DAE get annoyed when people mix up the author's life with the book's meaning?

Just left a club where someone argued 'The Bell Jar' is only about Plath's depression, ignoring the whole critique of 1950s gender roles. That flattens the entire work. How do you steer the convo back to the text itself?

3 comments

3 Comments

bell.felix16d ago

Honestly, is it that big of a deal? People read books in different ways. If someone connects more with the author's life stuff, that's their take. It doesn't ruin the book for you. Tbh, letting it get to you seems like more work than just enjoying the chat for what it is.

olivia39816d ago

Heard a friend shut that down by asking for a page number.

xenaf5116d ago

Been there. Last week someone tried to tell me Gatsby was just about a guy who couldn't get over his ex. Missed the whole American Dream critique. I just ask a simple question back. For your case, maybe "But how does the book itself show that? Where does the text point to her life, and where does it point to a bigger idea about society?" Forces them to look at the pages, not the biography.