Diffractive Reading

This book offers a fresh perspective on reading, emphasizing the material and discursive entanglements that shape our understanding of texts and their contexts, as explored in Diffractive Reading.

In Diffractive Reading, the author employs the New Materialist concept of diffraction to explore the practice of reading through a series of innovative analyses. This volume challenges traditional approaches by examining cultural texts not just for their contents and themes, but also in relation to their readers and other texts. By doing so, the book proposes a critical intervention that redefines how we understand reading itself, emphasizing the interconnectedness of matter and discourse.

The exploration within Diffractive Reading delves into the materiality of reading methodologies, suggesting that our experiences with texts are always influenced by the complex interplay of various factors. The author revisits the history of literary and cultural reading, particularly through the lens of poststructuralism and critical theory, to illuminate how these frameworks can be reimagined. This fresh perspective encourages readers to see the relationship between the world and reading as deeply intertwined rather than separate.

Ultimately, Diffractive Reading presents a transformative view of reading, critiquing traditional critical paradigms that distance the reader from the text. It highlights how each reading represents distinct 'agential cuts' within the intricate constellation of text, reader, and world, which is both discursive and material. By doing so, the volume not only redefines reading as an active, dynamic process but also underscores its role in shaping the world we inhabit.