“The New Advocacy and the Old” - Gertrude Himmelfarb
This essay focuses on the shift of interpretation of history (in our case, literature) from being political to personal. In other words, Himmelfarb suggests that a many individuals have begun to interpret and teach information in an “autobiographical” way, even if their decision to do so is unconscious. Himmelfarb is not a fan of this new advocacy; she suggests that it rejects any absolute truth and allows professors to twist relatively neutral information to specifically reflect race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, etc. As a result, the student has now been placed at the receiving end of the professor’s “narcissistic” agenda.
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Jessy,
ReplyDeleteYou present a very concise version of the author's points without passing your own judgement on them or imposing your view on them, which is precisely what summary should do. Good job!
Abby