Two Theories

I found the Religious Theory interesting to think about. I can read the Bible, Koran, Torah, or Bhagavad Gita as literature. They may have some interesting stories or points of view, but I just view them as stories. Someone wrote them years and years ago, and that's that. However, if you are reading these pieces of literature because you belong to a certain religion that says these are have been influenced by god then they take on a new significance. Reading the book then becomes reading the word of god. The words can then be taken more to heart and shape a large part of one's world view. It becomes more difficult to criticize some of the ideas, because you are not just talking about a book you're talking about someone's religion. It can be a very sensitive subject.

I am always interested in Feminist Theory. It's amazing to see how some texts that many people base a lot of their values from have taught people how to view women. Literature can reflect how women are viewed in certain cultures. Female characters can show stereotypical female characteristics such as submissiveness, indecisiveness, child oriented, and so on. I have read a small percentage of the world's books in my lifetime, but I could point out how women are put in to their socialized box in each of the books I have read.