Following the recent discussions in the Stephen King thread, I feel it might be a good idea to discuss what literature means for us.
What is your definition of literature?
Following the recent discussions in the Stephen King thread, I feel it might be a good idea to discuss what literature means for us.
What is your definition of literature?
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"It is not that I am mad; it is only that my head is different from yours.”
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I once took a philosophy class where we went over this for weeks. I got nowhere, and I didn't really impress anyone with my answers. I think I use a going theory of what's what, but it's so undefined that it's almost unconscious. I think my rational definition of literature would be far, far more inclusive than the definition I operate with.
Last edited by Stewed; 10-18-2011 at 02:48 PM.
Literature to me is truth that was never given the proper chance to be reality.
Literature is anything that is written, nothing more and nothing less.
I really like that definition.Originally Posted by Desolation
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Literature is an expression of "what it means to be human" put into words.
I wrote a poem on a leaf and it blew away...
Me too.
If you all really like Desolation's definition, maybe you could enlighten me by explaining what in the hell it means.
I'm going with PeterL's definition.
I like PeterL's, too, because I can call this literature:
POOP!
I'm a writer!
But then,
you used sarcasm. You manipulated words to convey a message. You did with more words a haiku would use.
I guess you wrote.
So, you are a writer.
Agree
But maybe not a good writer.
I needed a smile.
Sorry I'm a bit late on this one.....
The definition is good because it sets forth an interesting criterion. PeterL's definition - while not wholly bad - I find too broad. Desolation's suggests literature as an art form (art as truth but not reality). The one thing I suppose is that it implies that literature=fiction.....which I am a bit on the fence on, I admit.
I wrote a poem on a leaf and it blew away...
Does he suggest it is as art? But then, he would say that art is something that is not truth and unreal? What it means? That he is going by the platonic motto that art is a lie?
And Literature was art? So Gibbons, Plato, Confucio, Francis Bacon, Marco Polo, did not wrote literature?
And the definition is too broad? Since when a definition is bad because it is broad and not because it is true? Just like, what is world? The planet we live in. Oh, too broad... World is the feeling we have for place we live?
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