts, and actions. There are times, however, where an author wants to display the concept of blindness clearly within a story without difficulty; this is where Foster’s “Indiana Jones principle” comes in where “if you want your audience to know something important about your character (or the work at large), introduce it early, before you need it” (Foster 213). Authors use this principle in relation to blindness when they want readers to take note of a characters symbolic lack of sight. They introduce the concept early in the work, as if to foreshadow what is to come, so that readers will pay attention and understand the literal to figurative blindness connection that author is trying to make. Blinding a character in literature always has a more significant meaning than just a simply defect among a character, as it puts emphasis on the metaphorical and spiritual blindness a character may be experiencing.
Thomas C. Foster in "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" says that there is always a reason for a character to be blind. Foster states that "something important must be at stake when blindness pops up in a story" (Foster 210). He explains how writers have to correspond the blind character and other character's behavior. Foster says that "clearly the author wants to emphasize other levels of sight and blindness beyond the physical" (Foster 210). Authors have a lot to take into consideration when introducing a blind character, so the message that is being portrayed is important to the author considering all of the work he or she will have to go through. Foster mentions how if writers want their readers to understand something, should "introduce it early, before you need it” (Foster 213). He says that if there is blindness in a story, it is generally brought up early. Foster wants us to understand that a blind character has great significance to a story and usually means something.
Thomas C. Foster in “How to Read Literature like a Professor” discusses the effects of adding a blind person to a story. Foster states that, “clearly the author wants to emphasize other levels of sight and blindness beyond the physical,” when adding in a blind character (Foster 210). There are different types of blindness which includes actual physical blindness, but also blindness to realize or see something that they can physically see. Authors can use blind characters to reveal the nonphysical blindness of other characters. An example of this is when, “Tiresias, the blind seer, does indeed know the whole truth about King Oedipus,” but Oedipus, ‘remains in the dark,” about the truth until the very end when he responds and,”blinds himself” (Foster 210). In the story the seer is physically blind but sees the truth while Oedipus can see but is blind to the truth which is not only an example of blind people in literature but also irony. The author uses the physical blindness to add emphasis to Oedipus’s figurative blindness and also how blind Oedipus is to his own blindness all this time. Foster also claims that blind people can be introduced in stories because, “if you want the audience to know something important about your character (or the work at large), introduce it early before you need it” (Foster 213). Most aspects of a story are put in there intentionally by the author and play a part in perfectly creating the plot the way the author wanted. Adding in that someone in the story is blind or becomes blinded especially at the beginning shows that that blindness will be important and play a big role in the plot or the development of the character. Authors add in blindness and blind characters in their literary work to add meaning and focus on blindness that is not so physical.
ReplyDeleteIn “How to Read Literature like a Professor,” Thomas Foster talks about blind characters in literature, and explains to motives as to why an author would include such character. To Foster, one of the biggest reasons an author would include a blind character is because “clearly the author wants to emphasize other levels of sight and blindness beyond the physical” (Foster 210). Often times authors will use physical blindness as a symbol for the same or a different character’s blindness for a situation. While the specific character can’t see in a physical sense, the more important aspect that the author is trying to emphasize is the obliviousness another character may be experiencing mentally. According to Foster, “seeing and blindness are generally at issue in many works, even where there is no hint of blindness on the part of windows, alleys, horses, speculations, or persons” (Foster 212). While not necessarily sight in a physical sense, many works have to do with metaphorical sight; character(s) understanding an issue or a task at hand, or their lack to see what’s right in front of them. Authors can introduce this concept among characters without even having to directly identify it, as they can do so through a characters ideas, thoughts, and actions. There are times, however, where an author wants to display the concept of blindness clearly within a story without difficulty; this is where Foster’s “Indiana Jones principle” comes in where “if you want your audience to know something important about your character (or the work at large), introduce it early, before you need it” (Foster 213). Authors use this principle in relation to blindness when they want readers to take note of a characters symbolic lack of sight. They introduce the concept early in the work, as if to foreshadow what is to come, so that readers will pay attention and understand the literal to figurative blindness connection that author is trying to make. Blinding a character in literature always has a more significant meaning than just a simply defect among a character, as it puts emphasis on the metaphorical and spiritual blindness a character may be experiencing.
ReplyDeleteThomas C. Foster in "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" says that there is always a reason for a character to be blind. Foster states that "something important must be at stake when blindness pops up in a story" (Foster 210). He explains how writers have to correspond the blind character and other character's behavior. Foster says that "clearly the author wants to emphasize other levels of sight and blindness beyond the physical" (Foster 210). Authors have a lot to take into consideration when introducing a blind character, so the message that is being portrayed is important to the author considering all of the work he or she will have to go through. Foster mentions how if writers want their readers to understand something, should "introduce it early, before you need it” (Foster 213). He says that if there is blindness in a story, it is generally brought up early. Foster wants us to understand that a blind character has great significance to a story and usually means something.
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