1 / 11

What is Literature and Why D oes it Matter?

Delve into the complexity of defining a meaningful life through literature, challenging the traditional literary canon and master narratives. Analyze James Wright's poem, pondering themes of wasted potential. Study Bell Hooks' views on empowerment and self-definition through writing and memories. Uncover the power of literature to expand perspectives and empathy. Engage with critical perspectives on the intersection of art, society, and personal growth. Discover how literature serves as a tool for introspection and understanding diverse viewpoints.

mcgowan
Download Presentation

What is Literature and Why D oes it Matter?

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. What is Literature and Why Does it Matter? Lecture 2/24/14

  2. Journal 2 Using the James Wright Poem titles “Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota, in your book p.3 write a response to the speaker of the poem, focusing on the last line: “I have wasted my life” Begin with something like… When I read your poem, I was struck by the last line…

  3. What constitutes a “good” or “productive life” in your opinion?

  4. What would Jimmy Santiago Baca have to say to the speaker in this poem? Using his text, support your claims using Baca’s text and/or his interview.

  5. The literary canon is "the greatest works of artistic merit.“ How literature has been defined

  6. Why is this problematic?

  7. The Master Narrative is whatever ideological script that is being imposed by the people in authority on everybody else: The Master Fiction . . . history. It has a certain point of view. So when those little girls see that the most prized gift they can receive at Christmas time is this little white doll, that’s the MasterNarrative speaking: this is beautiful, this is lovely, and you’re not it, so what are you going to do about it? Toni Morrison, interview with Bill Moyers Toni Morrison described the Literary Canon as the “Master Narrative”

  8. “Art lives upon discussion, upon experiment, upon curiosity, upon variety of attempt, upon the exchange of views and the comparison of standpoints.” “The Art of Fiction” by Henry James “Literature is equipment for living.” Kenneth Burke Critics on literature from Making Literature Matter p. 17-20

  9. “When it’s the real thing, literature enlarges us, strips the film of familiarity from the world; creates bonds of sympathy with all kinds, even with evil characters, who we learn are all in the family. This enlargement is both intellectual and emotional.” Frank Lentricchia Making Literature Matter p. 18

  10. “If any female feels she need anything beyond herself to legitimate and validate her existence, she is already giving away her power to be self-defining, her agency.” ― Bell Hooks, Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics

  11. She describes it as-an “unconventional memoir, drawing together the experiences, dreams and fantasies that preoccupied me as a girl, playful, random and irrational. exemplifying how the mind thinks thoughts over and over again, an intuitive and critical thinking child mind. “Memories are sometimes in the third person, looking back, standing at a distance.” “We are retrospective, there and not there.” Bell Hooks on her book Bone Black Memories of Girlhood

More Related