Harry Blamires (1916–2017)
Author of The New Bloomsday Book
About the Author
Harry Blamires is a highly respected teacher and author of important works including The Christian Mind and The Tyranny of Time.
Image credit: Harry Blamires 1998 By FloreBlam - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64361260
Works by Harry Blamires
Repair the ruins; reflections on educational matters from the Christian point of view (1950) 5 copies
A defence of dogmatism 3 copies
Bloomsday Kitabı - Adım Adım Ulysses 3 copies
English in education 1 copy
The Christian Mind. 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1916-11-06
- Date of death
- 2017-11-21
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK
- Places of residence
- England, UK
- Occupations
- theologian
literary critic
novelist
teacher - Relationships
- Lewis, C. S. (tutor)
- Organizations
- King Alfred's College, Winchester (head of the English department)
Members
Reviews
Lists
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Statistics
- Works
- 45
- Members
- 2,620
- Popularity
- #9,799
- Rating
- 3.6
- Reviews
- 24
- ISBNs
- 107
- Languages
- 3
- Favorited
- 2
A question that did come to mind in reading Blamires was what is the distinction (if any) between providing information/context on a work and interpreting a work. Blamires does both.
In all honesty, I lack the expertise, intellect, and/or credentials to credibly challenge Blamires' interpretations of Ulysses. Yet, I do begin to chafe when Blamires begins to "interpret" and provide the "meaning" of sections. One could say, reasonably, that if I don't want interpretation, don’t read a "guide". I accept that charge.
However, that does leave me with another question. What is the validity of "interpreting" works of fiction? And, is a novel meant to be decoded or simply experienced? Is the author simply dressing up for show her/his theories and/or perspectives in the wardrobe of elaborate prose and plotting? Or, could it be that the author actually intends the ambiguity produced in their work as it reflects the ambiguity of life/experience? Do we do a disservice to the author and the work when we provide exegesis? Do we create the illusion of orthodox and heterodox interpretations of a work?
I lean to the position of experiencing the work. But I also realize that my extremely meager formal education in literature probably both supports and requires that position.… (more)