Introduction
The journey to find out what is meant by the term “literature” is a long journey that is never ending and if the journey is competed the answer does not usually satisfy. Most definitions that have been attempted have in most occasion failed and they also change as time go. As a matter of fact, the only thing that can be said to be certain about literature is that its definition is dynamic. Concepts of what literature are changes with time as well. What, at one period, can be looked at as ordinary, at another period it might be considered to be literary genius. In general many people have their own ideas of what literature is. When a student picks up a literary course in college, it is expected that everything that will be contained in the reading will be literature. Additionally one would expect that everything that has been written by a known author is literature even though the quality of literature may vary from one work to another.
In this paper I will seek to argue that literature is an art that involves linguistics. In order to bring this definition into a perspective that is logical, what qualifies and what does not qualify as literature is going to be looked at with the works of other authors who have looked at the similar topic being looked at in order to extend the scope of the argument.
What is literature?
Concerning the nature in which literature should be interpreted; Hirsch agrees that there are several important points. He agrees that reading of literature as well as other types of work is not is not such a different activities as those who spend their important energy coming up with aesthetic criteria that is used to define the make out of literature. He also agrees that criticism that is text centered is also important and is also necessary enough; however, it is not enough to make a full interpretation of literature.
Hirsch also suggests that critics of literary works borrow from linguists’ works and language of philosophers with their emphasis being placed on the intention of verbal utterances of the author of whatever kind. Hirsh is clearly a pluralist and he states that there is not a single kind of literary significance. He however agrees that the analysis if literary work cannot be avoided and so it should be followed by evaluation.
Hirsch is of the opinion that literature is anything that has been written in a manner that is exhibits some style of form that is excellent. It does not matter what the genre is. He goes ahead to mention Shelley who wanted to include some parliamentary legislative statues since they create some form of order where there was disorder. However the modern usage has failed to accept her work despite the fact that we have introduced our own version of literary imperialism. In his final conclusion he argues that literature is composed of any text that is worth being taught to students by teachers of literature when these texts are not being taught to other students in other departments in the school or in the university.
Beardsley on the other hand defines the work of art as something that has been created with the intention of giving it a capacity that is capable of fulfilling an aesthetic interest. What aesthetic interest means is the attitude that we pick up when we make an approach to in order to make a derivation of an aesthetic experience that comes out from that encounter; he however fails to agree that literature is a collective name that is used to define literary works. He finds this to be rather problematic. Just for the sake of argument, if the term literature is taken to be the class of literary work, then it will depend on the emphasis that is given on the word ‘work.’ if literary work is taken to be an abbreviation for “literary work of art” then we will get an art concept of literature as well as different task ahead of us.
In universities the common definition that is given to literature is that it covers major genres that include fiction/novel, poetry and drama. It is also used to imply literary distinction and quality. This is a view of literature that is rather basic since as it had been initially seen the meaning of literature is dynamic and so it undergoes several changes and it will continue undergoing those changes. Similar to the way that architecture is an art form that comes out of the ability of human to come up with buildings; literature is a form of art that comes from the human ability to create language.
Robert Stecker is the third author that talks about literature. I agree with his perspective of literature. He states that that if a work of literature is a produced in a medium that is linguistic and it is short story, poem, drama and tale and the writer of the work in question wanted it to have aesthetic, interpretation or cognitive centered value to a certain degree that is no and the work falls under an author that preceded or the concept was written under the influence of the predecessor or it was borrowed from a great writer’s work. In his work, Stecker looks at literature in many perspectives. He looks at it as a procedure, institution and imaginative writing.
Conclusion
Defining the term literature is a difficult task since its definition changes. However, Stecker’s definition on literature as body of works of art that has been created in linguistic media and that the body is to be defined in terms of possessing of certain values which are artistic. The definition by Hirsch also qualifies to define the term literature. Literature is broad and can also be looked at as an institution like Robert Stecker argued. Thus is because a text is considered a literary work after recognizing the intention of the author that the text has been produced and is intended to be read within the conventions that define literary work. With all these elements considered, it is evident that many authors agree that literature is an art that involves linguistics.
Works Cited
Beardsley, Monroe. The Concept of Literature
Billman, Carol. "How to Interpret Literature." Project Muse. n.d. Web. 13 Dec 2013. <http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/chq/summary/v006/6.1.billman.html>.
Hirsch, E.D. What Isn’t Literature
Pettersson, Anders. "Definitions of "Art" and their Intended Import." Nordisk Estetisk Tidskrift. 2.3 (2001): 82-100. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. <http://ojs.statsbiblioteket.dk/index.php/nja/article/viewFile/3128/2674>.
Ryan, Simon. "What is Literature? " Fundamentals of Literature and Drama. n.d. Web. 13 Dec 2013. <http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/staffhome/siryan/academy/foundation/what_is_literature.htm>
Hirsch, E.D. What Isn’t Literature
