Why do you think it is important to study Literature in today's Jamaica?

Use the notes below to answer the above

What is Litearature

INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

INTRODUCTION:

• WHAT IS LITERATURE?
• THE IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING LITERATURE
• LITERARY GENRES
• THE HISTORY OF LITERATURE

Hey Students,

Our first lesson in the course will be focusing on the concept of literature and why we study this subject area. Please read through this handout and answer the first discussion post entry on your Moodle page.

SO WHAT IS LITERATURE?

- Literature is any oral or written performance in words used to entertain, to give pleasure and satisfaction, to grab the reader's attention and interest, to present experiences and concepts, to teach or to reform. Literary works tell stories, dramatize situations, express emotions, and analyze and advocate ideas.

LET US NOW CONSIDER WHY WE STUDY LITERATURE?

- Many people read merely for pleasure and enjoyment, to participate in imaginary adventures and experiences and live vicariously through the characters in books. This type of literature is literature of escape which has a predominantly entertainment value.

- Literature for study is referred to as literature of interpretation/understanding. Reading this kind of literature expands and refines the intellect and provides insight into various aspects of human life, thought, feeling, philosophy, belief, or behaviour. Not only does it help us to have a better understanding of other societies, cultures, periods/histories, and help us to see the similarities and differences between societies, it helps us to understand ourselves as individuals more. It illuminates and provides a platform for the discussion of universal themes like love, violence, good, evil, religion, nature, heroism, relationships, etc. as they are portrayed in history and the world.

- The reading of interpretative literature improves reading proficiency and comprehension as we are exposed to the writer's use of elements of grammar and style. Vocabulary and word identification skills are expanded, and critical thinking as well as discussion and analytical skills are developed. Students are exposed to new or different ideas and issues, and can view good literary texts as sources of moral instruction, intellectual enrichment and philosophical or creative inspiration.

- Literature also has value for the society at large. Literature is an aspect of civilization that transmits a society's culture and values. Literature is a medium for the recording and interpretation of historical and sociological events and conditions, making the study of history and sociology more accessible and palatable. Literature is an outlet for creative expression, and many writers also disseminate their perspectives and ideas through literature. Most importantly for any society, the reading and studying of literature encourages literacy, especially among the young.

LET US CONSIDER NOW THE QUALITIES OF LITERATURE:

- Literature is imaginative and creative.

- It recreates and re-presents the real world of the writer.

- Literary works contains certain elements such as plot, character, tone, mood/atmosphere, imagery and symbolism, themes, conflict, suspense, irony, rhythm, and dialogue. These elements are structured according to the writer's choice of genre, his/her intention, and his/her style. The relationship between the elements chosen, how they are used and the contexts in which they are used determine if it is a literary work.

- Literary works withstand the test of time; they maintain their functional and cultural value over the years, for example, the works of Shakespeare (The Merchant of Venice, Othello, Romeo and Juliet), John Milton (Paradise Lost), Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility), Charles Dickens (Great Expectations, Oliver Twist), William Wordsworth (The Prelude,Lyrical Ballads), the Bront sisters (Jane Eyre, Wthering Heights), Mary Shelley (Frankenstein).

- Literature has a particular aesthetic value, in other words, elements of beauty in the stylistic effects, descriptions, and ideals presented by the writer that appeal to the reader.

- A literary text, whether poem, novel, or play, tells a story about some aspect(s) of human nature or society. Human values, emotions, actions and ideas are illustrated and presented in story form to allow the reader to be a participant in the experience.

- Literature serves two main functions - an extrinsic function and an intrinsic function. The extrinsic function of literature is in relation to a work's value as a purveyor of morals and values, that is, its ability to teach and even reform. The intrinsic function is when a text is valued for its own sake, its own inherent qualities as a source of entertainment or pleasure, not moral instruction.

LITERARY GENRES (DON'T BE BOUNTY KILLER AND MISPRONOUNCE THIS WORD GUYS)

- The word "genre comes from the French for "kind or "type. Literary works are classified according to their content, form or technique. The three main genres are poetry, prose and drama, and these are further broken down into individual classifications and distinctions.

- Poetry consists of many forms such as the epic, lyric, ballad, and sonnet. Poetry uses poetic devices such as rhythm and sometimes rhyme, complexity of concrete (literal) and symbolic imagery, and sound elements like alliteration and onomatopoeia. It is very imaginative, has an intricate and compact structure, and generally has a noble purpose, dwelling on serious and important subject matter (themes).

- The basic elements of poetry:

The literal meaning, or basic facts of the poem.

The creation of literal images (pictures created by words) which tend to be detailed and specific, and which enhance the sensory impact of the poem, that is, they appeal to the reader's senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell). These images are usually suggestive of concepts and themes and therefore become symbolic or figurative.

The use of figurative language and symbolism (comparisons and connotations, suggested meanings of words based on their associations in society). Some of these figures of speech are similes and metaphors, irony, hyperbole, and paradox. A symbol is an image so loaded with meaning and significance that it is not just literal and it does not just represent an abstract idea or concept, it encompasses both meanings and becomes larger and more complex - suggesting a range of interrelated ideas, attitudes, and practices and therefore often takes the place of long explanations. Traditional symbols are the cross, a ring, a flag, a rose. Some cultural symbols are the river which can represent time and the road which suggests life's journey. Poets may use these as well as non-conventional symbols to evoke varied and deep associations and meanings to create complexity in their work. Some symbols like water can even have contrasting connotations like peace and life as well as turbulence and death.

The use of literary devices/techniques to help convey meaning or to highlight or emphasize the poet's ideas (e.g. repetition, pathos, wit)

Rhythm is an essential and indispensable aspect of poetry. It is the marked regularity of rhythmic patterns, established by stressed and unstressed syllables and pauses, which a poet may vary to create further interest or to introduce a new idea or viewpoint. Metre is the pattern of accented/stressed and unaccented/unstressed syllables in poetry and contributes greatly to the rhythm of poetry. Rhyme, though not indispensable, is a chief contributor to establishing rhythm. It is the repetition of identical vowel sounds in stressed syllables of two or more words, as well as of all the subsequent sounds after this vowel sound. Most modern poets dispense with rhyme and instead use language and rhythms closer to everyday speech. Other forms of repetition are used to create sound patterns in poetry, such as alliteration and onomatopoeia. The poet organizes sound elements within the poem to form certain patterns which enhance meaning and create tone and atmosphere.

The tone of the poem is created by the feelings and attitudes of the "speaker or voice in the poem (first person narrator or third person narrator) towards the subject of the poem. This tone can be one of mockery/satire, cynicism, grief, irony, sarcasm, outrage, apology or defiance. The poet's attitude towards a subject can be serious or lighthearted, bitter or humorous, sympathetic or angry, warm and inviting, or abrasive. The tone reflects an emotional or moral stance taken by the poet and helps to establish the reader's relationship to the characters or ideas in the work.

The mood/atmosphere of the poem also transmits the poet's feelings about his experience and encourages the reader to respond to the experience and share the poet's feelings. This feeling created by the poem (or other literary work) can be one of sadness, happiness, amusement, indignation, fear, gloom, or a combination of feelings. It is the combination of elements in the work like imagery and literary devices, writer's tone and plot developments that create an impact upon the reader's impressions and emotions and evoke a response like delight, surprise, pathos, or horror.

Every poet chooses a certain poetic form to work with as a vehicle for his expression. The form is the type or unique structure of a work which implies conventions/rules related to that particular genre within which the poet operates or which he/she varies to suit his/her purpose. Some popular traditional poetic forms are the ballad and the sonnet, which have established patterns of metre, rhyme, and line, and poets must fit their content into the constraints of these restrictions. Modern poets generally reject such restraints and either experiment with conventional verse forms or write in free verse, i.e. poetry which has no consistent or regular rhythmical or metrical patterns, reflecting the natural rhythms of everyday speech.

- Prose is defined as non-poetic expression, ordinary written or spoken language without deliberate or regular rhythmic or metrical patterns. While the basic unit of poetry is a line of verse, the basic unit of prose is the sentence. Prose fiction or narrative fiction includes myths and parables, novels and short stories. The essence of prose fiction is narration, the recounting of a sequence of events or actions. The focus is on the growth and development or sometimes deterioration of a character or characters over a period of time as they are involved in certain life changing events or situations and relationships. The reader watches to see how they solve their problems and whether they achieve their goals and learn anything from their experiences. Although most prose works are based on or are similar to some type of reality, the works are imaginative, mainly aimed at stimulating and engaging the reader in pleasure, discussion and understanding. Conflict is an integral element of narrative and this conflict can be an internal conflict within the main character, a conflict between the main character (protagonist) and another character or other characters (antagonists), or between the main character and his physical or social environment. This conflict leads to suspense because the reader is anxious to know how the problems are going to be solved or resolved. The plot/storyline develops towards a dramatic high point or climax when the main action is at its most tense and is eventually resolved when the main character's problems come to an end either in happiness and success or failure and disaster.

- Drama is literature designed to be acted out for an audience on stage or in film presentations or even radio broadcasts. Drama focuses on the development of character(s) and situation(s) through speech and action. Fictional events, sometimes based on historical or contemporary events are enacted, as actors assume the roles of characters, portray actions and deliver dialogue in a more or less realistic setting. The two main divisions of drama are tragedy and comedy. The term drama is often used interchangeably with "play. Most plays are written in dialogue form and are divided into acts and/or scenes. Many include stage directions and instructions for sets and costumes.

LITERATURE CONSULTED

1. THE BEDFORD GLOSSARY OF CRITICAL AND LITERARY TERMS - MURFIN & RAY
2. AN INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE - BARNET, BERMAN & BURTO
3. LITERARY TERMS -SPARK CHARTS
4. LITERATURE: AN INTRODUCTION TO READING AND WRITING - ROBERTS & JACOBS
5. THE LONGMAN DICTIONARY OF LITERARY TERMS - KENNEDY, GIOIA, & BAUERLEIN