What’s this Geek Lit Theory Thing All About Anyway?
To fulfill the requirements of my MFA program, I had to take a class titled, “Critical Theory.” I dreaded it, recalling with a quiet hostility various literature and composition classes from my undergrad days. Back then Theory seemed the secret language of teachers where everything was “right” or “wrong” according to their whims, especially when it came to works of genre literature, regardless of whether the teacher had read the work or not. So, I approached Critical Theory with a clenched jaw as just another distasteful task I needed to complete on my way to my degree. Thus was my state as I prepared for this class as a graduate student. Then I got the syllabus, complete with a D. Who reference. Seeing that, I decided to approach the class with a bit more of an open mind.
I came away from that class a changed writer, with an entirely new literary passion. During the class, I realized that geek culture already engaged in literary criticism on deep levels. We just don’t have a codified vocabulary for when and how we engage in works of genre literature. As I fell deeper and deeper into the lit theory rabbit hole, I decided that I would work to bring an awareness of Lit Theory and Lit Crit to my fellow geeks.
I’ve given the talk, “Geek’s Guide to Literary Theory” at several conventions and symposiums this year, usually with standing room only. This and the conversations I’ve had after each panel has shown that the community is hungry for this, that geeks and nerds have serious interest in knowing how to engage more deeply with the books, comics, shows, movies, and games that we love. I started this site because I feel I have far more to say about this than what I can squeeze into a 45-90 minute panel at conventions. I can also reach far more people here than, and foster deeper discussions than I can in the confines of a convention.
First, let’s define some terms (these are very watered-down, lay man’s explanations):
LITERARY THEORY is a set of lenses to examine work of literature.
LITERARY CRITICISM is writing which uses literary theory to explore a work or literature.
Second, here’s what I’m trying to with this site and what I believe the purpose Lit Theory and Lit Crit should be.
Communication. That’s is. When we come down to it, all of this, every school of Literary Theory, every critical work examining a book, movie, comic, etc is someone trying to communicate in a formal way about something they felt passionate about. (Well, except those unfortunate souls forced to do it for school, though they are still communicating.) However, as with any form of communication, we run into the problem of people seeming more interested in communicating to be right than they are in communicating to share ideas.
The Primary goal of Geek’s Guide to Literary Theory is to share ideas, talk about different ways to talk about books and writing from multiple perspectives and come away with a richer understanding of the works and the people we’re discussing the works with. I’m hoping to create a space where fandom and academia can come together and find some common ground in the shared communication of Literary Theory. My agenda in this is entirely selfish. Over the past two years in my MFA program, I’ve read some astounding books that have blended the literary with the speculative. I want more. I want to read the works that I dream of coming out of shared dialogue between the literary and genre writing communities.
Michael Todd Gallowglas
August, 2018