INTRODUCTION TO LITERARTURE AND LITERARY STUDIES

Dr. Deeptha AcharDr. Sachin Ketkar

Associate Professors,Department of English, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara

What is Literature?

In English we generally use the word `literature’ in two ways.

We use it WITH A DEFINITE ARTICLE or we use it WITHOUT A DEFINITE ARTICLE.

When we use it with a definite article, as in `I want to read all THE literature available on swine flu’, it implies I have read everything which has appeared in print.

When we use it without the definite article, as in ` I have selected literature as one of my subjects in the college’, it implies I am studying TEXTS which have SIGNIFICANT ARTISTIC VALUE in a particular culture, e.g. If I am studying Gujarati literature I am studying things like poems of Jhaverchand Meghani or novels of Pannalal Patel.

Meanings of the term `literature’

We tend to use the term ` English Literature’ for all literature written on the British Isles in English, e.g. Plays of Shakespeare, poems of Keats or novels of Thomas Hardy

Sometimes we also study literature AVAILABLE in ENGLISH LANGUAGE, e.g. short stories of Indian writer in English like RK Narayan or poems of an American poet Robert Frost

We also study literature from other languages TRANSLATED into ENGLISH when we study `English Literature’, e.g . Plays of Girish Karnad or short stories of Rabindranath Tagore

‘English Literature’ or `Literature in English’

We study literature because it is extremely important part of our culture and society.

Literary studies is an all inclusive term for systematic study of literary texts. Literary studies adds to our knowledge of literature.

Literary studies includes literary criticism, literary history and comparative literary studies

Literary Studies

Literary criticism is a reasoned and systematic discussion of literature.

The word `criticism’ usually does not have the negative meaning we usually associate with the word `criticism’.

Criticism is usually of two types: Theoretical criticism and practical criticism.

Literary Criticism

`Theory’ is usually contrasted with `practice’. By `theory’ we imply more generalized, abstract

and conceptual discussion of literature like the definition of `literariness’, classification of various types of literature, relation of literature and society, literary values and so on.

Aristotle’s Poetics and Bharata’s Natyashastra would be examples of earliest theoretical criticism.

Rene Wellek and Austin Warren’s Theory of Literature and Jonathan Culler’s Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction are recent examples of theoretical criticism.

Literary Theory

Practical criticism involves ANALYSIS, INTERPRETATION and EVALUATION of PARTICULAR literary texts, rather than discussion of literature in general.

Theoretical issues may be explicitly stated or implicitly assumed in practical criticism.

Practical Criticism

Literary History implies history of particular literature, e.g History of Gujarati Literature or History of English Literature

Literary history is concerned with changes in literary norms, periodization , dominant trends, authors, texts of various periods and traditions.

Historical criticism is an attempt to understand authors and literary texts in their cultural, social and historical context.

Historical criticism helps in writing literary history and literary history helps historical criticism.

Literary history and historical criticism