Literature and its utility

[blazeofglory]

We live in a world full of chaos and seek for order. We are in a state of confusion and sheets of clouds enwraps us and we pine for clarity. We find ourselves sieged and encirculed by suspicions and doubts and we crave for trust.

Literature is something that orders and harmoniozes our life, and gives it a meaning, a kind of vitality.

Art is what makes us complete. It charges us with emotion, passion, compassion giving it a lot of vibrancy.

Life without literature is a mountain without plants, rivers and drivulets, a completey waste land. Literature manures it and sows seeds o fvitality.

Literature is a great gift given to man so that he can lift up himslef spiritually.

[Virgil]

We live in a world full of chaos and seek for order. We are in a state of confusion and sheets of clouds enwraps us and we pine for clarity. We find ourselves sieged and encirculed by suspicions and doubts and we crave for trust.

Literature is something that orders and harmoniozes our life, and gives it a meaning, a kind of vitality.

Art is what makes us complete. It charges us with emotion, passion, compassion giving it a lot of vibrancy.

Life without literature is a mountain without plants, rivers and drivulets, a completey waste land. Literature manures it and sows seeds o fvitality.

Literature is a great gift given to man so that he can lift up himslef spiritually.

Well, here I agree with you Blaze. :thumbs_up Literature, in fact all forms of art, is a great gift that will help us understand himself and his spirituality.

[Cassiel240]

Interesting. I was thinking something similar this morning as I was running (I often have such profound thoughts when I run, but I am never sure if they are really profound or if they just appear to glow because of hypoxia and dehydration). It occurred to me that literature is, literally, the stories we tell ourselves about how things are, why they are, and what we suspect will become of them. Art in general is this. I'm sure I'm not the first person to think this and I'm sure someone has said it much better than I have here, but as someone who has been searching for a justification for literature study, if you will, this was like an awakening. One of the first steps toward changing the world into something we like better is recognizing the stories we tell ourselves about it and deciding which are or are not accurate, useful, good, or true.
I'm currently studying Milton's Paradise Lost, and one simple example of the above is in Milton's portrayal of Eve. The image of woman as being capable of understanding higher discourse and yet choosing not to, of preferring to hear everything from her husband's lips, of finding all her purpose in adoring the image of God in him, is a story he (and others of his day, I'm sure) could tell himself about what women were like and how they should be. Many would now recognize a lot of Eve's attributes, if read in a certain way, to be pretty repulsive. We recognize that what we used to tell ourselves about women isn't true: reflected in Milton's writing, we can see how inaccurate that old story is.
Ahem. Just my .02. :)

[Virgil]

Good post Cassiel. I agree. I also get ideas under dehydration stress. :alien: ;)

[Liocha]

Kierkegaard once wrote in his journal that through literature the reader absorbs facts, emotions or feelings of a character and puts them in parallel with his own life. As such, he finds a second way to dream and in some way becomes the own author of the book he is reading. For me the use of literature is to absorb the reader in its magic ( when of course he writer is talented enough to produce this kind of feeling and atmosphere), to "lift one up spiritually" as you say blazeofglory and to sink the reader in a world where time nor everyday-life problems do not exist.

[JJLuke]

We are the characters in our own novels, slowly being written throughout are lives.

[Stieg]

Great literature is simply "lightning in the bottle" for readers.

To use the sentimental cliche, a treasure and gift imparted to the human soul. Sappy I know but it seams to fit nicely.

It sorta depresses me when I encounter people that have zero nada interest in reading.

[bibliophile190]

We live in a world full of chaos and seek for order. We are in a state of confusion and sheets of clouds enwraps us and we pine for clarity. We find ourselves sieged and encirculed by suspicions and doubts and we crave for trust.

Literature is something that orders and harmoniozes our life, and gives it a meaning, a kind of vitality.

Art is what makes us complete. It charges us with emotion, passion, compassion giving it a lot of vibrancy.

Life without literature is a mountain without plants, rivers and drivulets, a completey waste land. Literature manures it and sows seeds o fvitality.

Literature is a great gift given to man so that he can lift up himslef spiritually.




Amazing! For once I'm agreeing with one of your posts!:D

[bibliophile190]

Great literature is simply "lightning in the bottle" for readers.

To use the sentimental cliche, a treasure and gift imparted to the human soul. Sappy I know but it seams to fit nicely.

It sorta depresses me when I encounter people that have zero nada interest in reading.





I know how you feel. Hardly any of my friends read at all. It's really frustrating when I want to discuss a book with my friends, but know that they won't care at all.

[Stieg]

I know how you feel. Hardly any of my friends read at all. It's really frustrating when I want to discuss a book with my friends, but know that they won't care at all.

Yeah, those blank expressions never fail to make me jump. ;)

[JJLuke]

I know how you feel. Hardly any of my friends read at all. It's really frustrating when I want to discuss a book with my friends, but know that they won't care at all.

I don't think any of us would be on the internet if we had friends that read.

[monellia]

Literature is there for us to learn from. By reading different texts written by different authors, we are enabled to gain an extended insight into the human experience, and observe from a diverse range of perspectives. We may attain comfort, clarity and confidence from such process. To leave your imprint upon the world in literary form is to add to the aforementioned diversity, to allow present and future registrants to consider, enjoy or learn from your personal contribution. Literature distinguishes itself from film in that while book is a direct representation of an individual's perspective, a number of people are required to relate a film (hence impairing the intended impact of it's creator).

From "Dead Poet's Society":

We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?" Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?

[Aiculík]

Hmmm... I don't know... though I love literature, I can't say it gives my life the meaning, or that my life would be waste without it. It does enrich my life, though to express how and why is quite difficult. Without it, my life would be duller, and somehow emptier, but definitely not meaningles, or quite empty and dull.

Literature is one form of Art and we need it as we need Art. But then, there are many forms of Art, and no one can say that one is "the best". I mean, some people may not read at all, but they may be interesteting in music, or theatre, or paintings... whatever. I have a friend who read maybe ten books in whole life, but she's been singing in the orcherstra since she was six, studied music and now plays organ - and she is always surprised how can I live without constantly listening some CD, unable to distinguish classics like Chopin from Debussy... As she says, I live poor life, reading about life and experience of other people, who never even existed, instead of enjoying my own life, which could be so much more interesting and rich if I cared about music more. :D

But even if the Art makes life more colourful and interesting, it still doesn't mean that the life without it is meaningless... I guess "meaning of life" is more related with religion and philosophy than with Art. It depends on what type of man you are, what are your interests...

[tudwell]

I sort of agree with Aiculik. Maybe it's my atheism, but I don't find much "spirituality" in reading. I just... love it. I don't really know why. But I love reading literature and writing literature and talking about literature and everything else about literature. I guess in a way it "completes" me and gives my life meaning... but without it, I would have plenty of other things to spend my life doing. So I guess it's not terribly special.

I think they primary goal of literature is to entertain. You can add in all the philosophy and social criticism and what-not, but if the book doesn't flow well or is too difficult to read, no one is going to read it. I read primarily for the aesthetic value of reading. I marvel over the sentences crafted by some of my favorite authors. All the profound ideas contained in the text are just icing on the cake. It amazes me how deftly some people can expound upon deep philosophical or social concerns while still maintaining an enjoyable read. Others (DeLillo, I'm looking at you!) tend to let their ideas interfere with the story, and that turns me off.

[Wilhelm]

For me, literature is not something that comforts me or offers me another "world" to escape to from time to time. Reading generally has given me more insight in human nature and in different ways of reasoning. It does not affect me in a direct way, but shows me alternative perspectives. Therefore, it prevents me from having a too 'solid'/constant world view, and keeps my mind fresh.

[blazeofglory]

For me, literature is not something that comforts me or offers me another "world" to escape to from time to time. Reading generally has given me more insight in human nature and in different ways of reasoning. It does not affect me in a direct way, but shows me alternative perspectives. Therefore, it prevents me from having a too 'solid'/constant world view, and keeps my mind fresh.

This proves literature has utility in some way. Literature in fact stirs within us a kind of storm and that sweeps us away anywhere. I do not say read this and read that. And in thi sage of liberty everyone is at liberty choose his or her own from many sources of reading.

Yet I affirm that writers have some accountabiliies. At times medias create havocks and so do some books. But I never say writers should be censored. No writers must be free. However this is better if writers follow codes or ethics. Every profession has ethics of it own and there is a barrier and all of us must stay within, ethically speaking. This is what I feel and I do not say someone has to follow me.