12 September 2019: "As the first critics [of novels and novel-reading in early America] intuited, readers could claim the power to pass judgement for themselves on cultural forms 'without asking the opinion' of those who, from the landing of the Mayflower onward, had been schooled in asserting judgment without waiting to be asked." --Cathy N. Davidson, Revolution and the Word
I assigned some pages from Davidson's classic book to my American Fiction class for tomorrow. Re-reading those selections today, I am reminded of some of the reasons why I love the book so much. It isn't just its fascinating insights, clear explanations of tough subjects, and great melding of theory and practice. It also made me laugh quite a few times, like in the passage above.
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