One purpose of LITERARY CRITICISM is described below: A formalist approach might enable us to choose between a reading which sees the dissolution of society in Lord of the Flies as being caused by too strict a suppression of the "bestial" side of man and one which sees it as resulting from too little suppression. We can look to the text and ask: What textual evidence is there for the suppression or indulgence of the "bestial" side of man? Does Ralph suppress Jack when he tries to indulge his bestial side in hunting? Does it appear from the text that an imposition of stricter law and order would have prevented the breakdown? Did it work in the "grownup" world of the novel? What purpose does this prescribe to ?
Correct answer: B. To help decide which is the better of two conflicting readings.
- A. To help resolve a question, problem, or difficulty in the reading.
- B. To help decide which is the better of two conflicting readings.
- C. To enable to form judgments about literature.
- D. All of the above answers are correct.
Explanation
The passage sets two competing interpretations of Lord of the Flies against each other and proposes testing them against textual evidence. That is the purpose of deciding which of two conflicting readings is stronger.
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