Literature Is Us and We Are Literature: Global and Universal Perspective (original) (raw)
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Literature as a Human Universal
in Grenzen der Literatur: Zu Begriff und Phänomen des Literarischen, edited by Fotis Jannidis, Gerhard Lauer, and Simone Winko (Berlin: de Gruyter, 2009): 142-60.
The practice of making and consuming imaginative verbal artifacts appears in all known cultures. People all over the world, in all ecological and social conditions, play with the sounds and meanings of words, create imaginary worlds with intentional agents, goals, and symbolic images, and produce fantasy structures in which characters and events are linked in thematically significant ways to produce tonally modulated outcomes. All forms of cultural imagination—religious, ideological, artistic, and literary—are imbued with the passions derived from the evolved and adapted dispositions of human nature. Human action depends on the human sense of value and meaning. Literature and the other arts provide a means for making the value and meaning of experience available to the imagination.
2019
Literature and the World presents a broad and multifaceted introduction to world literature and globalization. The book provides a brief background and history of the field followed by a wide spectrum of exemplary readings and case studies from around the world. Amongst other aspects of World Literature, the authors look at: New approaches to digital humanities and world literature Ecologies of world literature Rethinking geography in a globalized world Translation Race and political economy Offering state of the art debates on world literature, this volume is a superb introduction to the field. Its critically thoughtful approach makes this the ideal guide for anyone approaching World Literature.
The marriage of literature and science might not be possible strictly speaking, but a marriage of humanities with philosophy, psychology, religion, ethics, ecology, and social studies, for instance, might well work, as a close analysis of some medieval narratives will illustrate. This paper intends to demonstrate once again what the humanities could truly mean, insofar as the discussion will not only lay bare textual elements or philological concerns, but it will also indicate how much relevant literature helps us to address crucial questions of religious, ethical, social, moral, and philosophical kinds, building powerful bridges between the past and the present. In order to test this premise even in extreme situations, here a number of medieval texts will be introduced and analyzed as to their timeless message and hence their extremely important function of creating meaning for readers/listeners both from the Middle Ages and today.
The purpose of this paper is to approach literature as a human right, by analyzing its capability of humanizing the individual and emancipating the subjects, which allows the human being to fully exist. To do so, the analysis is made from both literature's scientific and artistic production, especially based on the research by Antonio Candido, in order to assess to what extent can literature influence the individuals. Firstly, we approach the personal aspect, due to literature's humanizing character; Secondly, the psychological aspect, analyzing the role literature plays in the sublimation of drives, and, lastly, the social aspect, seen in its emancipatory potentiality. Finally, we develop the relation between the right to literature, the right to education and the right to culture. Thus, we seek to emphasize the importance of literature for people to live worthily and completely, precisely because it grants to the human being some of their humanity, which makes undeniable that literature is a human right.
Literature as the Foundation of Life and its Values
International Journal of Linguistics and Computational Applications , 2020
All of us know the importance and value of good literature in our lives. Right from the stories told by our grandmothers to the great education we receive later in life, literature plays a significant part all throughout. It influences us and makes us understand the ways of life. Narratives, in particular, inspire empathy and lend a whole new perspectives to us and that of others too. This also works with the morals induced within useither directly or by implied means. When one reads literature, one gains insight, knowledge and wisdom, refining our emotions in the process too. In fact, literature is life manifested in myriad forms. Snippets of life are recorded in a script or audio or videowhatever the manner of preserving. We read, hear or see it accordingly to connect with the slice of humanity in it and this in turn, again strengthens our mind, providing immeasurable growth, leading to abilities of thinking beyond the traditional gamut, what one could term as "outside the box". In this manner, literature is a reflection of reality, becoming a product of art when distanced and seen objectively and a window to an ideology. This paper seeks to throw light on the importance of literature and how it imparts human values, thus making it very necessary to be incorporated in each and every syllabus of almost every major stream, whether humanities, social sciences , engineering, management or sciences. The study involves a mixed-methods research design involving student and teacher interviews, avid recipients, questionnaires and lesson observations. The results were quite heartening, suggesting a positive response. The paper concludes by discussing the potential and outreach of literature to every study as well as the minds of its avid recipients, of any age-group, class or creed.
What Can Literature Do? From Literary Sociocriticism to a Critique of Social Discourse
Yale Journal of Criticism, 2004
We need to return to the eternal question concerning the "being" and the specificity of literature, but this time we need to recast it. Instead of "What is literature?" 1 we might ask "What does literature do and, from that moment onward, what can literature do?" Ever since the Decadents and the Symbolists of the s, we have been offered the dull replies of aesthetes, which was:"Literature doesn't do anything, and it can't do anything, thank God!" Furthermore, according to the poetry of Edmond Rostand, which has made a comeback in contemporary literary commentary in the form of postmodern paraphrases, a thing is even more beautiful when it's useless. 2 What does literature do, what does it work on, and, at the end of the day, given what it does, what does it know? What does it know that is not known as well, or better, in other knowledge domains? 3 Does it know something about other sectors of language production, but in a mode that is specific to it, that is, with peculiar cognitive instruments? For instance, does it know something about knowledge that is permeated with images (Bildhaftigkeit), an idea that György Lukàcs employs to distinguish literature from scientific knowledge even as he situates both on the same level, thereby rendering one a complement to the other? To take on such questions is not the same thing as posing the following, seemingly related question:"What can literature be used for?" It is by no means an a priori that this literary knowledge, if there is such a thing, should be usable in a practical or a positive sense, nor that it should be redeemable for some purpose or another. With all due respect to Rostand and his Aiglon, such negative determinations are not to be synonymous with "useless." Text sociocriticism interrogates the work of textualization (the miseen-texte) even as it refuses "formal" aestheticism and nihilism that conma r c a n g e n o t
The Impact of Literature on Society:, 2024
In the vast tapestry of human existence, literature stands as a profound mirror reflecting and shaping the complexities of our collective journey. Azareen Van Der Vliet Oloomi's introspective exploration in "Whose time are we speaking in?" unveils the intimate connection between literature and personal experience, unraveling the intricate interplay of time, language, and the profound influence of storytelling. From the nuances of individual reflections to the broader societal fabric, literature weaves a narrative that transcends temporal and cultural boundaries. As we embark on this intellectual journey, guided by the insightful perspectives of Jung and Augsburger, Simarmata, and the contemplative questioning posed by the article on literature's impact on history, we delve into the multifaceted nature of literature's transformative power. The scholarly contributions of Buell, Heise, and Thornber, as well as Koopman and Hakemulder, further enrich our exploration, bringing forth the nuanced dimensions of literature's impact on empathy, character formation, and its role in environmental and historical discourse. This research paper seeks to unravel the intricate relationship between the written word and the evolving dynamics of society, examining how literature shapes societal norms, influences collective consciousness, and acts as a bridge between diverse perspectives. In essence, the transformative tapestry of literature beckons us to traverse through time, language, and human experience, offering profound insights into its profound impact on the evolving narratives of our shared existence.