Study of Literature Notes

What is Literature?

• The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) defines literature as written works considered collectively, especially those with superior or lasting artistic merit.

• Classification can be based on:

  • Country of origin (e.g., Austrian, British).

  • Period (e.g., Medieval, Renaissance).

  • Genre (e.g., Poetry, Fiction, Drama).

  • Subject (e.g., Love Poetry, Science Fiction).

• Terry Eagleton suggests literature transforms ordinary language.

• Literary texts often have internal ambiguities and allow various interpretations.

• The distinction between fact and fiction is not always clear-cut.

• The definition of 'literature' is not objective and changes over time.

• A functional definition equates literature with what is studied and read as such.

Why Study Literature?

• Literature plays a crucial role in understanding individual and communal identity.

• It broadens our ability to think, feel, and argue.

What is the Study of Literature?

• It involves analyzing attempts to define literature (literary theory).

• Identifying common characteristics among texts labeled as literature (literary theory).

• Studying literature within specific time periods (literary history).

• Exploring the production and consumption of texts (literary history).

• Analyzing individual texts to understand their effects (textual analysis/interpretation).

Three Research Domains of Literary Studies

• Literary History

• Literary Theory

• Textual Analysis/Interpretation

Literary Theory

• Focuses on defining literature, theories of interpretation, literary aesthetics, poetics, and genre theory.

Literary History

• Focuses on the historical development of literatures.

Textual Analysis and Interpretation

• Employs analytical methods to understand the content, linguistic, formal, and structural characteristics of literary texts.

• Interprets these characteristics and their possible effects.

Genre

• Refers to a group of literary works sharing characteristics in content, form, or function, serving as classificatory systems.

Subjects of Literary Studies

• Fiction

• Poetry

• Drama

• Television and Film

Output of Literary Studies

• Presentations at academic conferences.

• Articles in journals and edited collections.

• Academic books/Monographs.

BA Studies

• Focus on major genre areas: Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Television and Film.

Departmental Interests

• Texts from Shakespeare to twenty-first-century fiction.

• Fantastic Literature, Graphic Novels, Picture Books, Performance Poetry, Song Lyrics, Life Writing.

• Production and Reception of Literature

• Cultural and Historical Contexts of Literature