INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE 1

 

INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE I

What is Literature?

The term literature is used in a wide sense to refer to written works and printed materials that give  information.  Examples  of  these written works  are books on  different  subjects, articles, pamphlets etc. Literature, used in a narrower sense, means fictional and non-fictional works of artistic value and quality.

Literature may be defined as the study of imaginative works that relate certain aspects of

human experience. Literature is, thus, peculiar as a discipline because it involves the recreation

of human experience. It is the art of life. According to Moody (1978, p.3),  “Literature brings us

back to the realities  of  human  situation,  problems,  feelings  and  relationships.”  So,

students who are exposed to literature are exposed to different aspects of real life situations and

this makes them understand certain conditions they would not have been able to comprehend in

real life. Studying literature gives them insight into real life possibilities. Thus, Probst (1984, p.11)

remarks:

Even in scientific and technological era, literature remains a vital subject of the curriculum. It is indeed our reservoir of insight into the human condition, the pool of perceptions and conceptions from which we draw our visions of what it is to be human.

 

IMPORTANCE OF LITERATURE

i.                    Literature educates.

ii.                  Literature entertains.

iii.                Literature teaches us about other people’s culture.

iv.                Literature deals with life experiences.

v.                  Literature shapes thoughts and molds lives.

 

NATURE OF LITERATURE

As an area of study, literature has some peculiarities and it also has some links with other spheres of life or areas of study.

 

i.                    Literature is perceptive.

ii.                  Literature marries fact and fiction.

iii.                Literature has strong ties with culture.

iv.                Literature has ties with history.

v.                  Literature and society.

vi.                Literature and language.

What is literary appreciation?

Literary appreciation is reading, understanding and making a critical judgment of the theme, style, use of figurative and non-figurative language as well as other elements of a literary work. We are all critics in one way or the other. Even when we say we cannot really evaluate a literary text, we are making a judgment. Therefore, any attempt to discuss and judge works of literature with an inclination to giving opinions about it is literary appreciation. Without any attempt at appreciating a literary text, it is difficult to justify that one has actually read it.

 

Genre of literature: Prose

The term 'prose' refers to that kind of literature written in ordinary form of spoken or written narrative.  Prose works do not have rhythm or rhyme patterns.  Prose works are further subdivided into three branches on the basis of length, namely: novels, novella and short stories. Put differently, prose refers to the literary or written form of the language of ordinary

speech. We often talk about a book written in prose style or continuous form. The novel falls under prose. It is the latest arrival of the literary genres, in fact, novel means new.

 

Types of prose

i.                    Fictional prose

ii.                  Non-fictional prose

Prose Works

The prose works, already defined, can be classified into two: Fiction and Non-fiction.

a)      Fiction

Fiction is literature which deals with events that are imagined. It is a narrative which tells a story about imagined people in imagined situations. Fiction includes fables, allegory, parable and romance. Fables: These are stories that illustrate moral lessons. They carry deeper meaning apart from the surface story. The characters in most fables are often animals which are made to talk and behave like human beings. Example: Animal Farm by George Orwell.

 

i.                    Novel: The novel has the largest volume amongst the three prose works. It also involves more characters than that of novella and short story and the plot is often more complex.

ii.                  Novella: A novella is a fictional narrative which is longer than a short story but shorter than a novel.

iii.                Short Story: A short story can be read within a brief time lapse because it is shorter than a novella. It has fewer characters and incidents.

 

b)     Non-Fiction

This is factual writing about real people, events, ideas and real life situations. Non-fiction includes autobiography and biography.

i)                   Autobiography: This is an account of a person's life written by that person. Most autobiographies use the first person's point of view with the pronoun ‘I’. Example: My Odyssey by Nnamdi Azikiwe.

ii)                 Biography:  A biography presents the story of  a  person's life  recounted  by  another  person.  The biographer gives the account of the true life story as  he uncovers them. Example: The Life of  Samuel Johnson by James Boswell.

iii)               Memoir: a memoir is a story about an aspect of a person’s life. Example: Ake: The Years of Childhood by Wole Soyinka

 

c)      Elements of Prose

The elements of prose discussed in this section are tools adopted in the appreciation of prose works. 

i)                   Theme

It is the central message about life or human nature expressed in a literary work. In a stated theme, the writer expresses the theme directly into words. The readers on the other hand must determine on their own an unstated or implied theme by interpreting story elements. 

ii)                 Plot

A plot is a sequence of related events that take place within a definite period in a literary work. Plots develop in five stages: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. The exposition gives the setting, introduces the characters and conflicts. The rising action develops the conflicts and complications. The climax or the turning point is the highest point of interest. The falling action shows the events that take place after the climax. Resolution or denouement describes how the conflicts are resolved.  

iii)               Setting

This refers to the place and period in which the action of a literary work takes place. The setting can also include ideas, customs, values and beliefs. 

iv)               Character

In all literary works, writers describe actions and ideas. The characters are the persons or objects affected by these actions and ideas. Thus, a character plays a role in the action of a literary work. 

v)                  Characterization

This refers to the techniques writers use in presenting and developing characters. In the direct characterization, the author states the traits simply by saying that a character is proud or kind. With indirect characterization, the author reveals the character's traits through the character's action or words or from what other characters in the literary work say about the person.

vi)               Conflict

This is the struggle between two opposing forces in a literary work. The external conflict is the struggle between a character and another character or between a character and an outside force such as society, destiny or nature. The internal conflict is the struggle that takes place within a character. This may be opposing feeling, indecision, etc.

vii)             Style

This is the technique a writer employs to present his work. This may be choice of words, sentence patterns, figurative language and tone. 

viii)  Point of View

This refers to the perspective from which a story is narrated. The person telling the story is called the narrator. There are two main types of point of view: first person and third person. In the first person's point of view, the writer tells a story using the pronoun I. Thus, the narrator is a character in the story. In the third person's point of view, the writer uses the third person pronoun 'he or she'. In this type, the narrator is an outside observer. So he stands apart from the characters. The third person narrative point of view can be classified into two: the third person limited point of view and the third person omniscient point of view. In the third person limited point of view, events are described as a single character may see them. In the third person omniscient point of view the narrator reports the thoughts, actions and feelings of all the characters in a literary work.