Mining literature for deeper meanings - Amy E. Harter

Traganje za dubljim značenjem u književnosti - Ejmi E. Harter (Amy E. Harter)

Transcriber: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Jessica Ruby

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Mile Živković

We often hear that studying literature

Često čujemo kako izučavanje književnosti

involves finding a deeper meaning to a text.

podrazumeva pronalaženje dubljeg značenja teksta.

When writing about literary works,

Kad pišemo o književnim delima,

we're expected to mentally dive below the surface

od nas se očekuje da umom zaronimo ispod površine

in order to come back up with big ideas.

kako bismo izronili s velikim idejama.

But you may find yourself looking

Međutim, možda se zateknete

at the flat page of a book,

ispred ravne stranice knjige,

wondering how deep it can really go?

pitajući se koliko duboko to može da bude?

How do we reach those ideas that turn into great essays?

Kako da dosegnemo te ideje koje postaju sjajni eseji?

Well, there are two crucial thinking steps

Pa, tu su dva ključna koraka u razmišljanju

that can lead us in the right direction:

koji nas mogu povesti u pravom smeru:

practicing insight

vežbanje razumevanja

and acknowledging complexity.

i spoznaja složenosti.

Insight is the ability to arrive

Razumevanje je sposobnost stizanja

at an intuitive understanding of a big idea

do intuitivnog poimanja velike ideje

using only small clues to get there.

do koje stižete, prateći samo sitne tragove.

If you're practicing insight,

Ako vežbate razumevanje,

you'll able to use observations

moći ćete da iskoristite zapažanja

about character behavior to figure out

o ponašanju likova da biste razumeli

their true emotions and motivations.

njihova istinska osećanja i motivacije.

Pay attention to little things

Obratite pažnju na male stvari

because they add up to what is really meaningful.

jer su one sveukupno nešto što je zaista značajno.

For example, if you consider a character

Na primer, ako posmatrate lika,

like Mr. Darcy from <i>Pride and Prejudice</i>,

poput g. Darsija iz "Gordosti i Predrasuda",

who openly declares his dislike for Miss Lizzy Bennet,

koji otvoreno obznanjuje svoj prezir prema gđici Lizi Benet,

you might, at first, assume he's just a mean guy.

mogli biste, namah, pretpostaviti da je prosto loš čovek.

But, using your powers of insight,

No, koristeći moć razumevanja,

you're noticing other smaller things -

primećujete druge sitnice -

how Darcy's eyes linger on Lizzy's face

kako se Darsijeve oči zadržavaju na Lizinom licu

and how he seems all flustered when she's around.

i kako je sav usplahiren u njenoj blizini.

Add to the mix your knowledge that Mr. Darcy

Tu dodajte znanje da je g. Darsi

is in a much higher social class than Lizzy,

daleko višeg društvenog staleža od Lizi

and your sense of insight should be telling you

i vaše razumevanje bi trebalo da vam govori

that there's something more here.

da tu ima nešto više.

In this case, it will tell you

U ovom slučaju će vam reći

that Darcy's surface behavior is in conflict

da je Darsijevo spoljašnje ponašanje u sukobu

with his true feelings of attraction

s istinskim osećanjem privlačnosti

because the difference in wealth between himself and Lizzy

jer zbog razlike u bogatstvu između njega i Lizi,

makes him feel that it'll never work.

oseća da to ne bi moglo da uspe.

Thinking about all those small clues

Razmišljanje o svim tim sitnim tragovima

gives us insight about some of the big, abstract ideas

nam pruža uvid o nekim velikim, apstraktnim idejama unutar romana

within the novel that we can approach in an essay:

kojima možemo da se bavimo u eseju:

appearances versus reality,

spoljašnji izgled naspram stvarnosti,

the power of wealth and social stratification,

moć bogatstva i društvenog raslojavanja

and the unpredictable nature of love and attraction.

i nepredvidiva priroda ljubavi i privlačnosti.

Look at that! Deeper meaning.

Pazite to! Dublje značenje.

The second step to a sophisticated analysis

Drugi korak za prefinjenu analizu

is acknowledging complexity.

je spoznaja složenosti.

Let's face it. In both life and literature,

Budimo realni.

I u životu i u književnosti situacije su složene

situations are complicated

due to social forces like relationships,

zbog društvenih sila, poput veza,

moral codes,

moralnih kodeksa,

personal desires,

ličnih žudnji

and power structures.

i struktura moći.

This means that there are, at any given time,

Ovo znači da u bilo kom trenutku

multiple factors that shape what is true.

više faktora oblikuje ono što je istinito.

In order to acknowledge complexity in your writing,

Kako biste spoznali složenost u svom pisanju,

refrain from making broad generalizations about a text

uzdržavajte se od širokih generalizacija o tekstu

or establishing quick, simple judgements about a character.

ili od stvaranja ishitrenih, uprošćenih sudova o liku.

Explore each facet of your subject carefully

Pažljivo istražite svaki aspekt svoje teme

and make sure to consider multiple influences on events.

i postarajte se da razmotrite višestruke uticaje na događaje.

Explain the tension of multiple forces

Objasnite tenziju između više sila

that create the story.

koje sačinjavaju priču.

For example, a basic analysis of Toni Morrison's <i>Beloved<i>,

Na primer, osnovna analiza romana "Voljena" od Toni Morison,

where the protagonist has killed her own child

u kome je protagonistkinja ubila sopstveno dete

rather than allow her to grow up in slavery,

pre nego da dozvoli da ono raste u ropstvu,

might sound like this,

mogla bi da zvuči ovako:

"Sethe murdered her own daughter.

"Seta je ubila sopstvenu kćerku.

This act was wrong,

Taj čin je pogrešan

and causes the ghost of the child

i zato je duh deteta

to haunt her throughout the novel."

proganja kroz roman."

These observations are simplistic.

Ova zapažanja su pojednostavljena.

They don't acknowledge all the different forces

Ne prepoznaju sve različite sile

that contribute to what the character has done.

koje doprinose onome što je lik uradio.

Try something like this instead,

Pokušajte nešto poput ovoga:

"A culture of slavery disturbs the ability

"Robovlasnička kultura narušava sposobnost

to determine what is morally right.

razlučivanja šta je moralno ispravno.

Sethe's past experiences with violence

Setino iskustvo s nasiljem u prošlosti

reinforce the fear she has for her child's fate,

učvršćuje njen strah za sudbinu deteta

and transform the murder into a protective act.

i preobražava ubistvo u čin zaštite.

As the novel progresses,

Kako se roman razvija,

Sethe is haunted both by the angry spirit of her daughter

Setu proganja i ljutiti duh njene kćerke

and by the memories of everything else

i sećanja na sve ostalo

slavery took from her."

što joj je ropstvo otelo."

Here, we see those influential forces at work,

Ovde vidimo uticajne sile na delu

and we've shown off our ability to understand

i pokazali smo našu sposobnost razumevanja

the complicated nature of the human experience,

složene prirode ljudskog iskustva,

which, again, allows us to access

koje nam, opet, omogućuje da dopremo

those big ideas that reveal the deeper meaning of a story,

do tih velikih ideja koje razotkrivaju dublje značenje priče,

ideas, in this case, like the parameters of maternal instinct,

ideje, u ovom slučaju, poput opsega materinskog instinkta,

the consequences of injustice,

posledica neprevde

and the question of whether or not

i pitanja da li ili ne

ethics can even exist in a corrupted moral system.

etika uopšte može da postoji u poremećenom moralnom sistemu.

It's impossible to sit down

Nemoguće je sesti

and write an amazing essay about literature

i napisati sjajan esej o književnosti,

without first thinking about it.

a da prethodno nismo razmislili o njemu.

Before you hit the keys,

Pre nego počnete da kucate,

go back to the text

and fish out the small moments,

vratite se tekstu

i ulovite male trenutke,

the complicated moments in the story.

komplikovane trenutke u priči.

Line them up in your mind,

Posložite ih u umu,

practice insight,

vežbajte razumevanje,

acknowledge complexity,

spoznajte složenost,

arrive at some big ideas.

stignite do nekih velikih ideja.

Before you know it,

Pre nego shvatite,

the deeper meaning will be close at hand.

dublje značenje će vam biti na dohvat ruke.