Macherey

“It is this rupture which must be studied” (23). Here Macherey is talking about the gap in the text. The rupture is the idea of a gap in the meaning of the text and the understanding. As humans our minds fill in gaps independently, whether or not they are in accordance with the original point of the author. This leads into Macherey’s point of how they reader and the writer are equally distant in their understanding of the text. Macherey says that the most important thing in the text, is what’s not being said. Understanding what is not being said is crucial to understanding the greater concept. This really makes me think about my interpretations of text, and the visuals I see in my daily life. It also shines a light on the erasure of events in our history. For instance, we all look at the holocaust and study it throughout high school, however what is not said here is what is actually most interesting. What is left out is the fact that the US had containment camps for the Japanese. While they were not slaved to death as the Nazi’s did to the Jews, it is a relatable concept. The difference in understanding also comes into play here in a very large way. What I understand the gap as may be completely different than my peer, therefore, can we every obtain a true, legitimate and valid understanding of what any text is trying to say? This is Macherey’s theory of the ordinary critic, or someone removed from the idea behind the text who expresses his or her knowledge of what the text is trying to say. We are in a sense, all ordinary critics.