The One Ring is neither a symbol nor an allegory of ultimate evil; it's a metonymy. Because Sauron is ultimate evil, and he's right there in the story with agency and everything. So you can't talk about the symbolism of the One Ring, because it's already spelled out for you.
I agree that litcrit is about a lot more than symbolism; what I was trying to say is that when you're taught to do litcrit, you start with symbolism, and that therefore it's very difficult to change gears to a mode of thought wherein symbolism is practically irrelevant.
Which is not to say things can't be symbolic in sf&f, anymore than they can't be allegorical. But the fundamental mode of the genre(s) is against it.
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momijizukamori
no subject
Date: 2005-06-23 07:20 pm (UTC)The One Ring is neither a symbol nor an allegory of ultimate evil; it's a metonymy. Because Sauron is ultimate evil, and he's right there in the story with agency and everything. So you can't talk about the symbolism of the One Ring, because it's already spelled out for you.
I agree that litcrit is about a lot more than symbolism; what I was trying to say is that when you're taught to do litcrit, you start with symbolism, and that therefore it's very difficult to change gears to a mode of thought wherein symbolism is practically irrelevant.
Which is not to say things can't be symbolic in sf&f, anymore than they can't be allegorical. But the fundamental mode of the genre(s) is against it.