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Is The Function of Literature More To en PDF
Is The Function of Literature More To en PDF
Dissertation: Does the function of literature seem essentially to educate or entertain?
Literature might often seem to be a mere distraction from hours that last too long. One
might read on the beach, in the train, before bed… Reading allows us to distract ourselves
from the world surrounding us, and therefore be entertained, however, we simply cannot
reduce the vast body of literature to having only that purpose. Indeed, literature participates in
the education of mankind, be it positive through the spreading of knowledge, or negative, with
instances of the indoctrination of entire populations. Is the function of this literature, these
plays, poems, novels, novellas, and more, to entertain or to educate? Although literature can
act purely as a diversion for both reader and writer, it can also be purely educational. It is
however the combination of the two functions, entertaining to educate, that is the most
effective and unique to literature, allowing for a more pleasant and effective education of the
reader.
Firstly, literature can essentially act as a distraction, as entertainment, for both the author
during the creation process, as well as for the reader. There is of course a very vast body of
works that fall under the umbrella of literature, such as poems, essays, plays and novels. In
all this diversity, certain authors had as motive for writing merely to distract themselves, to
amuse themselves, experimenting with words, trying new things. This stands out clearly in the
example of poetic writing games of which exist a wide variety, such as the “centon” which
consists of building a new poem from fragments of multiple existing ones. Surrealist writers
will also participate in these games, around in 1925 the “exquisite cadaver” game, which
consists in creating art through collaboration, without any knowledge of what the collaborator
has brought to the paper. As such results are often bizarre, random, delirious and outrageous,
with absolutely no coherence or logic. This is of course the intention.
In the same spirit, Raymond Queneau published, in 1961 what he describes as a “poem
making machine”, entitled Cent mille milliards de poems . The work is composed of ten pages,
with one sonnet per page, of which each line is cut into a thin band of paper, allowing for the
combination of lines from different sonnets and thus the creation of a multitude of new poems
by absolutely anyone. That same author proceeded to write many poems through the process
of “Oulipo S+7”, another poetic writing game based on an existing text, where the author
replaces all nouns with the one that comes 7 word further down in the dictionary. As such,
Raymond Queneau transforms La Fontaine's 1668 fable “La Cigale et la Fourmi” from his first
work Les Fables Choisies , into “La Cimaise et la Fraction”, a rather abstract poem. These
poetic writing games therefore demonstrate the use of literature purely as entertainment to the
writer. Others will go further in these games, setting themselves strict rules of redaction. We
can therefore observe the apparition of novels written as a pangrammatic lipogram,
intentionally writing without a specific letter, or omitting it from words, such as George Perec’s
La disparition, published in 1968 without once employing the letter “E”. In the same style, a
more contemporary author, Michel Dansel published in 2004 a novel without verbs, entitled Le
train de nulle part. A certain form of fun, of pleasure, is therefore found by the author in
writing, be it through writing games or by setting oneself a challenge through constrained
writing, or even by simply improving upon, and refining one's work, by creating.
There is a certain pleasure in creating, and specifically in creating beauty, as seen in the
Parnasse movement of the late 19th century, named after the original Parnassian poets'
journal, Le Parnasse contemporain edited by Alphonse Lemerre, itself named after Mount
Parnassus, home of Apollo's nine Muses in Greek mythology. Parnassisme strove only to
create beauty, to give value to the poetic form by following Theodore Gautiers doctrine of “Art
for art’s sake” working towards faultless form, to translate only what they considered to be
beautiful subjects, such as classical or exotic ones like the Ophelian myth reiterated by
Rimbaud in the Parnassien jewel that is the poem “Ophelia”, which they treated and emotional
detachment, focusing therefore on the esthetic aspects of the production. This creation
provides pleasure to the author. Literature, including notably these “belles lettres”, is therefore
a pastime pleasurable to both author and reader.
Indeed, the pleasure is shared with the reader, who can appreciate the work, be it for its
immaculate form and harmonious sounds in the case of “Ophelia” written in 1870 by Rimbaud
for his collection Poesies published in 1895, or for its humor, as in the case of Much Ado
About Nothing, a Shakespearean comedy thought to have been written around 1598.
Different characteristics of a literary work play into the readers appreciation of it, creating
pleasure, however, this “plaisir de lecture” is not the only reason why we enjoy literature as a
form of entertainment. Literature also allows us to distract ourselves from reality, a prospect
so attractive to the public that many resort to buying easyreading books from the
supermarket. These novels offer light and easy reading, a distraction you can bring anywhere
to escape from hours that are too long, providing a diversion from mundane, everyday events.
Thankfully, these types of supermarket novellas are not the only work to provide a diversion
from life. All types of literature allow us to escape our lives temporarily, be it by allowing us to
be as the witnesses of a plot, as for example in crime novels like And then There were None
by Agatha Christie, or by allowing us to live the events, putting ourselves in the shoes of the
characters, be they real or fictional, as in Friday, or the Other Island by Michel Tournier in
1971. This process of wearing the character’s skin is made even more striking by Michel
Butor in 1957 in La Modification, a New Novel in which the main character and the reader are
not distinguished by the author, who throughout the novel chooses to address the main
character using the first person singular, making the experience of reading the novel almost
confusing to the reader who finds himself identifying with the character whether he wants to or
not.
Literature allows us to escape our daily existence, plunging us into a world that can be
fictional such as Wonderland in Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel Alice in Wonderland , or worlds that
belong to the fantastique ,
a French term for a literary genre that overlaps with science fiction,
horror and fantasy as in Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories, or Le Horla written by Guy de
Maupassant in 1887. Through literature we dive into a universe that is not our own, allowing
us to travel through real and fictional spaces and times, the way that reading Great
Expectations by Charles Dickens allowed Matilda, a young inhabitant of the civil war ridden
island of Bougainville in the XXI century, to travel to Victorian England, in Lloyd Jones’s prize
winning Mr Pip from 2006. One can time travel through literature, thanks to works such as
The Time Machine , by H. G. Wells. Literature therefore has a significant power to distract and
amuse. It has the power to entertain both as it is being written, and as it is being read.
Furthermore, the field is so varied that almost all are certain to find something to their taste.
In addition to this however, literature plays a crucial role in the domain of education. It
allows for individuals to educate themselves through their readings, as well as others through
their writings. Literature offers information, be it through new perspectives, pure knowledge,
or, through the work of engaged authors, knowledge of injustices being committed or issues in
society, as well as suggestion on how to resolve these problems. Through words, we are
given a window on the world. We can see through the eyes of a character, through the eyes
of the writer… This is particularly true in travel journals and all types of travel narratives. A
notable work, Book of the Marvels of the World or
Description of the World by Marco Polo and
Rustichello da Pisa , published as early as 1299 recounted his travels across Persia, China,
Indonesia… This work offered to the European public what for most was their first glimpse of
the Middle East, and the Asian continent and even the Mongol Empire, therefore teaching
them of what lay beyond Europe, bringing europeans with him in his explorations.
Travel through time is also made possible through literature, as many works serve as a
testimony to an epoch long past. The XIXth century is particularly well recorded for example,
thanks to realist writers such as Flaubert, Balzac and Zola. Notable examples are La Comedie
Humaine (The Human Comedy), a collection of approximately one hundred stories and
novels, all linked, happening in the same universe if you will, by the French author Honore de
Balzac. The stories are placed in a variety of settings, with the same characters appearing in
multiple stories, documenting scenes of private, provincial, parisien, political and country life,
as well as philosophical studies. Zola, the realist author by excellence will also participate in
documenting his time with novels such as Germinal from 1885, or La bete humaine from
1890. The realist movement will therefore document in detail all aspects of society, living
conditions, beliefs, morals, and even scenery, clothing and food, through the meticulous
descriptions that characterise the genre. Reading these works therefore allows the reader to
learn of what life was like, which leads to understanding the world today. Literature does not
however limit itself to stating facts for the reader to absorb and interpret, although these works
are very useful to base ones learning or teaching off of.
These paintings of reality are not the only way literature can teach. Indeed, it permits the
recording and distribution of knowledge in specific manners, as the author is given the
freedom to share through his point of view. As such we can observe the apparition of
educational literature, through maximes such as those by La Rochefoucauld, manifests
ranging from Andre Breton’s Surrealist Manifesto in 1924 to Karl Marx’s Communist
Manifesto. Authors dedicated to the spreading of knowledge such as the philosophers of the
age of Enlightenment that was the XVIIIth century, can create masterly works such as the
Encyclopedia, published between 1751 and 1772 by Diderot and d’Alembert, in collaboration
with numerous authors and philosophers. Their goal was to democratise their knowledge,
educating as many as possible to advance in their fight against obscurantism on the part of
the church and the monarch mostly, that perpetuated widespread ignorance. The aim of the
“Philosophers of Light” was to distribute knowledge, but also cultivate critical thinking in the
minds of the masses. This intention gave birth the work such as Montaigne’s Essais
first
published in 1850. These one hundred and seven chapter contain Montaigne’s attempts to
explore his thoughts, his life and learning in written form through a focused treatment of
issues, events and concerns in the past, present and future. He criticises and calls into
question all aspects of the society he lived in, preferring this method to the affirmation of a
relative reality. His remarquable use of rhetoric renders his essays both convincing and
persuasive. By analysing his own thoughts, Montaigne wishes to educate and mobilise his
reader, inciting him to follow his example. Doubt becomes the fundamental expression of
intellectual duty in Montaigne's philosophy, whose motto “Que saisje” is equivalent to
Socrates's “Nosce te ipsum”, or “Gnothi Seauton”. Montaigne’s goal here is therefore in part
to propose a reflection upon society and man’s place in it, and incite the reader to continue
the questioning himself so as to reach his own conclusions.
Literature can also raise awareness for injustices being perpetrated, educating the public
about they. A key example is Zola’s open letter to the French President Felix Faure on 13
January 1898 in the newspaper L'Aurore, in which Zola makes a remarquable use of rhetoric
to defends Alfred Dreyfus, who was accused of espionage. He stated facts, educating the
general public about hidden sides of the story. Further investigate provoked by this polemical
letter proved Dreyfus’s innocence. Be it for good with enlightenment, or bad with instances of
indoctrination through works such as Hitler’s Mein Kampf , literature is a tool used to teach.
Up till now, one could easily suppose that entertaining literature is limited to the role of
distraction, and is in a distinct and distant category from educational literature whose purpose
seems to be limited to teaching and saving and sharing information. However, the two are no
opposites. Quite on the contrary, they complete each other, in the sense that literature allows
for entertaining education, which is all the more effective. Indeed, it is not uncommon for
authors to present lessons in the guise of a fictional tale. In the XVII century in particular, the
idea of “Plaire et Instruir” was widespread in literature. Indeed, the “Roi Soleil” Louis XIV, in
his classicisme, was so partial to it. Notable examples include Les aventures de Télémaque
(The adventures of Telemachus), a didactic novel by Fénelon, for the purpose of teaching his
pupils about christian values. Indeed, he was tutor to the sevenyearold Duc de Bourgogne,
the grandson of Louis XIV. By presenting sins as monstrous creatures from the underworld,
Fenelon illustrated these abstract principles. In the same manner, Apologues, achieve this.
An apologue, defined as a brief fable or allegorical story meant to serve as a pleasant vehicle
for a moral doctrine or to convey a useful lesson without stating it explicitly be it by choice or
obligation, is therefore didactic. Through symbols and allegories the author implicitly transmits
a moral in a most efficient manner, as explicated in Jean de La Fontaine’s “Le pouvoir de la
Fable” (The Power of Fables) written in 1678. Fable generally contain a simple story line and
few characters, that however necessitates interpretation so as to educe the authors
underlying message, which is often different from the explicit moral that defines a fable.
Fables and other types of Apologues such as the “Conte Philosophique” therefore allow for
simultaneous entertainment and moral education. We are amused as we are made to think.
The transmitted information is therefore protected from being potentially censored, and is also
made much more digest and appreciable. The reader may even want to learn more, however
tedious the lesson. For example, in Micromegas , published in 1725, Voltaire mingles
diversion and information, with a plot set in a marvellous, fictional universe, but with a critical
and philosophical message. Furthermore, he evokes a multitude of what were then
contemporary and controversial scientific discoveries, such as evolution, with Micromegas
discovery of relations and similarities between species of insects, Sir Isaac Newton’s
universal gravitation, and the existence of Saturn’s rings as observed by Huygens. Voltaire, in
the same spirit as his contemporaries, strives for the popularisation of scientific knowledge
through diversion, just as De Fontenelle does in his most famous work, considered to be one
of the first major works of the Age of Enlightenment, Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds
(Entretiens sur la pluralité des mondes) published in 1686. It offered an explanation of the
heliocentric model of the Universe, suggested by Nicolaus Copernicus in his 1543 work De
revolutionibus orbium coelestium, through a recorded fictitious conversation between a
scientist and a marquise, supposedly taking place in a typical XVIIth century salon. An
apologue is therefore a particularly effective way to educate the reader.
Montaigne clearly understood this, choosing to incorporate multiple apologues in his work The
Persian Letters , published anonymously in Amsterdam in 1721. This novel is remarkable in
the use Montesquieu makes of its form. Indeed, composed of 161, this epistolary novel is in
fact unique due to the multiplicity of viewpoints, offered by the wide range of different points of
view and relativising them, and allowing us to witness the psychological evolution of
characters, and insert apologues, all of this without recourse to the device of a narrator.
Indeed, Montesquieu is behind each and every character, and leads the reader to reflect upon
society, religion, politics, mores, and their praxis, through satire, questioning the accepted
through the false naivety of foreign eyes as inspired Charles Dufrensy's Amusements serieux
et comiques, and promoting ideals of the philosophers of enlightenment, condemning
despotisme. All the while, the reader remains thoroughly entertained thanks to the exotisisme,
inspired by The Turkish Spy by the italian author Marana in 1684. Indeed, the Orient was in
fashion since the translation of "The Thousand and One Nights, by Antoine Galland,
published in 12 volumes between 1704 and 1717. Once again, the author takes advantage of
the public’s interest in the novel to educate him, and incite him to question his knowledge, and
the praxis of religion, political system, assumptions, mores and practises.
Fabulists and philosophers were not the only ones to utilise distractions to educate. Indeed,
comedians such as Moliere had as a mission to amuse, certainly, but also to correct society’s
mores. To accomplish both these ends, the playwright presented the flaws he saw in society,
exacerbating and exaggerating them, exposing characters and their negative traits in all their
ridicule. The most recognisable caricatures, such as that of the Harpagon in The Miser
(L’Avare) or Dom Juan the libertine in the eponymous “grande comedie”. Those who
presented these mocked flaws might recognise themselves and realise how they are ridiculed
by seeing the crowds laugh at the onstage version of their character. As such, Moliere
followed the principle of “Castigat ridendo mores”, or “faire rire pour instruire”, educating the
public through their laughter.
Literature can therefore entertain as it educates and educate as it entertains; both these
functions to not oppose each other in the least. Providing entertainment both as it is written
and as it is read, allows for an escape, a diversion, a distraction, but also the spread of
information and knowledge. Most importantly, all this can take place simultaneously. The
entertaining aspect allows for better comprehension and retention of information, as well as a
wider spread of it through it’s attractivity to the reader. Furthermore, implicit argumentation
allows for the author to escape censorship. However, as literature educates even as it
entertains, then it’s function becomes primarily to educate. Indeed, we are constantly learning,
even as we play poetic writing games that exercise our skill. We can therefore conclude that
the function of literature is essentially to educate. However, we must not neglect the many
other functions of “les belles lettres”, such as the expression of one’s sentiments through
lyricisme.