What is Literature

Question 1

What are the OED Defintions of Literature?

Answer 1

1. Knowing Letters or Books: Knowledge from reading and studying books, especially classical texts.
2. Writing and Authorship: The act of writing, literary output, or the profession of an author or scholar.
3. Literary Works:

   * a) Written works collectively, often grouped by country, period, genre, or studied as a subject.
   * b) Works valued for superior or lasting artistic merit.

4. Non-fictional Writings: focused on a specific subject.
5. Printed Materials: Any printed matter, such as brochures or leaflets, often for advertising or informational purposes (even a shopping list).

Question 2

What is the difference between broad and narrow definitons of literature?

Answer 2

Broad: All written works.

• excludes oral literature

Narrow: Focuses on poetic and imaginative texts.

• no consensus about the narrow definition
• Differentiated in normative (quality: high/low literature -> mostly avoided) and descriptive (fictionality)

Question 3

What’s the difference between Mimesis and Poesis?

Answer 3

Mimesis:

• Literature as imitation of reality

Poesis:

• the creation of new realities.

But:

• No pure mimesis or poesis -> dynamic interplay of both
• E.g. Harry Potter

Question 4

What is fictionality?

Answer 4

Fictionality: Central to literary texts, fictionality refers to the fabricated nature of the presented worlds.

• Aesthetic Conventions: Readers approach literary texts with an understanding of aesthetic conventions, suspending disbelief
• Signals for fictionality: “Once upon a time”, representation of consciousness

Question 5

What’s the difference between text-intrinisc and context oriented approaches?

Answer 5

Text intrinsic: everything inside the text

Context oriented: Everything outside the text

Question 6

How does one interpret Literature?

Answer 6

Textual analysis:

• describing formal characteristics

Textual interpretation:

• Exploring potential meanings

Hermeneutics:

• mix of both
• looking at grammar/rhetorical analysis and figurative meanings
• Hermeneutic Circle: reciprocal relationship between parts and the whole of the text

Question 7

What is Polyvalence?

Answer 7

• polyvalence = ambiguity
• when literature texts allow interpretations (thanks to internal ambiguity)
• when polyvalency occurs it’s a sign of quality

Question 8

What are the Functions of Language (Roman Jakobson Communication Model)?

Answer 8

• Emotive function: Expresses the speaker’s feelings or attitudes.
• Conative function: Directs language towards influencing or commanding the receiver.
• Referential function: Focuses on conveying information about the context or subject.
• Phatic function: Aims to establish or maintain communication, often through small talk.
• Metalingual function: Refers to the use of language to discuss or clarify language itself.
• Poetic function: Emphasizes the aesthetic quality and form of language within the message.

Question 9

What is the communication Modell?

Answer 9

• Author -> produces
• Reader -> receives
• Medium -> book
• Message -> Literary Works (polyvalence)
• Publishers -> Mediators
• Code -> same language understanding of subject between addresser and addressee
• Context -> References to historical or contemporary reality

Question 10

What are the approaches to Literature?

Answer 10

Text-Oriented Approaches

• Focus: Thematic, formal, and linguistic characteristics of texts, often disregarding context.
• Example: Analyzing Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 for its metaphors and structure without considering the author’s intent or historical background.

Author-Oriented Approaches

• Focus: The author’s biography, psyche, and process of creation.
• Example: Studying Sylvia Plath’s Ariel in light of her life events and psychological struggles.

Reader-Oriented Approaches

• Focus: Reader’s role in meaning-making and the reception of texts.
• Example: Analyzing how Pride and Prejudice is understood differently by modern readers versus its original audience.

Intertextual and Intermedial Approaches

• Focus: Relationships between texts and across media.
• Example: Comparing The Great Gatsby novel with its film adaptations.

Context-Oriented Approaches

• Focus: Relationship between texts and historical or socio-political realities.
• Example: Exploring how Dickens’ Oliver Twist reflects Victorian social issues.