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18 views32 pages

Presentation 1

Uploaded by

noorttv5
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Why Literature

Matters!
,
Imagination vs. Facts
Material things that can be
measured and counted vs.
Faculties of imagination & feeling.
- Can we separate knowledge
from imagination or instruction
from pleasure?
-Does literature instruct/ teach or
only entertain?
- Is literature a luxury or a frivolous
pastime?
- Oscar Wilde: “All art is
quite useless.”
Why do we need literature?
1. Literature frees us from the
material activities of daily life.
2. It breaks the rules of the ordinary.
3. It takes us beyond familiar ways of
thinking.
4. It offers a broader experience.
5. It helps us know our own identities.
Why should I study literature in a
classroom?
1. Learning history.
2. Studying genres.
3. Comparing works.
3. The conventions of writing.
4. Stepping beyond the (What?) to Why
and How a literary work affects you.
5. Studying the political impact of
literature (Uncle Tom’s Cabin 1852).
Literature literally!
Literature: The works/articles written
on a particular subject (scientific
literature).
Literature: The cultivation of reading
or the practice of writing.
(He’s a man of much literature)
Literature: The Beginnings
- A special set of “imaginative”
writings, particularly associated with
a language and nation.
- Are nonfictional forms of writing
(travel writings, autobiographies)
literature?
The Art of Storytelling:
The conveying of events in words,
sounds, and/or images.

- What do we consider as literature?


- Media, movies, songs, oral folktales,
myths, websites, video games?
Literature: Now & Then
Traditional forms: (folktales, fables,
fairytales, legends, myths.)
New forms: (Historical narratives,
personal narratives, political
commentary, visual forms)
Genre:
The largest category for classifying
literature – fiction, poetry, drama.

Subgenre: A division within the


category of a genre.
- Novel, novella, and short story
are subgenres of fiction.
The Canon
* The range of literary works that a
consensus of scholars, teachers, and
readers of a particular time and
culture consider “great” or “major.”
* A single selective list of the most-
recognized or most-esteemed literary
works.
Problems with the Canon:
-The literary canon in Europe and
America has long been dominated by
the works of white men excluding
works by women and writers from
various ethnic and racial backgrounds.
Canon vs. canons
Thinking Critically about Literature:
Qs about:
1) The Mode: Is this
fiction/nonfiction? What
genre/subgenre is this?
2) The Manner: Who is the narrator?
Describe the narrator’s voice/style?
3) The Aims: Is this
satiric/sympathetic/ didactic?
Text

Reader Author
Historical Context:
The social, cultural, political, religious,
and economic environment related
to historical moments, events, and trends.
*External events.
*Cultural and personal values and beliefs.
* Particular skills and preconceptions.
*Economic constraints and opportunities.
Shaping the text, author, and reader.
Major Elements of Literary
Narration
* Plot/ Conflict.
* Point of View.
* Character.
* Setting (When , Where?).
* Symbol.
* Theme.
Narrator:
The character who tells the story.
Narrator vs. Writer
Voice:
The acknowledged or
unacknowledged source of a story’s
words.
- The author’s style which conveys
his/her attitude, personality, and
character.
- The narrator’s speech and thought
patterns.
Approaching Literature:
- How is the story told? Past/Present
tense, first/ third person?
- Ask Qs about the title, the narrator, the
voice/style of writing?
- Examine the form/structure
(repetitions/ patterns) such as a journey,
a return to the past, a shared experience.
- What genre/subgenre is this work?
20/20
Linda Brewer
20/20
20/20
* Expectations vs. outcome.
* The doubleness of vision.
* Foresight vs. Hindsight.
*20/20 hindsight: Observations are
more accurate than predictions.
* Two contrasting characters.
Reality/ Truth: Storytelling
* Forming interpretations.
* Projecting expectations.
* Drawing conclusions.
* Presenting versions of reality.

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