Reading NA Lit Critically: A Specialized Task

Acrylic painting: Reproduction of Inuit Mask (Josh Dickinson)

You may be Asking Yourself . . .
Remember that the essays by Native American writers which you read here do not necessarily follow as linear a format as the writings of non-Natives. That is, sometimes they only make sense when you get to the end. The job isn’t over then, though. Unlike watching TV, reading allows you to go back. If you marked up your book, then going back is even more valuable. Look at the text’s overall structure as you read–but wait to really look at how the essay is put together once you have read it all.  Each of these suggestions is a way that dynamic readers make sense of the text. Few good readers do only one of these.

Ask Questions of the Text
Ask meaningful questions of the text.  Here are some:

How does this example function in the essay/story/poem? Is she leading me back to her earlier point for a good reason?

What moods are being expressed in the piece, and why?

Is this reading highly symbolic, abstract? If not, is this text naturalistic, giving a sense of everyday reality? Why might this symbolism/naturalism binary from Western literature not work when reading Native literature?

What is the author’s working definition of time, and why might that matter?

As you go on, you should get better at asking questions. You will see which lines of questioning are likely to yield interesting results. (Notice I didn’t say answers. Some of the best questions have no exact answer.)

Did you know that good writers often anticipate the questions you ask of the text. They often set up your questions so that they can answer them. Still, if you aren’t developing questions, you aren’t doing enough as a critical reader and experiencer of the text.

Look Up/Use Other Sources
Too often readers let things slip by them. Go with the idea that there are no synonyms, and that the author picked that particular word because only that word could say what she wanted.
Look up terms that you don’t know–or at least mark them.
Mark up your readings. . . copiously! We already talked about this, and I hope you are doing this on your own terms.
Make connections between the earlier modules and the later ones.
Critical essays can be very helpful in situating difficult stories, plays, poems, and essays. Bounce your ideas off the essays, then.

Ideas for Organizing Your Understanding–Try Them!
These essays are culturally strong, stating beliefs and ways you probably don’t share. So, make a list of ideas that you see there. (Ever hear of a manifesto, a declaration of beliefs? These are manifestoes!) Taking the strong ideas out of context and putting them into notes will help.

Reread any of the works in this module. You will see that it rewards you. Often, a later reading of a different work will even underscore some aspects of something you read previously.