I am afraid I do not agree with Carroll that all types of literary criticism are in effect reductionist. This is to define the word "reductionism" in such a way as to render it meaningless. In the same way, the word "political" is rendered meaningless by those naifs who subscribe to the doctrine that "everything is political." ==Dan At 06:42 PM 7/23/00 -0500, you wrote: >Daniel Pearlman wrote: > >> >> As to reading the Cantos like a sort of dream, the whole issue of >> reductionist readings of literature--whether in the light of >> psychoanalysis, or Marxism, or feminism--is a disturbing one. >> Reductionist criticism, in general, has attempted to employ >> literature as an instrumentality for the advancement of so- >> called critics' personal ax-grinding missions. > >This of course is a serious (and, more importantly, I think false) reduction of >human motivation -- and a sort of odd binary of motives as "personal ax-grinding" >and [whatever in hell would be the opposite]. > >But reductions are illegitimate, or even misleading, when they contain an >explicit or implicit "nothing but." All explanations, by virtue of being usable >explanations, are reductions of whatever is being explained. And when examining >two contrasting reductions the question is not which is better or even which is >truer -- both may well be true. The question is how illuminating they are. > >One could reduce the Cantos to an illustration of the history of typography or >even bookbinding in the 20th century. I doubt that that reduction would be very >interesting one -- but then I consider that my two complete cantos, the ninth >printing (1983) and the 14th printing (1998). Some new material has been added >and the order of the final pages changed slightlly. But the biggest difference is >not in content but in the thickness and texture of the pages. Hence the later >volume, while 20 pages longer is much thinner and lies open more easily. A quite >different experience. And my copy of *Rock-Drill* (printed in Italy) has a red >heart and a red diamond at the end of Canto 88. Much more impressive than the >shades of gray in later printings. So I guess even this reduction of the Cantos, >ignoring content, language, everything, would have real interest. > >Any commentary, any critical interpretation is a reduction, each with its own >degree of interest and triviality. It is really dully tautological to complain of >reductionism as such. > >Some reductions are obviously much more interesting than others. Most reductions, >however, are apt to bring out something in a work that would be less easily >perceived otherwise. > >Carrol > HOME: Dan Pearlman 102 Blackstone Blvd. #5 Providence, RI 02906 Tel.: 401 453-3027 email: [log in to unmask] Fax: (253) 681-8518 http://www.uri.edu/artsci/english/clf/ OFFICE Department of English University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI 02881 Tel.: 401 874-4659