Exploring the Nature and Interpretation of Literature
What is Literature as Belles Lettres?
Formal Properties
Literature, often referred to as belles lettres, encompasses artistic texts that prioritize aesthetic qualities. Like other art forms such as painting, sculpture, music, and architecture, literature employs its medium—language—to evoke beauty and emotions.
Defining Literature
Drawing upon the Oxford English Dictionary, literature can be defined as:
- Writing valued for its beauty of form and emotional impact.
- Writing where the aesthetic function takes precedence.
Distinguishing Literary Texts
Analyzing John Donne’s The Canonization
Consider how a text like John Donne’s The Canonization distinguishes itself from other literary works, such as Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The Canonization exhibits a high density of literary devices, including:
- Similes
- Parallelisms
- Anaphoric references
- Ellipsis
- Rhymed verse with end-stopped and run-on lines
These elements contribute to its unique microstyle, evident at the sentence, paragraph, and short poem levels.
Narrative Texts and Macrostyle
Conversely, narrative texts like realistic novels often display a lower density of literary devices at the microstyle level. Their artistry lies in their macrostyle, encompassing elements such as:
- Authorial tone
- Plot construction
- Character study
- Society study
- Orchestration of plot(s), characters, and social description
The Openness of Literary Interpretation
The fictional nature of literary texts inherently leads to their openness to interpretation. Different readers may derive different meanings and intentions from the same text, as long as their interpretations are grounded in textual evidence. This characteristic is central to literary analysis.
Debating Interpretations
Consider the ongoing debates surrounding the interpretations of literary masterpieces like Don Quixote and Hamlet. Critics grapple with questions such as:
- Do Cervantes and Shakespeare present an optimistic or pessimistic view of humanity?
- Do their works reflect conservative or progressive ideologies?
- Does Don Quixote truly represent idealism, while Sancho Panza embodies utilitarianism, egotism, and realism?
These debates highlight the richness and complexity of literary interpretation.
Literary Communication and Serialization
The Case of Tess of the d’Urbervilles
Literary communication often lacks direct, simultaneous contact between the author (addresser) and the reader (addressee). Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles, initially serialized in a newspaper in 1891, exemplifies this. Hardy would not have known most of his readers, and the serialized format meant readers received the story in installments, further separating the act of writing from the act of reading.
Stages of Literary Appreciation
Correa Calderón and Lázaro Carreter (1969) outline six stages of literary appreciation:
- Close and attentive reading of the text.
- Contextualization: Placing the text within its historical period, understanding the author’s background, and considering their other works.
- Identifying the theme and motifs.
- Determining the structure (macrostyle).
- Analyzing the form and how it enhances the theme (macro and microstyle).
- Formulating a final conclusion or interpretation.
Essential Skills for Literary Reception
Successfully engaging with literary texts requires several key skills:
Linguistic and Textual Competence
This encompasses knowledge of language elements like pronunciation, sentence structure, and vocabulary, and the ability to understand how these elements contribute to meaning.
Discursive Competence
This involves connecting textual meaning to specific communicative situations.
Sociocultural Competence
This refers to the ability to recognize the interpersonal and referential contexts surrounding communication, understanding how a text interacts with its social and historical circumstances.
The Limits of Interpretation
While literary texts invite interpretation, not all readings are equally valid. An acceptable interpretation must transcend the surface level and delve into the text’s deeper implications, considering elements like:
- Themes
- Motifs
- Atmosphere
- Overall harmony
- The relationship between literary devices and themes or social commentary
By engaging in thoughtful analysis and considering these aspects, readers can develop insightful and well-supported interpretations of literary works.