love reading.

After reading Jacob's essay about charitable reading, I was faced with this issue of showing love towards a text and the author of that text. Frankly, this theory was an entirely new concept for me. Jacobs has moved past the Christian mindset and created a framework in which all texts are placed. However, the first question I had for Jacobs involved whether or not it is possible for a reader to completely empty themselves of preconceived notions and approach a text without biases.
According to Barbara Hernstein-Smith, it is impossible. Readers bring experiences and their own ideas to the interpretation process. For example, like we discussed in class, the girl who likes specific genres because the boy she admires does, or because her parents did not approve of it. Similarly, if one's economic status is not prestigious then as generally believed your ideas about what should be said or written about is particular. Jacobs ask readers to set aside all of this and open one's heart to let the text alone work internally, thus changing our lives. This, to Jacobs, is what love of the author and text is...emptying.
However, I would agree with Dr. Pete Powers essay that addresses the idea of what love actually is. The idea of loving others and the complexities involved stem from ourselves as human beings that we are to love as well and the differences of perception everyone has, emptying or not. If I were to address someone, who empties themselves as I spoke, read etc...it would be a dull conversation. They would have nothing to say ecxept what I had just stated, becasue they emptied themselves and have nothing original or personal to challenge me with. THis would make conversation dull and uninviting. Readers must be full and full to the hilt with experiences and personal experiences to share. The act of sharing these experiences lovingly or what have you is in fact the charitable reading that needs to occur for the advancement of readers and writers alike. One must be critical and as the verse in Proverbs states, "man sharpens man". This cannot be achieved without conflict, discussion or further agreement.
Another issue brought up by Jacob's essay is the idea that charity is something that I believe cannot be attributed ot reading. As discussed in class, charity and love from what I undersatnd the Christian belief is should be directed at the producer or author of a text, not the products of their labor. It seems Jacobs has confused the text with the love and charity meant for humans.