Many poems speak to a “you” who is not you the reader. And when a poem addresses an inanimate object – like an urn or even a bar of soap – it’s especially clear that readers aren’t being addressed directly. But Jonathan Culler argues that these poems do address their readers, it’s just indirect. Poems that address goddesses, fictional characters and even inanimate objects allow readers to relate to the “you” and the “I” of a poem in complex, fluid and surprising ways.
Tag: identification
Some academics think that reading a book just to identify with a character is self-centred and shallow. When you’re only reading for characters you can identify with, you’re projecting yourself onto the book. But Merve Emre thinks that’s unfair. Far from being shallow, who readers do and don’t identify with is a complex and nuanced question. Using examples from Freud to Fifty Shades of Grey, Merve shows how identifying with characters can reshape our sense of self and help us better understand the society we live in.