Introduction to Literature

Literature is the artistic expression of both Psychological and Material Reality with sensory details using language as its medium being enforced by human being's instinctive desire to feel himself/herself existent, to achieve a peaceful life, to be happy in life and, finally, making his/her life meaningful. Since the very beginning of human civilization, men/women strive to give order and meaning to their life. And this effort to give order and meaning to their lives forced them to express themselvesto express both subtly and sensibly and, thus, share their views with others. This is one of the basic human instincts. And, because of the instinct of expressing themselves both subtly and sensibly, human being created art. Literature is the result of that urge of expressing oneself both subtly and sensibly. Moreover, ultimately, what is to be marked here isthe readers also read the literature because of the same instinct. As literature is the result of the instinct of giving order and meaning to mans life, doubtlessly, literature deals with/expresses the issues of all disciplines with endeavors to make life meaningful. Again, we may come to decision arguing that as literature is the product of culture and one of the ways of being cultured and as culture is defined as an aggregate of beliefs, ideas, customs, institutions, and ways of thinking which comprise the way of life of a people (Inquiry in Social Studies Byron G. Massialas), doubtlessly, literature will deal with all of the disciplines relating the beliefs, ideas, customs, institutions, and ways of thinking. So, the disciplines which are dealt while studying literature are, undoubtedly,--Philosophy, Psychology, Political Science, Religious studies, Anthropology, Economics, Sociology etc. The above statement may arise some questions in front us about the presence of a discipline, which deals with the issues of other disciplines. What is the need of doing this and is there anything, which can be taken as literatures own property? Now, we will try to know the answers of this question. First point to be concerned here isScience, Philosophy, Psychology, Political Science, Anthropology, Economics, Sociology etc and all of the other disciplines say things plainly, directly, in theoretical language; literature expresses itself artistically and helps to feel into and to realize and thus to get more help to think the complex experience of life. The invitation to perceptual or physical awareness is function of literature. Thus, the function of poetry is seen to be to force attention. Poetry is a special way of drawing attention to things. To express subtly and sensibly, literature deals with issues in a way which may touch our five sense organs. That is why different types of dealings come in literature rather than other disciplines do on the same issues. Now, let us know the techniques through which literature does what it does. First of all, as literature wants to give order and meaning to life, to deal with the issues regarding beliefs, ideas, customs, institutions, and ways of thinking which comprise the way of life, the writers become selective, creative, inventive, expressive, dreamer with its intended purpose, information and worldview it wants to convey. And being literary work selective, creative, inventive, expressive, dreamer, what the writers represent things in one or other of the aspects as they were, or are, or as they are said, or thought to be, dreamt to be, or to have been, or as they ought to be. And, thats why, the justness of the incidents described in the work are not required always. That may be cent per cent true, or seventy five per cent, or that may be totally imaginative. Secondly, the case of liveliness is a must for literature. The peculiar pleasure of poetry lies in the livelinessusing perfect plot, style, invention as well as diction. However, the sense of liveliness has different points of views, issues to think. That is why, to express, an author, firstly, takes

philosophy, psychology, political philosophy, religious philosophy, Anthropological Science etc. related issuesto their contexts which react on the sensitive mind and produce an awareness of some of the basic laws of the human mind, laws which derive from the essential structure of the mind and personality. And, to take the discussing elements to their contexts they use the following issues as their mediums: 1. Context the true image of mans nature can only be exhibited inside the context 2. Customs 3. Beliefs 4. Attitudes 5. Utterances 6. Myth 7. Prejudice 8. Hope 9. Despair 10. Love 11. Fashion and Style 12. Imagination 13. Passions and humors (states of mind or mental characteristics) to represent a just and lively image of human nature. 14. Actions and reactions The third issue to think is the concern about aesthetics. The term regarding aesthetic issues used commonly in literature is rhetoric, devices for the ornamentation, the art of putting a thought over in a particular manner; command of a number of artfully different manners of expression or persuasion ---a concern for grammar, figures, argumentative devices and forms, how an author credentials himself, relates to his audience, attempts to persuade even with intentions about ethical and intellectual truth. Rhetoric makes literature a touchstone for human motivation. Now, let us know on immediately raised questionwhat happens because of this type of presentation of other disciplines. Literature invites attention in a way no other kind of discourse can. We should mark that the systems through which literature expresses that help to 1. Stimulate awareness, bring about a valuable kind of psychological adjustment 2. to recognize what already know 3. to make mind reproductive Through all these, literature might play the role of the matrix of solutions needed to uplift human civilization. So, it becomes clear to us that literature invites us simultaneously to think about and to feel into and to become.