Unit 10: Culture as Context
With a focus on Vikas Swarup’s
novel
Q & A
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Meeting other cultures…
•
Sometimes reading texts that come from other
cultures, particularly those that have been
translated from another language, may take us
outside of our comfort zone.
•
The first thing to realize is that it is okay to be a
little uncomfortable.
The key is to keep trying and
to be conscious of your reactions.
If you are
mindful you should be able to maintain some
critical distance.
If you are not you may end up
missing (or dismissing) something important.
Meeting a text…
•
To fairly evaluate or interpret a text that may
employ cultural details and symbols we don’t
share, context should be taken into account.
•
Work to connect to what you can. There are
usually universal human emotions and
relationships to identify with.
•
If you don’t recognize something, look it up.
Some things may not be critical to our
understanding of a text (what a samosa is, etc.),
but others (social structures,
religious/cultural/linguistic groups,etc.) may be
very important.
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It comes down to common sense
•
Like much of what we have covered this semester, dealing with cultural context can
come down to the point of common sense.
•
Use your instincts.
As you are reading, you will find that there are things you can pick
up through the context of the work.
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- Fall '10
- Staff
- cultural details, Vikas Swarup, universal human emotions
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