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Lecture 1 - What is Literature

JG
von Janina G.

what is literature according to Terrry Eagleton

  • Eagleton comments on different approaches of defining literariness

  • Eagleton did not invent these approaches nor does he claim that literature can be defined

  • He distinguishes between the objective vs subjective criteria

  • objective as the main points and subjective criteria as the main problems with it

    Objective criteria

    Subjective criteria

    Creative + imaginative writing (imaginative stories - fiction vs reality)

    No constant set of inherent features

    Use of a particular kind of a language (invented language such as spells)

    Literature is a result of how people read

    Non - pragmatic (not ment to be political)

    Something somebody values highly

    (Good literature)

    Essentialism approach

    Constructivism approach


    —> Implies that non-imaginative texts are not literature such as science, history, philosophy, etc.

    —>Referring to our definition of literature it can be said that there is literature with realistic texts

    —>Implies that there must be a universal norm of language

    —> Referring to language itself it can be said that language is a complex system, therefore someone’s norm can be someone’s formation of new words from an original word (derivation)

    —>Referring to history it can be said that books were burned or strictly forbidden to read


  • there is no clear cut definition of literature

  • As a conclusion he points out that literature is not objective but also not entirely subjective (a mixture of both) and that literature is what you make it to be —> intersubjectivity


Author

Janina G.

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