Notes against the empire of political correctness in literature classes

Authors

Keywords:

Roland Barthes, political correctness, literature, social function, empathy

Abstract

Dialoguing with the dossier of issue 31 of Boletín GEC and with an interview with the poet Claudia Masin, the article recalls ideas of the late Roland Barthes, who argued that literature fulfills fundamental functions for civic life because it allows us to create and listen to nuances that are absent in language and culture. Following the thread of that thought, it is argued that, in a present in which the tendency to homogenization inhibits nuances in the construction of our subjectivities, seriously weakens our ability to empathize with different people in different emotional situations, and forces us to project our lives by choosing options or pseudo-options from an increasingly restricted menu, those gifts of literature are urgent for society and the intrusion of political correctness makes it difficult for writers and teachers to do their work in peace.

Author Biography

Luis Emilio Abraham, Facultad de Filosofia y Letras, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo

Ha sido becario de la Fundación Carolina (2002-2003) y de CONICET (2005-2010). Se desempenña como docente-investigador en la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, donde tiene el cargo de profesor titular. Las áreas a las que se ha dedicado son fundamentalmente la teoría literaria, con especial atención a la teatrología, y el teatro actual en espanñol. 

https://uncu.academia.edu/LuisEmilioAbraham

References

Barthes, Roland (2004). Lo neutro: Notas de cursos y seminarios en el Collège de France, 1977-1978. México: Siglo XXI.

Simón, Gabriela (2021). “Literatura y Semiótica, espacios de matices”. Gabriela Simón (coord.), Entre matices: Notas sobre literatura argentina y latinoamericana contemporáneas. San Juan: Universidad Nacional de San Juan. 7-17.

Published

29-06-2023

How to Cite

Abraham, L. E. (2023). Notes against the empire of political correctness in literature classes. Boletín GEC, (31), 7–11. Retrieved from https://revistas.uncu.edu.ar/ojs3/index.php/boletingec/article/view/6912