What is Literature?

The editors of The Norton Introduction to Literature Portable Edition make it clear in the anthology's introduction that the concept of literature is subjective and personal to the reader, and is ever-changing. They cite the Oxford English Dictionary's definition of literature as “writing which has claim to consideration on the ground of beauty of form or emotional effect (4)”. I believe this is true – literature's form makes it a work of art, and it is certainly an outlet for human emotion. We enjoy comedies, tragedies, romantic poetry, and all sorts of literature that feeds our emotions. I would add two elements to this definition. One is that literature is timeless and can be enjoyed for eternity. The themes and lessons learned in literature are relevant to people of any era. The other is that literature speaks the truth about humanity. It employs a message or lesson that is learned from analyzing human behavior. Literature is based on the human experience, and therefore, we learn about ourselves by reading about others. The selections in the Norton anthology adhere to all of these elements. I feel that the literary canon for this class was adequate, and that the pieces of fiction, poetry and drama we analyzed were indeed important pieces of literature that should be taught in the classroom. In this essay, I will provide examples of works we studied to explain what I believe literature to consist of.

First, I classify literature as an art form, the author, an artist. Just like painting, photography or sculpture, there is a structured form to literature. Fiction has its characters, setting and plot; poetry is identified by its meter and rhyme scheme; and drama utilizes tone, sets and imagery to convey a message. Literature can be appreciated for its adherence to such timeless techniques. When an author utilizes the appropriate literary devices in his work, he proves that he understands the art of literature, and his work becomes a part of an ever-growing compendium of valuable literature that others can learn from.

While structured forms increase the appreciation for literature, sometimes, a challenge to those forms can make literature exciting. For example, in “Sonnet,” poet Billy Collins pokes fun at traditional forms by seemingly ignoring them. At first glance, it seems as though Collins' goal was to upset the sonnet form with his poem, but upon further inspection it is evident that he, too, has remained loyal to many of the rules for its form. First and most noticeable, Collins strays from the traditional sonnet rule of rhyme. While “Sonnet” defies the proper rules for a poem of its type, Collins still includes a discussion of the rules in his writing. “But hang on here wile we make the turn,” he writes, referring to the predictable change-of-pace on the ninth line of a sonnet (553). Collins doesn't want to be restrained by the rules of the art he creates. His poem is an attempt to break the mold, to prove that it is acceptable to try new techniques in writing. However, the fact that he still employs many of the sonnet's requirements proves that he still respects the structure that accompanies poetic form.

Next, I contend that literature speaks the truth about humanity. Because literature is based on the human experience, it can be read by other humans in similar or entirely different situations. Lessons can be learned from the outcomes in each tale. It is for this reason that much of literature revolves around culture and history. Since old adages tell us that “history repeats itself” and “there are no new ideas,” often times, themes in literature are recycled. Human beings share a variety of experiences, but each individual has a different perspective. Therefore, literature allows many accounts to be given regarding the same types of experiences or events in history. One example of such “recycled” ideas is the death of the American Dream. In this class, we studied Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller's play about Willy Loman, a man obsessed with the promise of the American Dream. Willy is fixated on the superficial qualities of attractiveness and thinks that one must be likeable to share in the Dream. His disillusionment leads to his own psychological downfall, as he realizes the disparity between the Dream and his own life. This isn't the first time I've been exposed to this theme in a literature class. Just last quarter, I studied The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's take on the the death of the Dream. Written twenty years before Death of a Salesman, the story is narrated by Nick Caraway, a young man fascinated by the glitz and glamor of the Jazz Age. The tale is symbolic of 1920s America in general, a time when the American Dream disintegrated into a fervor of unprecedented prosperity and material excess. Both Loman and Caraway inherited their world views from a desire for money and pleasure that surpassed more noble goals. This is a theme that is recurring throughout much of literature. When we see a theme repeat itself in literature, it is evident that it is a theme that affects all of humanity.

Because literature reflects themes that affect all human beings, it is timeless. A story written centuries ago can mean just as much for a modern reader as it did for an ancestral one. For example, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman was written in the 19^th century, but it speaks volumes about gender roles even still today. In this fictional short story, the narrator is confined to an upstairs nursery in a plantation home by her husband, who also serves as her doctor. Her husband attempts to keep her from other people in order to treat her post-partum depression. However, the pattern on the ugly, yellow wallpaper in the room feeds the narrator's understimulated mind. At the story's climax, the narrator helps an imaginary woman escape from imaginary bars that have appeared in the wallpaper. Women of any era who have felt the pressure of male dominance can rejoice alongside the narrator as she rips the suffocating paper from the walls.

Literature is an art form. It speaks the truth about humanity. It is timeless. The editors of the Norton anthology also conclude that literature is ever-changing. I think it is vital to recognize this. The definition of literature has changed since written language was developed. Now, literature is expanding to encapsulate not only printed materials but staged performances, film, television, video games and more. I hope that now and in the years to come, educators focus on expanding their literary canons to include a variety of media to teach both tried-and-true traditional as well as new literature.

Works Cited

Collins, Billy. “Sonnet.” The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. Alison Booth, J. Paul Hunter and Kelly J. Mays. New York: Norton, 2006. 553.

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925.

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. “The Yellow Wallpaper. The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. Alison Booth, J. Paul Hunter and Kelly J. Mays. New York: Norton, 2006. 316-327.

“Introduction.” The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. Alison Booth, J. Paul Hunter and Kelly J. Mays. New York: Norton, 2006. 1-10.

Miller, Arthur. “Death of a Salesman.” The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. Alison Booth, J. Paul Hunter and Kelly J. Mays. New York: Norton, 2006. 923-993.