It can be said that literature has many different functions.

There are many different types of

literature, such as prose, theatre or poetry, and each example of these will have been written to
fulfill a specific function.
On the whole, literature is a type of entertainment, and its forms were created for the reader to
enjoy. Entertainment and escapism is one of its main functions, and this could be the reason that
many works of fiction can, at first, be related to real life, but then rapidly change. This is
demonstrated in violent thrillers, romance novels full of deceit and betrayal, or stories of other
dimensions and magic. The tales of !arnia" by #.$ %ewis, tell the story of children who find a
route through a wardrobe into another world and have dramatic adventures there. It does
however, begin with the real life setting of evacuees during the $econd &orld &ar. Entertainment
is the reason so much money is spent at the cinema each year. 'ilms are another aspect of
literature, one which takes this distraction a step further by providing the imagery that is only
described in a novel. This escape from fact into a fictional world created by the writer is an
opportunity for diversion for the reader and this is an important function.
There seems to be a good deal of doubt and confusion today about what literature is, and what its
function is. (artly because the great problems of our time have to do with social organi)ation,
and partly because of our own attendant emotional and mental turmoil, we tend to regard
imaginative writing as a social function, and to demand that it solve our problems as well as
comment on them. The current liberal attitude towards literature is very well expressed by *an
&yck +rooks in his recent essay, ,on Our %iterature Today.- $ays .r. +rooks/
, we live in a very unhappy world at present0and the public has a right to expect from its poets
and thinkers some light on the causes of our problems and the ways to a better future. 'ew
writers at present are living up to these expectations. +ut still the belief in literature persists,
because so many writers in the past have performed their true public function. ,
It is impossible not to feel a great deal of sympathy with this position. In a day when the world
seems so desperately to need ,saving-, and those who can save it so few, it appears not only
ungracious but suicidal for the man of letters to stand aloof. 'urthermore, the doctrine of letters
as a social function provides a simple and unifying scheme for a vast and amorphous
phenomenon. One examines a piece of literature in relation to the ideas and aspirations of its
time, and judges its success by the extent to which it reali)es these. %iterary criticism becomes
social interpretation.
1part from simply providing enjoyment, literature has often functioned as a mirror of its times.
Often issues can be addressed in literature that are more difficult to address elsewhere. 'or
example, literature has been used to advocate for social reforms 2e.g. 3arriet Tubman"s ,4ncle
Tom"s #abin-, (ercy $helley"s early poetry5. %iterature can also be used for social commentary,
which is often done in the form of a satire. Examples would be 6onathan $wift"s ,7ulliver"s
Travels- and ,1 .odest (roposal-. 1lso &illiam +lake"s ,The .arriage of 3eaven and 3ell-
and %ord +yron"s ,8on 6uan-. 1lthough 8on 6uan is not really classified as a satire 2as far as I
am aware5, +yron makes fre9uent use of satire in it.
.any of 8ickens works incorporated social commentary, especially on the condition of the
poor:working classes. ;uite effective really because those who could afford to buy his works
were not of this class and were exposed to the ugly underbelly of <=th c society under the guise
of enjoyable reading. Of course those who could read who were poorer often had other means of
hearing about the stories or reading them 2peering through shop windows, sharing copies, etc.5.
%iterature can also be used to explore controversial themes in a more indirect way than holding
rallies, protests, etc. Examples would be 8on 6uan 2shockingly controversial for its time with its
exploration of themes of sexuality5 > today nearly any literature that explores %7+T themes or
any other somewhat ,controversial- issues.
%iterature also has an important role in giving the reader hope. It can be used to get them through
difficult times by letting the reader relate to the protagonist of the story. These books often seem
to be written by an author who is using the book as a way of telling their own account of an
event. Tiger Eyes" by 6udy +lume and +itter 'ruit" by +rian ?eaney both deal with young
teenage girls whose father"s have died. It shows how this has affected them and could help
people going through this with dealing with the guilt and grief involved. 1 8ifferent %ife" by
%ois ?eith, is about a teenager who mysteriously becomes paralysed from the waist down. These
difficult subjects are all touchingly presented, and give an insight into an event that some people
may not have thought about.
1s education is an important function of literature, it is apparent that literature"s primary function
is for it to be a medium with which the author can put across a belief or an observation that he or
she feels needs to be made, or to inform the reader and inspire them into wanting change. In
@&hat is %iteratureA@ by 6ean>(aul $artre, he challenges anyone who thinks literature can be seen
as separate from history or society, as this is a major characteristic of literatureB to reflect the
author"s opinions of culture and it"s past. The areas of life commented upon are as varied as
politics, war, and show business or lifestyle. &ei 3ui, authoress of $hanghai +aby", has said, ,I
was looking for a voice of my generation0the gap that dives us and the older generation has
never been so wide-.