Intersecting Fiction and Reality

I was first drawn to reading in my teens as an escape from reality; through books, I could live lives that were not accessible to me. However, my fascination with literature began when I realized that literature was also a key to finding reality, a way to better understand the world, how I live in it, and myself. I also saw literature as a means of change through its potential for analysis and interpretation of society and humanity. Therefore, my theoretical approach to literature, when left to my own resources and instincts, would best be characterized as feminist or psycho-social theory. When reading a piece of fiction, I am most interested in how individuals operate within groups and how identity is created in reaction to or in spite of outside expectations. Perhaps this explains why some books, from Huck Finn and Catcher in the Rye to The Temple of My Familiar and The Dispossessed, are my favorite. The feminist perspective comes in with the examination of how novels either perpetuate or challenge current systems of power and Western dualist thinking. Thus, through novels, I believe we may better understand our world and learn how to live more consciously in society, working to find harmony while challenging assumptions about how things are or should be. As a teacher, this is a challenging approach as I constantly find myself drifting from the 'basics' of literature study into more sociological, historical, or conceptual directions. Ultimately, though, I believe this approach allows me to authentically convey my love of literature to my students, hopefully inspiring them to find their own insights into life and themselves through the literature we read.