Article: Contemporary Anglophone Literature & the Problem of Critical Thinking

Author note: Original article is from Anton Pokrivčák. This is my reflection on his article about Contemporary Anglophone Literature and the Problem of Critical Thinking. You can find it on the Internet under the name as it is in the chapter. This was my work for a subject in the college which I am now attending.

I think Pokrivčák’s claims and thoughts were argued and supported enough. He stated that many literature professors and critics only look at the surface and use ideological interpretations. He used examples of works and showed us how literature works could be misunderstood and misinterpreted when some part is extracted from the text.

I agree with him that many people, including critics nowadays, see mainly sociological, political, gender-based or race concepts in work, not the main idea, even if the work wants to show something else. They look only at the concepts and do not look for deeper meaning. So many readings, which are based on these concepts, are misread.

And also, in my opinion, too Slovak students or any young adult nowadays do not read that much. They are on social media, and when it comes to literature, they mostly do not want to read thick books, which are only theories or just because they have to and also when it is for school. The book has to be interesting for them and has to catch their eye only with its cover or title or even with a small preview on the back of the book or cover. And also, they do not want to read when the book is made into a movie. They think they will watch movie and understand what the book is about. But they are wrong because in many films are added parts which are not in the book. They need motivation for reading, and after reading a book, it should be used in interesting exercises and activities; they can with them develop critical thinking, which they need in life. Or teachers should stir up a debate among students, and they can argue and discuss their opinions about the book. And it can be connected with watching movies and making presentations about them. In class, groups of people can read a book, and the others will watch a movie. After that, these two can be compared in the class, and students can express their opinions.