What is Literature?

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What is Literature?

We write for many reasons, don't we? Actually, no. Unless it's in a personal journal that we never plan on allowing other's to see, we only write for one reason: To illicit a reaction from others. This web project will attempt to show several examples of literature that may challenge you, the general public, to react. Please feel free to do so as we explore literature for what it truly is!

At the left you'll notice a picture that tells a story. Click on it. This is, at it's essence, literature. Like most literature, familiarity with the cultural context is necessary to comprehend the story's meaning. Why would the artist choose these two images, an American hero faced with an American tragedy? What the artist has done is reacted to events around him and, in turn, told us a story about how he felt so that we may better identify with him. He has created a story without words that we, the audience, react to in a variety of ways.

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Already we are beginning to expand on the definition of literature! Sure, words and pages are what we normally think of, but that definition leaves out so much. It fails to capture the essence of why we, as a species, write. We do it to communicate ideas to others, of course! We do it to engage others with our outrage or compassion. We do it to illicit feedback because we want to communicate with each other. How else do we communicate ideas that we want people to respond to?

Art
Video
Music
Writing

We've already looked at a piece of art that evokes responses from people, so let's look at a video. Often, video starts as writing, as we'll see in the next piece. Unlike the artwork, this time I'm going to show you something that will likely cause multiple responses. While the artist was trying to evoke a feeling that we all shared, the poet in the video will attempt to jar you. He has his opinion and, through graphics and sound, he will try to convince you that he is correct. Think about what methods he uses while you watch and check out the poll after.

Dance, Monkeys, Dance by Ernest Cline

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Cline expands on written poetry in order to emphasize the points he wants his audience to focus on. Certainly, his poetry would be fine just sitting in a book, but he wants his audience to laugh, especially at themselves! He uses archetypes that we are familiar with in order to get a further reaction, positive or negative, from his audience. A lot of film makers do this. The next time you watch your favorite movie, think about why you like it. What cues did the director of that movie put in to make you feel the way you did. These things don't happen accidentally! We read, look, listen, and watch because at least some part of us LIKES, to be manipulated like that! Let's take a look at another method of conveying a message to an audience.

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Captain America Mourns by Mike Deodato Jr.

Contact:

Name:

Michael C. Riedlinger

Email:

ktownpirate01@aol.com