why study literature? what do you think??

[omzar]

hi everyone
I'm new to this forum so please forgive me if im posting in the wrong thread.
anyways, i was talking to my English teacher about how literature offers us possibilities and how it is our choice to deny of accept these possibilities. But then she asked, what is the real question? how does literature help us understand ourselves? I really don't understand what she is asking and i want to know what you guys think.

[Mark F.]

Why study anything?

[Jean-Baptiste]

Welcome to the forums, omzar! I think what your teacher is trying to get at is that we are all human, and literature was written by humans, usually about humans, and can therefore give us insight and perspective on what it is to be human. Of course, there is always some form of interpretation to be done to fit the particular perspective into our own experience; we have to make an effort to empathize with the things related in literature, and by doing so we come to a better understanding of our own position as it contrasts or corresponds with that of the literature. Does this sound like a plausible explanation? Again, welcome.

[EAP]

Literature is the expression of ideas. Humankind studies ideas.


^

One possible explaination.

Personally, I think B.A in (your choosen) Literature is the most pointless degree possible at university level.

[PeterL]

i was talking to my English teacher about how literature offers us possibilities and how it is our choice to deny of accept these possibilities. But then she asked, what is the real question? how does literature help us understand ourselves?

Good literature shows about what it is to be human. Rather than describing the objectively clear things about humanity, literature shows nuances, the barely definable things; it is a reflection of life in a light that we don't often see. Bad literature, on the other hand, describes the commonplace in commonplace terms, so it is a reflection of what we already see every day. For example, Slaughterhouse Five doesn't say that we have no choice about anything in our lives, but Vonnegut shows that Billy Pilgrim's life was predetermined.

[bluevictim]

why study literature? what do you think??
To impress the chicks.

[jon1jt]

we study literature (and poetry) because we are members of the human race. literature doesn't offer possibilities, it provokes us to realize our own.

[EAP]

To impress the chicks.


:thumbs_up

Definitely.

[bluevictim]

:thumbs_up

Definitely.and the fat paychecks.

[alec_ritchie]

Because literature teaches us things that no other academic text can...

How to live...how to laugh...HOW TO LOVE!!!!

[omzar]

Thanks to everyone for sharing their views.
So this is what i think so far,
Humans are arrogant beings, they only believe what they want to believe. Literature presents them with possibilities that goes against or disproves their beliefs (for example: the story of Horus has many similarities to Jesus but was written before Jesus' time, therefore showing the possibility that Jesus' story copied Horus' and is false). It is their choice whether to continue believing in what they already do or to accept the possibilities that literature presents.
So the my questions are:
1. why would a person choose to continue believing their own beliefs and deny/reject the possibility that it is false.
2. why would a person choose to accept the possibility and deny their beliefs

thanks again for everyone's response

[Felissa]

Study literature only if you really like it. It takes patience to read sometimes good books that to you don't seem so good.

[PeterL]

1. why would a person choose to continue believing their own beliefs and deny/reject the possibility that it is false.
2. why would a person choose to accept the possibility and deny their beliefs


The answers to both question are the same. Humans have serious problems with self-delusion and self-deception. People believe what seems pleasant. Pleasantness is determined by genetic factors that lead toward reproduction.

[Mark F.]

Humans aren't arrogant, don't say generaltruths like they only believe what they want to...The fact is that good literature (the same with good art) raises questions about life in general, study if you're prepared to think about those questions and don't mind never answering them.

[Redzeppelin]

From an essay by Laurence Perrine (college anthology editor):

ESCAPE LITERATURE is that written purely for entertainment – to help us pass the time agreeably. INTERPRETIVE LITERATURE is written to broaden and deepen and sharpen our awareness of life. Escape literature takes us away from the real world: it enables us temporarily to forget our troubles. Interpretive literature takes us, through the imagination, deeper into the real world: it enables us to understand our troubles. Escape literature has as its only object pleasure. Interpretive literature has as its object pleasure plus understanding.

[EAP]

^

That's the kind of bull**** that sullies the enjoyment of readers and has people avoiding reading like a plague because some winner forced them to read authors like Joyce or Stendhal instead of better, accessible ones like Harper Lee, Agatha Christie or Tolkien. I can come with fifty thousand different categories of my own, but the fact remains - at the end there's only good literature and bad literature.

[Jean-Baptiste]

^

That's the kind of bull**** that sullies the enjoyment of readers and has people avoiding reading like a plague because some winner forced them to read authors like Joyce or Stendhal instead of better, accessible ones like Harper Lee, Agatha Christie or Tolkien. I can come with fifty thousand different categories of my own, but the fact remains - at the end there's only good literature and bad literature.

I'm not sure how to take your contemning assertion that people must be forced to read authors like Joyce. He is definitely one of my favorite authors, and I was certainly not forced to read his work. Not to say that the other authors you mention are less valuable, but I see no reason to assume that they are necessarily more appealing than more complicated writers. I don't think that Red was suggesting that Christie and Tolkien are necessarily included in the "escape" catagory. Are you placing Joyce in the "bad literature" catagory? Are you doing so because you were forced to read him, and resent that?


So this is what i think so far,
Humans are arrogant beings, they only believe what they want to believe. Literature presents them with possibilities that goes against or disproves their beliefs (for example: the story of Horus has many similarities to Jesus but was written before Jesus' time, therefore showing the possibility that Jesus' story copied Horus' and is false). It is their choice whether to continue believing in what they already do or to accept the possibilities that literature presents.
So the my questions are:
1. why would a person choose to continue believing their own beliefs and deny/reject the possibility that it is false.
2. why would a person choose to accept the possibility and deny their beliefs

This example seems to have more to do with historical documentation than fictional representation. Is this what you are considering to be of more value in literature, that a piece can confirm or disprove an historical postulate? If so, I think you're missing the point of literature. As a slipshod way of answering this query, I would say that the example does not prove anything, for you are neglecting to consider coincidence. What is there inherent in the example of the Jesus and Horus connection that could possibly and necessarily prove or disprove anything? Nothing. Therefore, it's not about accepting or denying anything, but merely a value judgement based on authority. If you were looking at it from a literary perspective, you would be asking what is inherent in these two coinciding accounts that is of value to humanity, not whether they are somehow mutually exclusive. That is for the historian to sort out.

[EAP]

I'm not sure how to take your contemning assertion that people must be forced to read authors like Joyce.

I did not say people must be forced to read authors like Joyce. Please do not put words into my mouth. There are quite a few people around who enjoy Ulysses, however, there are a lot of others who had to read it due to college courses and ended up hating it. The focus here isn't on the merits of Ulysses, non-existant as they are, but the mentality that causes people to divide stuff into high-brow and low-brow literature, with a particular emphasis on disdaining narratives with a linear storyline and ease of reading.

Agatha Christie is one of the best-selling writers of all time. That alone is a testament to the enjoyment people drive out of her work. Tolkien follows closely on her heels; LOTR and Hobbit have become part of the culture in several countries - their popularity has continued unabated during the last fifty years. I need not say anything about To Kill a Mockingbird,
among the most moving books ever penned. One of the reasons these books are extremely popular is because they are accessible.

Comparative, I know very few people who picked up Ulysses on their own and managed to finished it. I have tried reading Ulysses several times and given up due to boredom. I cannot for the life of me understand why it is considered a staple of excellent literature. And yeah, I consider Ulysses bad literature mainly because of its inaccessibility.

[Ella 87]

Thanks to everyone for sharing their views.
So this is what i think so far,
Humans are arrogant beings, they only believe what they want to believe. Literature presents them with possibilities that goes against or disproves their beliefs (for example: the story of Horus has many similarities to Jesus but was written before Jesus' time, therefore showing the possibility that Jesus' story copied Horus' and is false). It is their choice whether to continue believing in what they already do or to accept the possibilities that literature presents. So the my questions are:
1. why would a person choose to continue believing their own beliefs and deny/reject the possibility that it is false.
2. why would a person choose to accept the possibility and deny their beliefs


Well don't you seem angry, my dear.

There's this thing called faith. People rest their entire lives on faith. With faith, you just believe.

Basically, in my view, beliefs fit into either one of these two categories:

Believing is seeing,
or
Seeing is believing.

Those of us who require evidence, and can change our minds about things when presented with ideas and information that somehow 'beats' what we held to be true previously, understand that seeing is believing.

However, for those of us who rely on faith seeing is believing.

HA. Does that even make sense to anyone but me?! :idea:

[cuppajoe_9]

Why study literature?

Because I'm bad at math.

[olichka]

Why study music, dance, or other forms of art ? They're all forms of self--expression, they enrich and refine us.

So with literature: it's self-expression and not just for the creators of literature, but also for the readers, providing CATHARSIS for both the creator and the appreciator. When reading, we identify with the characters, events or ideas and through that process we either let go of our tensions, frustrations, or acquire new experiences or impressions.

Literature teaches us how to think, improves our verbal expression and in some cases helps us understand ourselves better. Mostly, it validates and offers insight into our experiences.

[genoveva]

Personally, I think B.A in (your choosen) Literature is the most pointless degree possible at university level.

Well, you should study what you love!;)

[genoveva]

People believe what seems pleasant. Pleasantness is determined by genetic factors that lead toward reproduction.

Huh? Pleasantness is genetic? Where do you come up with this? Can you offer some evidence? :confused:

[genoveva]

Literature teaches us how to think

Nice!:thumbs_up

[Woland]

Why study literature?

Because I'm bad at math.

Because it's much more interesting than math :crash:

[olichka]

Well, you should study what you love!;)

Great statement ! I agree with you wholeheardtedly ! If a person loves reading great literature, loves to analyze it and loves to write, they should definitely study it ! :thumbs_up