Week 1 - introduction, 21.+28.2.
WHAT IS LITERATURE?
Literature
is a term used to describe written or spoken material. Broadly
speaking, "literature" is used to describe anything from creative
writing to more technical or scientific works, but the term is most
commonly used to refer to works of the creative imagination, including
works of poetry, drama, fiction, and non-fiction.
It can be:
- writing in which expression and form are characteristic or essential features such as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essay.
- the entire body of writings of a specific language, period, or people, e.g., the literature of England.
- writing dealing with a particular subject, e.g., the literature of ornithology.
In the broadest sense, literature includes any type of writings on any subject, e.g., the literature of medicine. Usually, it means the body of artistic writings of a country or a period that are characterized by certain expressions and forms, and by universality of intellectual and emotional appeal, e.g., English literature of the 16th century.
Literature is an expression and reflection of culture. Reading is also a form of listening. You will learn a lot about most authors or their work by reading them aloud. A good start is listening to music, and trying to follow the lyrics as if they were a story.
As readers, we discover meaning in literature by looking at what the author says and how he/she says it.
Reader types
There are various types of readers. We read differently and for different purposes. Some people only run through the text, others pay attention to details. Some readers search for inspiration or knowledge, others to fill their time, for fun or to forget everyday life. Some readers look at the end first, others skip long descriptions, some sympathize with the protagonist, and others focus on action.
Common readers mainly focus on the story (action) and the characters. They follow the protagonist’s fate and read predominantly on an emotional level. They let the work affect them, making them laugh, cry, or be distressed. That means they are emotionally involved in the work. Professors as well as students of literature, should, however, read a bit differently. They are many questions to be asked: how did the writer do it? Why do I feel this way? Are the characters, setting or structure of the story similar to what I have read?
WHY DO WE READ LITERATURE?
Literature represents a language or a people – culture and tradition, however, it is not only a historical or cultural artefact. Literature introduces us to new worlds of experience. We learn from literature, we enjoy it and we may even grow and evolve through our literary journey. Literature speaks to us, it is universal, and it affects us.
Students are taught how to interpret the author´s message through the use of literary theory, using a mythological, sociological, psychological, historical or other approach.
Study questions for the seminar:
What is the function of literature?
Should be literature taught at primary and secondary schools? State your arguments.
What and why do you read?
Compare and contrast the two texts.