LESSON 1
🖊 THEORY OF LITERATURE
Dfn:
What is literature? The term literature has no single definition but there are main three things that are considered in a definition of literature whatever you define it. I will explain later.
Literature; is a work of an art expressed in words, using language creatively to express human realities.
Or is a work of an art which is transmitted in spoken or written form.
Or is a work of an art that uses language creatively to express human realities.
As I said above that there are 3 things to consider when defining literature, let us discuss them here;
(a) Is a work of an art which is distinct from painting or drawing, rather it is imaginative that expresses reality in artistic way through characters.That why it was called a work of an art.
(b) language is a another word to take care of when defining the term literature, language is a tool in which literature uses to reach its audience. Literature uses language creatively means; artistic language as in the use of figures of speech(figurative language) which is quite different from normal language to send messages to the intended society as in the use of Simile, Metaphor, Hyperbole, depersonification, reductio De absurdum and so forth.
(C) Human realities, what is meant here is society; whatever literature does it is all about society, it is the society that carries problems as in bribery and corruption, early marriage, HIV/AIDS, oppression, etc So it is the society that sows the seed of literature .Literature doesn't grow from the vacuum/saucepan.
So you may define literature by using other words but do not forget to include those words.
ORIGIN/NATURE OF LITERATURE
Where does literature originate from?
Everything that you see in the world has its origin whether people know or not. Literature has its root origin from Human beings ever since they were created, literature began there. There are 3 things that helps to show the origin of human literature
1. language and environment; determine the kind of literature that a particular society should possess as in USA, Russia, Asia, Niger, Nigeria and other part of the world; it's language and environment that demarcate the difference how literature began in that society.
2. Human activities; as in fishing, farming and animal husbandry all these mark the difference of kind of literature from one society to another, people from a society that fishes a lot, they will have a lot to say about fishing the same with those who farm and keep animals as their main economic activity, their literature will focus on those economic activities and challenges they faced.
(C) Development and technology; the more the society develops, the more the society changes it's literature for example Many societies in the world had no written literature, they had only oral literature and handed it down from one generation to another;and all societies passed this stage but the difference came when technology was invented, Those who developed earlier in technology laughed those who delayed by calling them uncircumcised, uncivilised, uncultured and couth through writing(novels, plays and poetry).
The next lesson will be on importance of language in literature and types of literature
🖊 THEORY OF LITERATURE
Dfn:
What is literature? The term literature has no single definition but there are main three things that are considered in a definition of literature whatever you define it. I will explain later.
Literature; is a work of an art expressed in words, using language creatively to express human realities.
Or is a work of an art which is transmitted in spoken or written form.
Or is a work of an art that uses language creatively to express human realities.
As I said above that there are 3 things to consider when defining literature, let us discuss them here;
(a) Is a work of an art which is distinct from painting or drawing, rather it is imaginative that expresses reality in artistic way through characters.That why it was called a work of an art.
(b) language is a another word to take care of when defining the term literature, language is a tool in which literature uses to reach its audience. Literature uses language creatively means; artistic language as in the use of figures of speech(figurative language) which is quite different from normal language to send messages to the intended society as in the use of Simile, Metaphor, Hyperbole, depersonification, reductio De absurdum and so forth.
(C) Human realities, what is meant here is society; whatever literature does it is all about society, it is the society that carries problems as in bribery and corruption, early marriage, HIV/AIDS, oppression, etc So it is the society that sows the seed of literature .Literature doesn't grow from the vacuum/saucepan.
So you may define literature by using other words but do not forget to include those words.
ORIGIN/NATURE OF LITERATURE
Where does literature originate from?
Everything that you see in the world has its origin whether people know or not. Literature has its root origin from Human beings ever since they were created, literature began there. There are 3 things that helps to show the origin of human literature
1. language and environment; determine the kind of literature that a particular society should possess as in USA, Russia, Asia, Niger, Nigeria and other part of the world; it's language and environment that demarcate the difference how literature began in that society.
2. Human activities; as in fishing, farming and animal husbandry all these mark the difference of kind of literature from one society to another, people from a society that fishes a lot, they will have a lot to say about fishing the same with those who farm and keep animals as their main economic activity, their literature will focus on those economic activities and challenges they faced.
(C) Development and technology; the more the society develops, the more the society changes it's literature for example Many societies in the world had no written literature, they had only oral literature and handed it down from one generation to another;and all societies passed this stage but the difference came when technology was invented, Those who developed earlier in technology laughed those who delayed by calling them uncircumcised, uncivilised, uncultured and couth through writing(novels, plays and poetry).
The next lesson will be on importance of language in literature and types of literature
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