"Literature goes beyond life"
"[L]iterature goes beyond life. It is art; it is an imaginative creation that can tell truths gracefully, subtly through narrative, poetry and the movement of characters on a stage. Any imaginative act suggests possibility, and this is another reason to continue studying literature." [Florence Dee Boodakian, In Defense of Literature][Website no longer available]<\/p>
The Essence of Literature
Literature is a reminder of classical work, sacred scriptures, epics and stories of the modern times and the past. It is the specialist-researched and written culture or period or language that reflects happenings both of the modern as well as the past times. The essence of literature human life spans more than life itself. As Florence Dee Boodakian puts it, \u201cLiterature goes beyond life. It is art; it is an imaginative creation that can tell truths gracefully, subtly through narrative, poetry and the movement of characters on a stage. Any imaginative act suggests possibility, and this is another reason to continue studying literature." [Florence Dee Boodakian, In Defense of Literature]. This theory is completely admissible. Literature provides a platform from which people mirror their lives, makes human beings understand one another and their cultures, and fosters progress in the human society.<\/p>
Different Types of Literature
Literature comprises many writings such as legal and scientific writings, writings on culture, history, religion, art, philosophy, fiction, essays, drama, poetry, and prose among other types of writings. Other writings regarded as literature include logistics, mathematics, the ancient times' creative non-fiction and literary journalism.\u00a0<\/p>
Literature as a Reflection of Life
To begin with, literature is the very foundation of life that creates emphasis on diverse topics on human experiences of love and tragedy. Far from the physical writing that carries it, it is real in the human mind imaginations and the ability to understand the simplicity or complexity of the texts. Through literature, people are able to see occurrences from the perspectives of others or even inanimate things. The written words impact the imagination of the readers, and through this way, literature provides an avenue for the readers to learn about different life experiences through heart-touching exciting and sad stories.<\/p>
Introduction to Literature
The experience of literature begins from a very tender age when children are introduced to literature through the teaching of alphabets, showing pictures to them and reading simple texts. While this is different from the complex literary works such as the thousands of pages of science fiction, it is a leap towards the literary world. As people grow, they progressively develop curiosity in some subjects among the very many that they explore. Teaching children reading skills is the gateway for their comprehension of issues and situations from different perspectives.<\/p>
Understanding Others Through Literature
It is very difficult for one to fathom the complexities of other people's world just as it is impossible for one to be someone else. This is, however, possible through literature. Literature presents a unique opportunity for the readers to experience whole-heartedly the world of others. For example, a literary work written in a soldier\u2019s perspective gives the readers a chance to understand the soldier\u2019s emotions, pains and memories imaginatively. Since literature is capable of going back into time, it provides an opportunity with an experience of the past occurrences, deep into the protagonist\u2019s soul and mind.<\/p>
Relating Literature to Life
Literature provides the reader with the ability to see the world through a different lens. This helps people relate the literature to their own lives. This reflective role of literature is capable of teaching the readers good morals and influences better judgment or decision-making. The public schools' system is an evidence towards this end as the most emphasized books in these schools often have moral teachings. Looking at the works of William Shakespeare, for instance, all the stories portray the nature of humans. The relevance of these stories is that the readers will attempt to make better decisions in different circumstances to avoid falling victim to the related eventuality in the fictitious world. In this regard, therefore, literature is not less than life itself but provides guidance to it.<\/p>
Literature and Society
Literature portrays the social norms and thinking patterns in any society. They show the diversity and commonalities in human life. The literature of the classical period enhances the thinking, creativity and imagination of the people. An individual exposed to a good work of literature benefits from the educative environment presented through the world of imagination. On the other hand, depriving a person of the opportunity access classical literature would deny him or her a chance to grow.<\/p>
The Importance of Literature
Today, we are living in an ever-changing world. People are faced with the challenge of predicting future occurrences. With the modern expansion of literature into the minds of many people, people have understood others and the world based on these countless libraries in their memories. Life is not predictable or practical anymore. The importance of literature and its study have become invaluable in enabling people to establish relationships, and define morals in the human society. It is therefore agreeable that literature goes beyond life as Florence Dee Boodakian noted.<\/p>
