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concept · in 13 videos (2008–2012)

Mentions by year: 2008: 4 · 2010: 3 · 2011: 5 · 2012: 1

What the videos say

2008

  • 2008-01-09 · The Return of Question Tuesdays — John argues that writing about symbolism and other 'English stuff' really does help you become a writer, because it shows how good stories work. (00:02:04)
  • 2008-01-09 · The Return of Question Tuesdays — John's example: Huck says of Tom 'he had a dream and it shot him'; analysis lets you read it against the Civil War and other dreams that 'shot us'. (00:02:33)
  • 2008-01-30 · I Am Not A Pornographer — John tells those who say teens lack critical sophistication to stop condescending: readers of Animal Farm or Huck Finn don't take them literally (Godot, he jokes, doesn't help). (00:02:36)
  • 2008-07-22 · OMFG CATCHER IN THE RYE!!! — John argues metaphor and symbolism matter in books because they matter in life: a boy asking a girl if she likes anyone is really asking if she likes him. (00:00:46)
  • 2008-07-22 · OMFG CATCHER IN THE RYE!!! — John sets out to answer the common claim that reading books critically ruins them, analyzing them to death until they stop being interesting. (00:00:46)
  • 2008-07-22 · OMFG CATCHER IN THE RYE!!! — John argues people read a book because they want to, not to appease its author, and that a book becomes richer and more vibrant when read closely and thought about hard. (00:01:44)
  • 2008-08-26 · The Catcher in the Rye, Part 2 — After rereading the book, John instead wants to discuss the real purpose of symbolism, metaphor and the other tricks authors use to make readers believe in stories more deeply. (00:00:49)
  • 2008-08-26 · The Catcher in the Rye, Part 2 — John calls this the miracle of text and of non-literal communication: the hunting hat, the movies and the carousel are Holden's way into us. (00:02:45)
  • 2008-08-26 · The Catcher in the Rye, Part 2 — John answers people who say English-class analysis ruins books: it is Holden's way into us and our way out of ourselves. (00:03:15)

2010

  • 2010-01-14 · Froghoppin' with Gatsby — As he once felt math was arbitrary rules made to hurt his feelings, many people feel critical reading of literature wastes time; John argues it is not as boring and inconsequential as masters of science claim. (00:01:01)
  • 2010-01-14 · Froghoppin' with Gatsby — John argues such stupidity comes from bad reading, teaching and thinking; a liberal arts education teaches what to think about, and critical reading, like math, helps him learn what is interesting and grapple with an unjust world. (00:03:17)
  • 2010-09-20 · Life Is Like Pizza — John says that, like many 15-year-olds, Hank feels being made to look for metaphor, symbolism and theme in English class is a kind of torture. (00:00:39)
  • 2010-09-20 · Life Is Like Pizza — John says critical reading helps us understand what to think about and gives us a framework for how to think about those things. (00:00:51)
  • 2010-09-20 · Life Is Like Pizza — John says the fundamental thing all critical reading does is reveal that there are no easy definitions that distinguish 'us' from 'them'. (00:03:00)
  • 2010-09-20 · Life Is Like Pizza — John says reading with an eye toward metaphor lets us become the person we are reading about, which is why books have symbols and English teachers deserve attention. (00:03:08)
  • 2010-09-22 · Non-VIrgin...a Lexical Gap? — Hank says 33-year-old John will write a video letter to 15-year-old Hank saying the same thing about critical reading, and he will be right. (00:02:42)
  • 2010-09-22 · Non-VIrgin...a Lexical Gap? — Hank says there are many routes to choosing what and how to think (critical reading for John; statistics, population dynamics and evolutionary theory for him); what matters for a good life is getting there. (00:02:55)

2011

2012

  • 2012-07-13 · An Army of Mindless Drones — Hank says he reads books very differently from John: he thinks about what they do to him, not how, and constant analysis would keep a book from doing its work. (00:00:00)