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Loose reading? Austen Sedgwick and critical practice
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 09:07 authored by Vincent QuinnThis article uses Eve Sedgwick's 'Jane Austen and the masturbating girl' to explore the place of reading in contemporary critical practice. Noting that hostile accounts of Sedgwick have focused on her alleged inability to 'read closely,' the article argues that Sedgwick's work represents a wider move away from close reading to a criticism characterized by confession, autobiography, against-the grain reading, fantasy, parody and creative writing. This model-which I call 'loose reading'-throws light on the assumptions of close reading; it also has implications for political activism and teaching practice in schools. This article explores Sedgwick's place within lesbian and gay studies and queer theory; it also relates her loose readings to feminist, new historicist and postcolonial criticism. Although welcoming many aspects of loose reading, especially its relation to fantasy, it cautions against a total acceptance of non-attentive textual analysis. The article also discusses the relationship between reading practice and the role of 'good citizenship' in Britain's National Curriculum.
History
Publication status
- Published
Journal
Textual PracticeISSN
0950-236XPublisher
Taylor & FrancisExternal DOI
Issue
2Volume
14Page range
305 - 326ISBN
0950-236XDepartment affiliated with
- English Publications
Full text available
- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2012-02-06Usage metrics
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