ABSTRACT
Walker Percy focuses on loss, particularly the loss of sovereignty or the ability to be in control of what one perceives. Notice his diction: symbolic packaging, spoliation, deprivation, specimen, sovereignty, sovereign knower, and consumer. "Sovereignty" refers to the power to act independently and without interference because a sovereign is the supreme power or authority. These terms are key to understanding how Percy thinks about scholars relationship with texts and experiences, and they deserve close attention. And no doubt, there are degrees of sovereignty, not a simple choice between becoming a sovereign knower or a consumer. Percy's argument has two main points: Symbolic packages in various forms deprive us of scholars authority as sovereign knowers, and authors need to work to recover what is lost. Phrased differently, follow Percy's lead by exploring how the symbolic packaging takes away readers' sovereignty. "Spoliation" and "deprivation" refer to the moment when symbolic packaging interferes and deprives the knower of a direct encounter.
