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Glossary of Selected Theoretical Concepts
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Abstraction, the most basic mode of altering a precursor work, and one presupposed in all other alterations. It consists in drawing on the precursor work, not in its details, but only in some more general way—from plot structure to character typology to preferences in diction. Actional presuppositions, any assumptions shared by two or more people governing mutual or cooperative action; for example, one standard actional presupposition is that, if you pass me something, you will not let go until you believe I have grasped the thing being passed. Alienating hybridity, a form of categorial identity in which one implicitly or explicitly affirms a synthesis of cultures, but finds oneself practically disconnected from both traditions in the relevant areas. Assimilation, a form of categorial identity in which one implicitly or explicitly affirms one’s relation to metropolitan tradition, and finds oneself practically integrated into (i.e., competent in) that tradition. Attentional focus, whatever occupies one’s consciousness directly at any given moment; for example, a sentence as one is uttering it. Authorial idiolectal tradition, the set of conscious and nonconscious beliefs, affinities, competencies, etc., that constitute a particular author’s understanding of tradition; equivalently, the set of lexical entries linked in an author’s idiolect in the domain of a tradition—Christian tradition, epic tradition, or whatever. In the case of literature , this would include the author’s partially tacit conception of what works constitute the common literary canon, his/her implicit interpretation of particular canonical works, his/her representational and procedural schemas for traditional genres, his/her idea of which works fall into common reference sets, and so on. Basic domain terms, those lexical items in a domain that serve to define other lexical items in the same domain; for example, “hot” and “cold” in the domain of temperature —as opposed to “frigid,” “searing,” etc. 243 Glossary of Selected Theoretical Concepts Bitraditional, having internalized two traditions, which is to say, sharing competence with the relevant groups for two traditions. Canon, in literature, the set of works generally accepted as part of a given tradition. The notion of the canon is narrower than that of domain, but broader than that of reference set. For example, the domain of epic would in principle include every epic ever written in a given tradition; the reference set would include only the paradigm epics; the canon would include the paradigms plus those epics which, though non-paradigmatic, continue to be read and studied. Caste dharma, in Sanskrit ethical theory, the ethical duties and social obligations that derive from the caste into which one is born.The duties of a priest/teacher are not those of a warrior/ruler, merchant/cultivator, or servant. Categorial identity, one’s self-concept, defined initially not by introspection, but by social attribution according to gender, family, race, ethnicity, and so on.These categories are organized into a hierarchy such that the putatively more important or definitive categories are highest. This hierarchy is a function of the degree to which particular categories are socially essentialized or functionalized. Equivalently , categorial identity is one’s lexical entry for oneself. As such, it involves an extensional component and a semantic component. The extensional component merely indicates who falls into the category. This part of an identity category is the basis of in-group/out-group definition. Thus it is functionally primary. However , it is semantically vacuous. In other words, in-group/out-group divisions are produced even by explicitly arbitrary assignment of people to groups. The semantic component includes a prototype-based definition of group members with a strong normative component (i.e., it defines “good instances” of the group—for example, what it means to be “typically Irish” or “authentically African”). In Colonialism and Cultural Identity, I have referred to this as “reflective identity.” Categorial identity is particularly to be distinguished from situational identification and practical identity. Category relevance, the bearing of an identity property on some judgment or action. This bearing may be logical/empirical or social/functional. For example, sex categories are logically and empirically relevant to reproduction, but to little else. However, they are socially functional and thus have nonlogical, nonempirical bearing on a wide range of other actions and judgments (e.g., in employment). Character, see “Literary character.” Cognitive monitoring, a process in which one focuses attention on the components of an action (including a mental action, such as empathic response) and thereby encodes those components to an unusual degree. The encoded information is compared to a goal...