mamato3 all-boy boys Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 At the middle and high school levels, Tapestry of Grace uses the literary term "experiment in living" to talk about "A choice that a character makes to act and live according to particular beliefs." As the plot develops, of course, the reader has a front row seat to observer how this experiment worked out for him. Literature was never my thing in the first place so it doesn't surprise me that I don't recall this term from high school or college (let alone they were a long time ago!). But I just did a quick google search and only see the term in reference to TOG. This makes me wonder if the term is unique to TOG or if this is used outside of TOG by another name. Thanks to anyone who can help me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizaG Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 "Experiments in living" is a term used in J. S. Mill's On Liberty. Not sure if that helps at all. (I've never seen this used as a literary term, either.) ETA: Just checked, and he actually calls them "experiments of living." But the meaning is similar to the way TOG is using the phrase, except that he's writing about real life, not literature. So I'm guessing there's a connection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamato3 all-boy boys Posted December 16, 2012 Author Share Posted December 16, 2012 Oh, this is great, ElizaGrace! Thank you for pointing me in the right direction. Off to read! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayne J Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 I majored in English Literature and I have never heard the term before. It may be newer--I took my degree 15 years ago, but I can't find any literary uses of the term outside of TOG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 I use TOG and I agree with urpedonmommy. It is a TOG only term. If you have multiple year plans, hunt it up in the Year One plan in the R level discussions and literature notes. It's an excellent tool to use for analysis, but it is their's as far as I can tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reya Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 It's not a literary term. :) ETA: I memorized the entirety of a literary dictionary in high school for lit crit competitions. Yes, there are such a thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readinmom Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I would agree that it's more of a "concept" than a literary term. I remember when a professor kept referring to the character experiencing a "dark night of the soul"...everyone kept pouring through the lit book for explanation until someone finally felt compelled to ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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