"Summary: Theory for Beginners" is a piece written to explain the importance that writers and artists have on the world. Words and stories play an important part in the evolving and creating of someone's views and standpoints on different subjects. The author, Michael Ryan, goes through 15 different ways criticism is involved in our world and everyday thinking.
The insights that had the biggest affect on me were the first and fifteenth, which happen to coincide. The general idea portrayed in both is cultural adaptation. In the writing Ryan explains that much of what we know as culture has been shaped by the stories that we, as humans, tell each other. He uses what many know as the golden rule to explain this. Those stories influence our lives and can even change what we believe and how we act. Cultural norms are created by our stories and change and adapt to the need of the majority. He goes on to explain that what stories do is help us understand how life works and organize that understanding into different categories. Who tells the stories has a huge influence on what is told and how the culture will be shaped. Stories told and words used are such a powerful influence on what people believe and how they act, criticism is necessary to change norms and keep the evolution of culture moving forward.
Ryan also makes a good point when describing how many view the world, culture and history as very one dimensional, most don't look at all of the of the events or actions that lead to the end result. For example he uses the word "terrorism" throughout the piece as a word that people us to sum up and simplify a very complex thing.
However, Ryan's verbal bash on capitalism rubbed me the wrong way. Contemporary Theory views capitalism as something that is only good for the greedy, money- hungry owning class. But what he fails to mention is all the benefits capitalism actually gives us. Sure, capitalism is based mostly on greed, but that greed between the human race creates competition, leading to what the whole piece seemed to be about, evolution and adaption. The sometimes healthy, sometimes not so healthy, competition helps advance society and changes society. Also, capitalism isn't a monarchy, you aren't always born on top, and everyone has a chance of being a part of the owning class. To be on top, you have to work to be there.
Criticism helps evolve the relationships we have among ourselves and with our world and Ryan's work helped me understand that more fully with his 15 insights to Contemporary Theory. It showed me the effects that writers and story tellers actually have on the word and it's people.
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