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 Mad Travelers: Reflections on the Reality of Transient Mental Illnesses

by Ian Hacking

The idea that you can "think rhizomically" insinuates that you should consider things in terms of having no center or structure. But Professor Dalke mentioned an interesting point last class: Can you organize the world without a center? Isn't an individual constantly thinking in terms of themselves? Jo(e) references the blogging medium, talking about "Bitch Ph.D."s blog as "her ideas, her opinions, her style of writing". Wouldn't that mean that a blog is an expression of an individual, putting whomever is posting, whether it be the blogger themselves or someone leaving a remark about the material, in the spotlight? Just by skimming through the comments on Jo(e)'s blog, one finds a sea of "I"s...

For years, I've been exploring ways of being a "less wrong" teacher.  And that means, among other things, noticing new problems that come along with creating new ways of being.

Hiya! My name is Arielle, but you'll probably hear me referred to as Relle. It comes from the fact that if you spell out the letters R-E-L, it sounds a lot like "Arielle." (Say R-E-L out loud, letter by letter, you'll get it.)  Very old nickname, but it stuck.

I would like to start by apologizing for waiting only 48 hours before mentioning my thesis.

When reading Wai Chee Dimock's article "Introduction: Genres as Fields of Knowledge," I found myself agreeing with the author's theorization that the concept of genre in literature is meant to be seen as a general guideline to categorize things rather than a way to, as Dimock said, "put things into a pigeonhole."  Branching off that same idea, Dimock also expressed the idea that genre should not limit a work of literature.  Just because it's categorized as epic or lyric doesn't mean that the work has to entirely fit a certain format, and there is room for change in all genres that inevitably comes with time and the gathering of new knowledge.

Genre presents an interesting problem in categorization, but at the same time, genre is perhaps a bookstore's most useful marketing tool.

Genre allows publishers and bookstores to market books to target audiences: children, girls, boys, teenagers, men, women, and all of these categories subdivided by age, race, sexuality, and undoubtedly a host of other categories. 

The word genre has come to be understood as an encompassing set of characteristics that help readers to place a piece of literature into a category filled with works of a like kind. Yet, genres ultimately evoke much more thought and importance than the simple type-casting of literary works. Both Wai Chee Dimock and Stephen Owen imply that genres are no longer rigid guidelines that absolutely define every piece of literature; however, both respect the importance of genres to the world.

Interesting lunch conversation with Mike Sears over winter break, following up on issues that have arisen in the evolving system open discussions.