Identity

Identity
When reading texts, students will encounter and interact with a multiplicity of perspectives, voices and characters. It is usual when reading and interpreting a text to assume that the views are to some extent representative of the writer’s identity. However, the relationship between an author and the different perspectives and voices they assume in the texts is frequently complex, and this makes the concept of identity an elusive one. The figure that emerges from the reading of various texts by the same author adds to the complexity of the discussion. Conversely, the ways in which the identity of a reader comes into play at the moment of reading a text are equally central to the analysis of the act of reading and interpretation.

The concept of identity is central our lives and to the study of the English A: Langauge and Literature course. In the study of the course, students will encounter many characters and voices in the works and texts they study. Hopefully, exposure to a variety of perspectives ranged across time and space will both confirm and challenge the views of students. Students are also likely to consider the role of authorship in writing - how does the identity of a writer influence their works and texts? - and they will consider how their own identity as readers shapes their understanding of works and texts.