Sunday, September 21, 2008
About the Title of this Post
Sometimes I wonder to myself why I am spending so much time and effort on something that is challenging and insular. Jean Rhys had a theory on writing that I find particularly inspiring, what she called "feeding the lake" (full quote to the right). Her idea of "the lake" reminds me that exactly what I write is less important than contributing to the dialogue. Obviously, I want to be a part of the academic conversation about Jean Rhys and the other writers I have chosen. I am also motivated by the larger conversation regarding literary women and literature in general. Lastly, I am of the perhaps idealistic belief that my contribution to academia will filter out to the community at large. As I attempt to dig dipper into the many books I will be writing about and the issues that challenged these writers, I hope that I will inspire others to look beyond the obvious and find worthwhile meaning hidden between the layers.
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1 comment:
That Jean Rhys quote is really interesting. I've always struggled to understand what writing is for. Chuck Wachtel, my creative writing prof in grad school, would ask "what does writing fix?" Of course, that's a question without an answer. Or rather with many answers.
But this notion of a hungry lake intrigues me. I'm still not sure it answers the question -- I mean, if I don't write, won't there still be enough water? But The huge formless lake with many sources is a great image. Maybe that's why some writers like to work near water.
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