Beyond Theory: The Cognitive Turn and the Revival of Reading in Literary Studies

Abstract

Literary theory had been a revolutionary intervention in the study of literature when it sprouted. Moving in and through this world has perplexed, confused and complicated the perspectives of the reader in various ways. For many people, the shift to theoretical and philosophical approach in interpreting a literary text from the pleasure seeking exercise made reading a rigid and often disturbing process. The sclerosis brought about by theory in reading has been interrogated and problematized by many anti-theoretical approaches. This paper attempts to establish that there is a cognitive turn in literary studies by tracing the trajectory of cognitive attitudes in the critical methodologies existing since classical times. A change in perspective helps criticism to transcend this rigidity. This Paper attempts to offer a solution to the problem by calling forth a perspectival shift in viewing critical methodologies from a cognitive point of view. This study tries to prove that subjective reading has its place in various crtical strategies which are generally observed as objective interpretative tool. It also shows how the cognitive apporach prioritize the elements of empathy and experience in literary reading which are often unnoticed in the process of theoretical interpretation.