1: What is Literature?
- Page ID
- 318822
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)By the end of this chapter, students should be able to:
- identify some of the defining qualities of literature.
- begin analyzing how they would categorize works within the literary spectrum.
- challenge the historical ways in which works have or have not been classified as literature.
- discuss the benefits of reading and writing about literature.
- 1.1: What is Literature?
- This page explores the definitions of literature, distinguishing "Big L Literature" with lasting merit from "little l literature" lacking depth. It emphasizes the subjective nature of these classifications and the significance of the literary canon while acknowledging systemic inequities in representation.
- 1.2: Why Read and Write About Literature?
- This page discusses the decline in literature reading among adults and teens in the digital age, referencing Sir Philip Sidney's defense of poetry's unique ability to enrich understanding through imagination. It highlights the evolving nature of literature, including modern media, while emphasizing its importance for empathy, mental health, and critical thinking.
- 1.3: What is Literary Analysis?
- This page discusses literary analysis, emphasizing the importance of examining both the content and form of literature. It advocates for close reading and critical thinking, prompting readers to explore themes, motifs, and cultural significance. The process involves multiple readings, note-taking, and identifying patterns, which can reveal deeper meanings and enhance understanding of the work and the human experience.
- 1.4: The Literary Analysis Essay
- This page discusses the transition from reading literature to writing a literary analysis paper, highlighting the transferable writing skills gained. It defines literary analysis as breaking down works to grasp their meaning, while acknowledging the challenges students face in the writing process, including information gathering, perspective formation, brainstorming, idea organization, evidence integration, and clear articulation within formatting guidelines.
- 1.5: Determining an Effective Essay Structure
- This page emphasizes that literary analysis essays should focus on thematic points rather than following the chronological structure of the work. Unlike simple summaries, successful essays prioritize major concepts, using relevant plot details for support. Effective organization includes logical idea flow, clear paragraphing, and a focus on analysis, leading readers to new insights about the text.
- 1.6: Literary Analysis Arguments
- Analysis means to break something down in order to better understand how it works. To analyze a literary work is to pull it apart and look at its discrete components to see how those components contribute to the meaning and/or effect of the whole. Thus, a literary analysis argument considers what has been learned in analyzing a work (What do the parts look like and how do they function?) and forwards a particular perspective on their contribution to the whole.
- 1.7: Inferences in Literature
- This page elaborates on making inferences as logical conclusions derived from evidence in literature, emphasizing the role of imagery and tone. It discusses how effective readers utilize context and prior knowledge to derive meaning, with examples illustrating this process.
- 1.7.1: What Is Literary Theory and Why Should I Care?
- 1.7.1.1: Literary Snapshot- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
- 1.7.1.2: What Is Literary Theory?
- 1.7.1.2.1: What is Literary Criticism?
- 1.7.1.2.2: Literary Terms - A Guide
- 1.7.1.2.3: A Short History of the Early American Novel
- 1.7.1.3: Why Study Literary Theory?
- 1.7.1.4: What Is the Writing Process?
- 1.7.1.5: Why Commit to the Writing Process?
- 1.7.1.6: What Is Academic Argument?
- 1.7.1.7: Introducing an Academic Argument
- 1.7.1.8: Student Writer at Work- Monica Platten’s “‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’- An Allegory for a Young America”
- 1.7.1.9: Understanding the Body of Monica’s Argument
- 1.7.1.10: Conclusion to the Introduction
- 1.7.1.11: Writing about Readers - Applying Reader-Response Theory
- 1.7.1.11.1: Literary Snapshot- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
- 1.7.1.11.2: Reader-Response Theory- An Overview
- 1.7.1.11.3: Focus on Reader-Response Strategies
- 1.7.1.11.4: Reader Response- A Process Approach
- 1.7.1.11.5: Student Writer at Work- Amy Ferdinandt’s Reader Response to James Thurber’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”
- 1.7.1.11.6: Student Sample Paper- Hannah Schmitt’s “The Death of Intellectualism in Grahame-Smith and Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”
- 1.7.1.11.7: Student Sample Paper- Erin Huebner Gloege’s “Identity Themes in Dickinson- Four Students Reading”
- 1.7.1.11.8: End-of-Chapter Assessment
- 1.7.1.11.9: Suggestions for Further Reading