Understanding Literature: Definition, Functions, and Evolution
Understanding the Nature of the Literary Phenomenon
Literature is a phenomenon that is difficult to define, since the field of literature includes texts of great variety. Literature is an art form whose raw material is the units of language, which the writer manipulates to produce an aesthetic and emotional effect on the receiver. The two defining elements of the literary phenomenon are the creation of a fictional world and the use of language in a special way. The term fiction designates the peculiar relationship that literary works have with reality. In literary works, the language is used in a deliberately aesthetic manner.
Functions and Channels of Literature
The functions of literature are complex and heterogeneous. Literature is a source of amusement and entertainment and has served as a means of transmitting ideas. Literary works are classified into large groups called genres.
Imitation and Fiction
Poetry is defined as the imitation that is made through words. Literature imitates reality; it is inspired by the real world. But it is not an exact copy; the writer starts from reality to recreate a literary world we call fiction. Readers accept the fictional world created by the author as a literary convention. An assistant’s reliance on the work is analyzed by likelihood.
Values of Literature
All forms of artistic expression are intended to cause a certain basic aesthetic emotion in their receivers. The basic role of literary reading is to cause delight or pleasure in the reader. Many literary works are intended to teach readers and convey certain ideas or a vision of reality.
Literary Communication
Every literary work is an act of communication: the issuer is the author, and the receiver is the reader. In this peculiar act of communication, context is especially important for understanding the literary work, as the situation in which it was written is often different from that in which reading takes place.
Literature and Tradition
The variability-based approach of the time also affects the very notion of what is literary and what is not. Some works are recognized as literary in our time that were not at the time of their creation. The changing notion of what literature is, moreover, is the premise that makes possible the evolution of literature itself. Each generation of writers forms part of the works of earlier generations; they start, review, and modify, thus giving rise to new forms and distinct expressive channels. This dialogue between tradition and innovation has been crucial in the course of the history of literature.
The Literary Language
Literary language is characterized by a number of features that set it apart from the language used in everyday communication situations. The author’s purpose is to draw readers’ attention to the text itself. They use verse or prose; verse gives it a special rhythm and is composed of small units, while prose occupies the entire line. The frequent use of stylistic resources, which are expressive procedures that deviate from the common use of language with an aesthetic intention, is common.