English Literature

Is Literature…

• A novel written by a French in 1885?

• A sermon delivered by a Scot in 1640.
• A poem developed orally by an ancient culture.
• Letters or diaries found in an attic
• The archive of an online chatroom
• Tape-recorded memories of sharecroppers
• Video documentary
• A horror movie
• All of the above
 A definition…?
• "any kind of organized human expression,
from ballet to advertising which can be
read“
• "Literature is creative writing.“
• writing which claims to be considered on
the ground of beauty of form or emotional
effect
• Working definition: stories, poems and
plays -- the literary genre as defined by
academia.
• key elements: writing (literature and letter),
beauty and emotion.
• how about the unwritten? documentaries,
movies, oral storytelling or poetry.
 Facts
• In the beginning (200 years ago), a small
elite of men studied the ancient classics in
Greek and Latin.
• The invention of the word "literature"
referring to the cultivation of reading or the
practice of writing.
• Later: narrowed into categories:
"imaginative writings," in a "language"
from a "nation"
• Literature had become a walled-in flower
garden filled with works of beauty,
pleasure and imagination.
• In some early and mid 20th century the
walls of the garden have broken down.
• Literature today generally encompasses
oral and even visual forms (film and video
being related to drama).
 What is it?
• Literature is traditionally described as
the body of writing that exists
because of its inherent imaginative
and artistic qualities.
• writings in which expression and form, in
connection with ideas of permanent and
universal interest, are characteristic or
essential features, as poetry, novels,
history, biography, and essays.
 Why Reading it?
• To seek pleasure. If there is no enjoyment
while reading a story, we will reject it
completely or leave it unfinished.
• For understanding: This
understanding comes from the
exploration of the human condition
and the revelation of human nature.
 What does it provide

• Literature shows human motives for what

they are, inviting the reader to identify with
or react to a character.
• Literature also provides form for
experience. Aside from birth and death,
real life has no beginnings or endings but
is instead a series of stories without order,
each story merging with other stories.
• Literature also may reveal life’s
fragmentation. Life is fragmented, and our
daily experience proves it. However,
literature, while it may remind us of our
own and society’s fragmentation, does not
leave us there.
• Literature can explore and suggest
attitudes toward the institutions of society.
A group of people organized for specific
purposes may become accepted as an
institution, something bigger than separate
individuals.
• Literature often reveals nature as a force
with profound influence. Our natural
environment constantly reminds us of its
effects on our lives.
 The Aspects of Literature
• The book
(The novel itself)
• The autor
• The indiviual that wrote the story
• The Characters
A person, animal or imaginary creature in
your story.
• The setting
This is where your story takes place
• The Plot
The plot of your story tells the actions and
events that take place in your story.