What is Literature: A Difficult Concept

Defining what literature is has always been met with great difficulty. Establishing a specific definition is indeed a task. Nonetheless, this essay is an attempt to define and characterize literature by taking in consideration the different meanings of the word. Literature is therefore a universal and timeless written body of texts which offers a glimpse in human history through specific genres, as characterized by the significant use of language and is subject to various readings and interpretations. Literature is universal and timeless.

According to Wellek, literature consists of “all writing of quality with any pretense to permanence” (qtd. in Hernandi 20). The best literary works stand the test of time; those that were written many years ago are still being studied by the present generation. The past issues and concerns that are being addressed in literature are still applicable today. For example, the bulk of the plays and other works of William Shakespeare were written in between the 16th and 17th century.

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Despite this, Shakespearean texts and its inherent themes are still being studied in academic institutions all over the world.

Literature is a written body of texts. While it is true that literature had its origins in oral tradition, most works of distinguished literature are written (Meyer 4). In fact, Meyer considers being written as the “most basic characteristic of literature” (4). Indeed, the best examples of literature are written and published. Literature offers a glimpse in human history. According to McFadden, literature is a “canon which consists of those works in language by which a community defines itself through the course of history” (qtd.

in Hernandi 56).

Every author is situated in a particular era in history. A writer’s place in time directly influences the kind of literature they write. The outcome is therefore a testament to the era or environment they lived in. The reader of literature would then be able to learn about a specific time in human history and the conditions of society during that time. This is one of the reasons why literature is read and studied. Reading and studying literature allows the reader or student to learn more about a particular era or culture. One great example would be The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a testament to the excess and moral decay of the Jazz Age. Literature is categorized in specific genres and is characterized by the significant use of language. Most well-known works of literature usually fall under the following the genres: drama, poetry or prose fiction (Meyer 4). However, it is important to note that there are those which are considered literary works but do not fall under these given categories. While new categories have emerged, the aforementioned categories are still known to be the “best examples” of literature (Meyer 4).

In addition, literature is distinguished by the likes of “metaphors, elegant syntax, rhyme, alliteration and meter” (Meyer 4). Literature is subject to various readings. Rosenblatt differentiates between nonaesthetic and aesthetic reading. In the former, the focus of the reader is the outcome of the reading. This kind of reading also offers another reason why literature should be read or studied. After nonaesthetic reading, there is information or new knowledge to be derived. As for aesthetic reading, the focus is on the actual event of reading.

Rosenblatt maintains that the “reader’s attention is centered directly on what he is living through during his relationship with that particular text” (25). Lastly, literature is subject to different interpretations. According to Blakemore, “Sometimes the speaker’s intentions are less determinate so the hearer is simply encouraged to think along certain lines without necessarily coming to any specific conclusion” (168). Authors often do not convey their messages directly. They leave room for the readers to discover the meaning for themselves by reading between the lines.

There are times when it is not really the intention of the author to relay a message (Meyer 7). It is the reader which will provide the meaning. It is in this context where one can determine the purpose for writing about literature. Reading literature is an experience, but writing about it creates another experience. Those who write about literature offer meanings that may not have been directly indicated in the text. In the process, it adds to the work of literature, for varied interpretations of different readers will create a canon to define that literary piece.

Again, literature is a universal and timeless written body of texts which offers a glimpse in human history through specific genres, as characterized by the significant use of language and is subject to various readings and interpretations. It is read and studied because not only does it offer valuable information, it also promotes understanding of a specific time in human history. It is written about because it promotes individual thinking in determining what the text is all about, without the author directly stating it. Hence, literature is indeed significant in more ways than one.