What is Literature?

World Literature 2403

A beginning

What is literature and why read it?

The simple attempt to define literature has political implications.

E.D. Hirsch –Cultural Literacy Movement—static academic knowledge

Louise Rosenblatt --Reader Response Theory—employing the reader as critic/meaning maker

A canon—an accepted standard of literature, has changed with our culture.

Literature as a picture

Often, literature defines the culture and cultural standards from which it comes and from which it is held up as an example of the canon of literature.

Literature includes texts that

are written text (as opposed to spoken or sung)

are marked by careful use of language (metaphors, well-turned phrases, elegant syntax, rhyme, alliteration, meter)

are in a literary genre (poetry, prose, fiction, drama)

are read aesthetically

are intended by the author to be read aesthetically

are deliberately open to interpretation

Reader Response

The reader performs different activities during aesthetic and non-aesthetic readings depending on the different focus of attention during the reading event.

In non-aesthetic reading the focus is on what will remain after the reading.

In aesthetic reading the concern is what happens during the actual reading.

Understanding Openness

To understand metaphoric sense and poetic effect read the following two passages: one from The Joy of Cooking and one entitled The Joy of Cooking.

Irma Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker’s majestic cookbook, Joy of Cooking (1975:507-
508):

About Tongue

Lucky indeed is the cook with the gift of tongues! No matter from which

source—beef, calf, lamb or pork—the smaller-sized tongues are usually

preferable. The most commonly used and best flavored, whether fresh, smoked or

pickled, is beef tongue. For prime texture, it should be under 3 pounds.

Scrub the tongue well. If it is smoked or pickled, you may wish to blanch it

first, simmering it about 10 minutes. Immerse the tongue in cold water. After

draining, cook as for Boiled Fresh tongue, below. If the tongue is to be served

hot, drain, plunge it into cold water for a moment so you can handle it, skin it and

trim it by removing the roots, small bones and gristle. Return it very briefly to the

hot cooking water to reheat before serving.

If the tongue is to be served cold, allow it to cool just enough to handle

comfortably. It skins easily at this point but not if you let it get cold. Trim and

return it to the pot to cool completely in the cooking liquor. It is attractive served

with Chaud-Froid Sauce or in Aspic, see below.

On the other hand, Elaine Magarrell’s poem, “Joy of Cooking”—although strikingly similar
to the cookbook excerpt above

I have prepared my sister’s tongue,

scrubbed and skinned it,

trimmed the roots, small bones, and gristle.

Carved through the hump it slices thin and neat.

Best with horseradish

and economical—it probably will grow back.

Next time perhaps a creole sauce

or mold of aspic?

I will have my brother’s heart,

which is firm and rather dry,

slow cooked. It resembles muscle

more than organ meat

and needs an apple-onion stuffing

to make it interesting at all.

Although beef heart serves six

my brother’s heart barely feeds two.

I could also have it braised

and served in sour sauce.