“On literary interpretation”,

2026 May 6, 08:56 (rev. 08:59)

White European/American, often male, perspectives are seen as the universal standard. When analysing a book/piece from this perspectives, the questions asked are often:

1. What is the author trying to do (through craft, symbolism, etc.)?

2. What does this say about us (as a social species)?

Other perspectives (whether non-White, non-European/American, or female/otherwise non-male) are considered specific deviations, and are alost always introduced in a hyperspecific historical context. When analysing books/pieces from these perspectives, the questions asked are often:

1. How did the author’s personal experiences shape their writing?

2. What does this tell us about their racial/ethnic group/gender specifically?

Etc.

Classrooms also like to treat books like puzzles to be decoded, with meaning to be extracted.