Can we have literature without imagination?

[blazeofglory]

Somewhere between imagination and literature there is some deep seated relationship. Maybe without imagination we will not dream or without dreams we can not imagine.

Imagine life without dreams and imagination.

It is a matter of degrees alone when we compare the range of our imaginations and the same of animals.

Both are natural beings and man has widened his horizon of experiences and animals dwell limitedly in the domain of their imagination.

Imagination matters more than reality, for to imagine of achieving or dreaming of something is sweeter than achieving it. When you dream of getting awarded or the very dream enthralls it more than alighting on the attainment.

[Jeroun]

I think there can be literature without imagination. (Some non-fiction perhaps) That literature would be extremely poor, far less interesting though. Most readers like to get 'lost' in the story for hours on an end: this will happen less if there is no imagination. Writers would have to restrict themselves to the things that can happen in reality. They would have to write about the things that they experienced. Example: A male writer couldn't write a book that has a woman as the main character because without imagination he couldn't 'imagine' how she would feel.

So literature can exist without it but it wouldn't be as exciting, interesting, etc.

[Morten]

No. Literature would be dull, boring, tedious and - forgive the obvious - unimaginative without fiction. Fiction is, of course, dependent upon imagination and one can't have one without the other.

[PeterL]

Before I can reply to that question I would have to know what you mean by "imagination". That word seems to refer to several concepts.

[Gadget Girl]

The main reason why I read literature is because I could imagine what is happening currently in the book and that helps reading happier and better. I couldn't think of something that I am reading, but I can't imagine. I mean, what will be the beauty of it without even thinking what you are reading?

I believe that literature will still exist, but it's still has no use without the imagination.