Hello Professor Wexler, fellow students of English 436 Major Critical Theories, and whoever else happens to stumble upon this little corner of the Internet. The following is a brief interpose into the life, interests and back-story of the author of this blog, Leslie Kawakami:
She is 23 years of age and a Junior at California State University at Northridge. She is currently taking 5 classes: Major Critical Theories; Theories of Fiction; Asian American Fiction; Literature + Film; Women’s Sex Roles in Culture; and yes, she is already regretting taking so many classes. There is a stack of textbooks and novels 2 feet high on her desk that looms over her conscious, taunting her with passages unknown, scholarly and tauntingly complex. Graduation is pending for Spring 2012, with great hope. She is an avid reader, completing 45 books last year on a range of topics, which do not include books read for school, but due include around $25 in library late fees. It should also be known that she has a list of “books to read before she dies” in which is currently numbered at 1,936. And because the question usually follows: What is her favorite book? That would be the five books of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy trilogy by Douglas Adams, as well as a book of short stories by Karen Russell called St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, the title story being her favorite. She also greatly enjoyed Undaunted Courage, the nonfiction examination of the Lewis and Clark expedition by Stephen Ambrose, and The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Her favorite movies include Totoro, a Japanese cartoon by Hayao Miyazaki and Marie Antoinette (Sophia Coppola). Her Netflix instant-queue is filled with TV shows like X-Files, Mythbusters, Babylon 5, Red Dwarf, The Office and 30 Rock. In the little spare time she does have, she likes to play World of Warcraft with her boyfriend and annoy her calico cat Maneki. Her ideal job is to sit in a room, alone, all day reading and get paid a wonderfully comfortable amount of money for it, although, being more realistic, her actual job occupation will hopefully be in the publishing/research world.
Now for what this blog will be about, aside from the obvious fact that she was directly assigned this blog by her wonderful professor of Major Critical Theories: an expose of theory; an examination with intellectual terminology of the meaning of literary speculation; perhaps a scathing and bitter assessment of the texts assigned; maybe a fondness for some text or author discovered; and finally, actual comprehension and appreciation of what the Major Critical Theories actually are, since she knows little to nothing about them. Seriously: what are the Major Critical Theories? She knows about Feminism, and has had the words “Structuralism” and “Postmodernism” thrown at her about a hundred times in her academic career, but she honestly could not define any of them to save her English undergraduate life. She has many questions too: Can something actually be “post-modern”, or is this an entirely made-up term for speakers to sound cool? Are there Minor Critical Theories? What is the true application of these theories, and why are they so darn important enough to devote time and energy to? And thus, with nothing but good intentions; an open mind eager to learn; a carefully organized binder; and a terrifyingly heavy book with tiny, tiny writing, she hopes to fulfill the aspects of her course and become more friendly with the Major Critical Theories.
(584)
