Chapter 1 An Introduction to Literature 1
Introduction How much time do you spend reading every day? Even if you do not read for pleasure, you probably spend more time reading than you realize. In fact, you likely spend a significant portion of every day reading text messages, emails, newspapers, websites, work reports, textbooks, and so forth. When you spend time each day reading, regardless of the type of material, you interact with others and the world. Human interaction, in all of its variations including reading is an integral part of most people s lives. We have families, friends, coworkers, classmates, and many others with whom we have relationships and maintain constant contact. Even if you do not interact with people face to face as often as you once did (e.g., you may be taking this course online instead of in a bricks-andmortar classroom), human relationships fill our daily lives regardless of whether those interactions occur face to face or in virtual environments. Therefore, to provide an entry point to the study of literature, this textbook will explore the theme of the relationships that shape us. These relationships will be explored as they are portrayed in the literary genres of short fiction, poetry, and drama. Readings from all three genres have been selected to reflect diverse relationships, including but not limited to spouses, lovers, parents and children, friends, colleagues, and mentors and mentees. Both reading and relationships are and will continue to be permanent fixtures in most people s lives. Combining those two elements as a way to study literature will allow you to explore the unfamiliar elements of literature through the familiar aspects of your daily life. Learning Objectives After you finish this chapter, you should be able to Define the key terms and explain their relevance to the study of literature Discuss the value of studying literature Define literary genres and subgenres and list examples of each Outline and describe the four-step process used to analyze and evaluate literature Identify and describe various approaches to literary criticism Explain the ways that literary criticism relates to the study of literature Key Terms analyze: to examine the components of a text to gain a deeper understanding of the whole canon: a body of literary works that is considered the most important or influential 2
drama: a work written in prose or verse that is comprised of action, monologue, and/or dialogue and generally intended to be performed evaluate: to determine the value of a text fiction: a category of literature that encompasses works derived from the authors imaginations genre: a distinct type of literature literary criticism: the study, analysis, and evaluation of literature literature: a body of written works that are created with a specific form (e.g., prose, verse, etc.) and often address universal subjects, such as love, death, friendship, family, etc. nonfiction: a category of literature that portrays actual events, places, or people poetry: a literary work, often written in verse, that uses language to create a particular rhythm and meter and to convey emotion short story: a work of fiction that is much shorter than a novel but tells a complete story that has a beginning, a middle, and an end subgenre: a smaller division of literature that can be categorized under a larger genre What Is Literature? When most students encounter the word literature, they shudder. Their minds fill with visions of long, boring works that are written in a complicated, unfamiliar language and have no relevance to modern life. While that description does apply to some literature, literature, like all art forms, is subjective: what appeals to one person might not appeal to another. Although literature has several definitions, in this course, literature is defined as a body of written works that are created with a specific form (e.g., prose, verse, etc.) and often address universal subject matter, such as love, death, friendship, family, etc.). Additionally, literature is often thought to have lasting value. For example, Shakespeare s plays have been performed around the world and read for over 400 years, but an article in today s newspaper most likely will not be widely read in 400 years. Literary works like Shakespeare s plays are sometimes called classical literature and are considered part of the literary canon. A canon is a body of literary works that is considered the most important or influential. Most pieces contained within the multitude of literature anthologies published and used for educational purposes are part of the literary canon (an anthology is a collection of writings). 3
Why Read Literature? Here at the beginning of the course, you might be asking, Why should I spend my time reading literature? That is a valid question. Of course, in this class you are required to read literature. So that is one reason to invest your time in reading and studying literature: to do well in the course. But how can literature be of value to you outside this course? First, reading literature teaches us about humanity. We can learn about what life was or is like in times and places completely different from our own. And even though authors generally present narratives in finite times and places, the Modern devices, such as tablet computers, provide an engaging and interactive experience when reading literature. themes presented in these narratives speak to the human experience. As mentioned previously, literature often addresses universal subject matter love, death, friendship, family, and so forth that applies to most people. The presence of this universal subject matter is one reason that works written centuries ago still appeal to modern readers. Second, reading literature can provide opportunities for self-discovery and/or self-improvement. In that way, literature is similar to other types of media. For example, have you ever watched a movie or heard a song that inspired you or made you realize something about yourself? Literature can provide those same types of insights. In addition, the literary analysis skills that you will learn and practice in this course can develop your ability to understand, interpret, and resolve complex situations, whether you encounter them in work, school, or your personal life. Third, reading literature can be a pleasurable experience, challenging our minds in new and different ways. Unfortunately, this benefit is often mentioned as the reason that people avoid literature: reading takes too much time and effort. In this course, when you read and try to analyze your first short story or poem, you might find the process difficult and frustrating. However, reading literature is the same as any other habit or practice: the more you do it, the easier it becomes. A classical musician does not simply pick up an instrument and start playing symphonies. The basics come first learning how to hold the instrument, how to play different notes, and how to play the scales. Similarly, the exploration of literature begins with the basics learning how to define literature, how to identify literary features, and how to analyze and evaluate literature. And just as a classical musician s learning process culminates in playing a symphony, your learning process will culminate in composing essays and papers that demonstrate your skill in analyzing and evaluating literature. Ultimately, you must place your own value on the study of literature and answer the question Why should I spend my time reading literature? for yourself. Also, you must keep in mind that literature appreciation is subjective: not all literature will appeal to every reader. Nevertheless, consider this course an opportunity to discover what type of literature most appeals to you. 4
Literary Genres Before we explore each type of literature, beginning in chapter 2 with the short story, let us first define some additional terms that will facilitate our study of literature. The first term is genre, which is defined as a distinct type of literature. All of the short stories, plays, and poems you will read in this course are part of the fiction genre, a category of literature that encompasses works derived from the authors imaginations. In contrast, nonfiction, the other primary literary genre, is a category of literature that portrays actual events, places, or people. Examples of nonfiction literature are autobiographies, biographies, memoirs, and essays. Although many fiction writers use real settings, events, and individuals for inspiration and those details might be included in works of fiction fiction is not necessarily intended to replicate reality. Literary Subgenres Genres represent extremely broad categories of literary works; therefore, exploring the subgenres of literary fiction can make the study of literature a more manageable task. A subgenre is a smaller division of literature that can be categorized under a larger genre. Each chapter in the subsequent three chapters of this textbook presents one subgenre of literary fiction: short fiction (specifically, the short story), drama, and poetry. The following chart provides an overview of the three subgenres you will study in this course. Although these genres can be difficult to define, having a foundational understanding is helpful, especially for learners who have not previously studied literature. Subgenres Definitions Examples Short story Drama Poetry a work of fiction that is much shorter than a novel but tells a complete story that has a beginning, a middle, and an end a work written in prose or verse that is comprised of action, monologue, and/ or dialogue and generally intended to be performed a literary work, often written in verse, that uses language to create a particular rhythm and meter and to convey emotion fables, fairy tales, historical fiction, horror, humor, mystery, science fiction, tall tales comedies, farces, musicals, screenplays, tragedies ballads, dramatic monologues, haikus, limericks, odes, prose poems, song lyrics, sonnets Analyzing and Evaluating Literature Even though each subgenre possesses unique features, a basic strategy can be applied to the study of all literature. That process can be outlined with these four steps: 5
1. Complete a first read-through of the text. 2. Complete a second read-through of the text. 3. Analyze the text. 4. Evaluate the text. Each of these steps is described in greater detail in the paragraphs that follow. Step 1: First Read-Through The first step in the process, which might seem obvious, is to read the text. During that first read-through, your primary purpose is to gain a general sense of the text by answering questions such as What is the piece about? What happens? What characters, if any, are involved? What is the overall mood of the piece? What are your initial impressions of the piece? Step 2: Second Read-Through The next step is to read the text a second time, with more specific intentions. Mark the text by underlining or highlighting important parts, and by writing or typing questions in the margins of the text or in a notebook. Look up the definitions of words with which you are unfamiliar. Defining unfamiliar words is especially important with poetry because one word can often add significant meaning to a poem. Step 3: Analysis After you complete these first two steps, you should be ready to analyze the text, which means to examine the components of a text to gain a deeper understanding of the whole. When you analyze a text, you might need to read it again to gather more evidence to substantiate your ideas. However, if you are thorough with your first and second read-throughs, that initial thoroughness will save you time during the analysis process. In an analysis, your understanding of the text develops from the general statements produced in your read-throughs to a more clear understanding of the specific aspects of the text. For example, an analysis might begin as follows: The main character is sympathetic because. Step 4: Evaluation Analysis is followed by evaluation of the text. To evaluate means to determine the value of a text. That determination should go beyond I don t like it, That story was boring, or That poem was confusing. Your evaluation must be based on concrete evidence provided in the text. In your evaluation, you will build on the ideas you established during the analysis. For example, your evaluation might begin as follows: The text was unsuccessful in convincing the reader that the main character is sympathetic because. Structuring your opinion in such a way 6
demonstrates that you have spent time with the text and developed a thorough understanding of the content. This attention to the text lends credibility to your evaluation. Familiarizing yourself with the process of analyzing and evaluating literature is important for enhancing your aptitude to understand and appreciate the texts. Also, the process is essential to your ability to complete the writing assignments for this course, which require that you both analyze and evaluate literature. Literary Criticism When you analyze and evaluate a text, you engage in a process called literary criticism, which is the study, analysis, and evaluation of literature. The word criticism usually has negative connotations, but in textual analysis, criticism can be positive or negative, depending on the purpose of the individual who is analyzing the text. For example, if a literary critic determines that a text succeeds in what it set out to accomplish, the criticism will be positive. But if a literary critic feels that the text is unsuccessful, the criticism will be negative. And various critics can have divergent opinions of the same text. In a general way, you can compare literary criticism to movie reviews. Some movies receive positive reviews, some receive negative reviews, and some movies receive both positive and negative reviews. Approaches To Literary Criticism Literary criticism is considered its own field, one that has existed as long as literature itself. If a piece of writing exists, an opinion of that piece of writing exists. Over the years, the field of literary criticism has expanded to include many different approaches to written works. The following list includes general information about the more common approaches. Feminist: The text must be understood as it relates to the roles and conditions of women and examined from a feminine perspective Formalistic or new criticism: The text must be closely examined in and of itself, without the influence of outside information, based solely on the text s structures, symbols, and other literary elements Historical or biographical: The text must be understood as a product of the author s life, giving particular consideration to the time period and location in which the author wrote the text Marxist: The text must be understood as a product of the society from which it emerged, with a specific focus on socioeconomic concerns Psychological: The text must be examined in terms of the characters mental and emotional profiles Reader-response: The active reader must contribute to the meaning of the text by using her/his own experiences to interpret the text s meaning(s) 7
Why Does Literary Criticism Matter? When you read and study texts, literary criticism can provide additional insights and enhance your understanding of the material. To better understand literary criticism s role, we can employ the movie review analogy. After you see a movie, you might develop ideas about the meanings of the movie s various elements. Then you read some reviews of the movie or even have casual conversations about the movie with your friends that reveal new ideas. Granted, you might disagree with the written reviews or with your friends and adhere to your original ideas about the movie. Nevertheless, others opinions have contributed to your understanding of the movie. Literary criticism serves the same purpose in the study of literature. For example, let us say that you have read a short story and completed the four-step process that culminated with your evaluation of the text. However, you are unsure whether your analysis is complete or your evaluation makes sense. At that point, locating and reading literary criticism of the text could help reinforce and support your ideas. Examining the literary criticism can also have the opposite effect: you might realize that your analysis is incomplete or that your evaluation does not make sense, so you need to adjust or further develop some of your ideas. Keep in mind that even if you consult literary criticism essays, reading the text the literature itself on your own must always be the first part of the process. Although consulting literary criticism first can be tempting and seem like a shortcut to conducting your own analysis and evaluation, doing so prevents you from developing original ideas about the text, an important part of your writing assignments for the course. Also, taking that shortcut reduces the likelihood that you will see relationships between the text and experiences from your own life. Chapter Summary Chapter 1 introduced you to the theme for the literature you will read in this course: the relationships that shape us. As you progress through each subgenre short fiction, poetry, and drama and its corresponding chapter, you will not only explore the relationships presented in each piece but also learn about the elements unique to each genre. Chapter 2 will allow you to build on the knowledge you acquired in chapter 1, including the definition of literature and literary genres and subgenres. You will have the opportunity to start the process of applying your analysis and evaluation skills to short stories and to begin an exploration of literary criticism, as you prepare to write your first paper for the course. By the time you finish this course, you will understand the value of reading and of literature in general and perhaps gain a personal appreciation of the art form. 8