WORLD LITERATURE

Literature is defined as “any written work.” It came from the word Latin term
literatura which refers to all written accounts. It can be expounded as the verbal
expression of man’s affection as acted upon in its relationship with the material world,
society and his Creator. The expression being varied as the moods that passed over his
soul whether they speak of love or hatred; of joy or sorrow or of fear or hope. It is safe
then to conclude that literature includes even those which are uttered or sung.

There are several qualities of literature. Such includes: Permanence,

Universality, Appeal, Relevance, Artistry and Suggestiveness.

Permanence in literature means the literary work is lasting, enduring and is

capable of existing without decay. It endures across time such that it may be considered
eternal. When one reads or learns about something, the knowledge is passed on from
one generation to another. This is how literature achieves permanence.

For literature to be universal, it must be all-embracing and all-reaching. It touches

the mind of everyone who comes across it despite the diversity of humanity. The
influence of literature knows no bounds and is not restricted by any barrier.

Literature is also appealing because it bears inherent charisma. Take for

example myths and fairy tales, they stimulate the curious minds of people because of
the fantasy and magic that it carries. Literature demands the attention of man because
of the insatiable nature of man to know about everything.

It is relevant since it is a reflection of society at a given time. As previously

mentioned, literature is an expression of man’s various relationship so making it
significant and meaningful. One does not appreciate something which does not relate to
him in any way.

Literature has an aesthetic appeal thus it possesses a sense of beauty. It is a

variety of ways on how man’s experiences, perceptions and thoughts can be presented.
Pictures and symbols may also be used to express man’s idea of life. Artistry also
includes the form and formation of the presentation. An example would be poetry

According to William J. Long, the quality of suggestiveness appeals to our

emotions rather to our intellect. It unravels man’s opinion about the meaning of the
symbols, letters and messages laid out in literature. It evokes visions above and beyond
the ordinary planes of life.

There are two functions of literature according to Horace, these are dulce and
utile. Dulce
means "sweetness". It should appeal to "human pleasure" or to the emotional aspect, or
simply to entertain. Utile means "usefulness". It should appeal to "human intellect;" or it
draws application to life.
Some include movere which means "to move". It should appeal to "human imagination;"
igniting the soul of the reader.

The language that is used by literature differ from ordinary spoken or written
language. Literature uses special words, structures, and characteristics. Primarily the
language of literature differs from ordinary language in three ways: (1) language is
concentrated and meaningful, (2) its purpose is not simply to explain, argue, or make a
point but rather to give a sense of pleasure in the discovery of a new experience, and
(3) it demands intense concentration from the readers. It indicates that the language of
literature has originality, quality, creativity, and pleasure.

How is world literature defined then? According to Damrosch, world literature is

work that gains in translation. When it is effectively presented, a work of world literature
moves into an elliptical space created between the source and receiving cultures,
shaped by both but circumscribed by neither alone. It is considered as a global concept
because its range covers early books such as the bible.

The bible is an array of historical recollection of the life of Israelites including the
story of David and Goliath. This is story where a small boy defeats a giant. How is this
story relevant? It gives hope to man that nothing is impossible as long as one has faith
in his Creator. It touches the emotional wire of anyone who reads it even if they are not
Israelites. This is how universal literature is. The story of David and Goliath provokes
man to feel something rather than to think about the peculiarity of such event.

Literary works have themes. Literature is not only about human ideas, thoughts,
and feelings but also about experiences of the authors. Literature can be medium for
human to communicate what they feel, think, experience to the readers.

A theme is a central idea or insight about life, human behaviour that a story
reveals. A theme may or may not be stated directly. It is difficult for man to understand
something if he does not know what he is looking for. Sometimes, the theme of a story
is revealed through the characters.

It is said that a theme is not a summary of the story: that is not what the text is
‘about’; nor is it a special subject you have to search for. There are certain types of
experiences which are common to all men everywhere. Literature is about ordinary life,
so the big themes in literature are the important subjects and experiences of our public
and private lives: they are the ordinary and common words in our everyday thoughts
and conversations, like love, death, marriage, freedom, hope, despair, power, war,
revenge, evil, and so on.
 As discussed previously, there is a variety of techniques or methods on how
literature is presented. Take for example, horror and mystery. These kinds of stories
evoke feelings of fear and mystery. Another is realistic fiction. These are stories that
could actually “happen” in real life. Non-fiction, on the contrary, is an account of real
people and events.

Fiction is a writing style that tells about imaginary things and events. Historical
fiction are stories with fictional character and events in a historical setting whereas
scientific fiction are stories based on imagined inventions, space travel or life in other
worlds which are usually set in the future. Distinctively, fantasy is a story where the
writer creates a magical world where anything can happen.

Fables are short stories usually with animal characters that teach a lesson about
what is important in life. Folk tales, on the other hand, are stories told from generation to
generation usually by word of mouth. It sometimes varies in versions depending on the
region where it is told.

Myths, legends, tall tales and fairy tales have one thing in common which is
magic and enchantment. However, they are also distinct from one another. Myths are
stories about early people’s ways to explain the universe. These include gods and
goddesses and their way of life. Legends are stories that old people tell as a “true story”
but sometimes the details are difficult to confirm. Tall tales are stories about an
extraordinary person, the main character, who is usually better at things than an
ordinary person. Fairy tales are stories about princesses which often begin with “once
upon a time” or “long long ago” and has happy endings.

Other examples of literature include biographies, autobiographies, poetry,

drama/plays and international writing. There are a lot more ways on how literature is
expressed. In any case, it has the same purpose and that is to convey emotions,
thoughts and experiences to anyone who listens or reads.