Introduction
One way of experiencing life in a particular time period, emotion, culture, or event that people might not otherwise be willing or able to meet in any other form is through literature. Any collection of written works is considered literature in the widest sense. Literature is more precisely writing as an art form or any individual written work thought to have intellectual or artistic worth, particularly when language is used in ways that differ from everyday usage. Therefore, it is possible to say that literature provides access to new life experiences. (Bean, Dunkerly-Bean & Harper, 2013). It can also be noted that literature imbues an individual life's experiences with meaning and the expansion of knowledge horizons as it reflects the lived experiences of societies.
Karbo's Experience
For instance, Karbo (2017), writing on the TNB Fiction blog, narrates her struggle with the cruelty of 4th graders and how they can be mean. The nightmare, as she calls it, arose out of her 4th grader daughter experience at school when the other children she was playing with refused or failed to pass the ball to her. In telling the story, Karbo (2017) also took time to reflect on what it means to pass the ball. She not only found that the success of the basketball team depends on passing the ball but also saw life as being sustained by passing the ball.
Spotlight on Mary Tyler Moore
Shapiro (2017) Spotlight: "Mary Tyler Moore", a bridged chapter in her memoir, Crushable-My Life in Crushes from Ricky Nelson to Viggo Mortensen. In the short story, which is narrated through the cartoon literary genre, Shapiro tells of her childhood conflicts between being seen as cool and doing the right thing. Her role model was Mary Tyler Moore, who was a TV presenter and, to Shapiro, embodied just the right confidence and character that she desired to emulate in shaping her life.
Literature as a Lived Experience
It is out of such insights that literature is viewed as being a lived experience. Having observed what literature is, at a personal level, literature can also be described as being a part of my daily struggles. Literature offers pleasure to its readers and listeners. It provides an escape from day to day problems as it fills leisure moments. Having some time for reading and exposing oneself to high-quality literature helps develop passionate readers as well as increase achievement. Literature's prime reason for survival is its ability to offer recreation and entertainment. The most vital aftermath of a program in literature can be argued as the developing of a passion of making literature one's recreational activity. It has been entertaining, informative, and continues to broaden my mind.
The Power of Novels
Take, for instance, my favorite genre, the novel, is a genre that many people relate to. Perhaps, it is the genre that has shaped many literary writers irrespective of what genre they chose to write including fiction, poetry, real life stories, biographies, or memoirs. The first interaction with the novel opens young minds to the world of illusions and fantasy before leading them to the more serious issues of life. Literature offers a model of language to those who read and listen to it. The best novels have their audience exposed to standard stories, varied usage of words and correct sentence structures. People whose English is a second language are in a position to better their English with the exposure to interesting context and all readers gain from new vocabulary woven into stories. My most memorable novel is the Mayor of Caster Bridge written by Thomas Hardy. Although the book deals with social issues that appertained to the Victorian rural England, it, nevertheless offers insights into today's social conflicts. Suffice to say, the use of characterization, symbolism, metaphor, and point of view renders the novel the ultimate literary experience.
A Dislike for Poetry
Whereas the novel is still the genre of choice, I cannot stand poetry. Poetry is written in such a manner as to challenge the mental agility of the reader. One thing that I dislike about poetry is that one does not get the full picture of the emotion or scene being explained by the poet. Novels cover more characterization, more background and absolutely more plot. That is what poetry is about: it does not offer the experience of being on a journey that the novel offers and neither does it offer the excitements and disappointments that the characters in a novel often experience and which the reader can identify with and, therefore, shape the reader's world view.
Literature as a Reflection of Life
Literature provides a reflection of life by mirroring the society's ills with the intention of making people recognize the ills and make amends. Literature also offers a celebration of the values of a society and encourages people to emulate. The author of a literary work often walks the reader through the story and through the characters and the embedded messages relayed through symbolism, metaphor, plot, and point of view. In so doing, the authors of literary works connects with the reader as they tell of the struggles, triumphs, and their values. A good example is the story of Shapiro and her struggle to be a person of good moral standing and the issues associated with being recognized by her peer.
References
Bean, T., Dunkerly-Bean, J. & Harper, H. (2013). Teaching Young Adult Literature: Developing Students as World Citizens, Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.
George, S. (2005). Ethics, Literature, and Theory: An Introductory Reader, Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.
Karbo, K. (2017). Excerpt of Motherhood Made a Man out of Me. TNB Fiction. Retrieved from: http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/
Shapiro, J. (2017). Spotlight: "Mary Tyler Moore". Retrieved from: http://therumpus.net/2017/01/spotlight-mary-tyler-moore-by-janice-shapiro/
