Running head: LITERATURE 1

The Importance of Studying Literature

Alisha Curtis

University of Maryland University College

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The Importance of Studying Literature

Literature is about the human experience. The literature of great writers allows readers to

transcend the boundaries of space and time and to construct iconic worlds within their minds.

This guided imagination is the basis of the entertaining and transformative functions of literature.

At the heart of literature are the building blocks that help us realize the most important aspects of

our human experiences. These ideas form literary archetypes [ CITATION Hak01 \l 1033 ]. Some

archetypes refer to the ideal or the repulsive, the mortifying, or the gratifying. As stated in The

American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ report, “The Heart of the Matter”, the study of the

nine humanities assists humankind to “foster creativity, appreciation of our commonalities and

our differences, and knowledge of all kinds” (2013, p. 9). A comprehensive knowledge of the

humanities must include learning about the history of the world’s civilizations and cultures,

literature is the study within the humanities that offers the most in-depth analysis of the ancient

and modern human experience. Literature is consistent with the knowledge required of a college

Humanities major because it offers a broad history of the world, each of the humanities has a

canonical work of literature, and literature is perhaps the most accessible of the humanities.

Literature has not always been in the written form; literature was pictorial. The earliest

forms of storytelling are 70,000 year old drawings on rocks and cave walls from the Paleolithic

Era. The marriage between art and literature is fortified by some of the earliest clay tablets

known to exist. They were found in Mesopotamia, inscribed with numeral and word-signs, and

date back to the fourth millennium B.C. [ CITATION Spa04 \l 1033 ]. The most famous example of

pictorial literature is the Egyptians hieroglyphs that told the history of Egyptian dynasties,

societies, religion, culture, and even medicine. As language expanded and more civilizations

were established, art forms changed to include works that represented the values of a culture.
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During that time, epics were a very popular form of literature. For example, The Epic of

Gilgamesh is a timeless Mesopotamian work that dates back to the 20th to 10th century B.C.E.

[ CITATION Spa04 \l 1033 ] The epic or telling of heroic adventures of a protagonist is a long lasting

tradition in literature.

In Western civilization, studying literature and owning books were a symbol of the elite.

This changed in 1436, when the Gutenberg Press revolutionized the way literature was produced

and consumed. After books could be distributed more widely, artists, politicians, philosophers,

scientists, and commentators created controversial works; some that would inspire change. Ideas

spread amongst scholars and throughout society. For centuries print media revealed worlds of

secrets and unified readers and students. Of course more recently, with the advent of digital

media and technology, even the most obscure literature can be consumed 24 hours a day.

One very significant feature of literature is that it contains a canonical, significantly

recognized, work of art from each of the other nine humanities. The book Art and Illusion: A

Study in the Psychology of Pictorial Representation is E.H. Gombrich’s classic analysis of

artistic appreciation according to the present theories of visual perception and learning [ CITATION

Pri15 \l 1033 ]. Historically, in many cultures without written languages, music has been

synonymous with literature; therefore there are countless examples of significant songs that

represent cultures and society. The themes and literary elements of literature are present

throughout lyrical music. Additionally, the Song of Solomon is a collection of passionate songs

mostly subjected on love—though it can be considered as a part of the biblical cannon. With that

said, of course the Qur’an and the Holy Bible are religious canonical works of literature. The

plays of William Shakespeare are the most iconic works that can be produced on stage.

Technology is discussed by George Orwell in his 1984. Orwell’s predictions of the impacts that
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technology has on humanity is also what makes this 1949 book an almost prophetic dystopian

novel. Conversely, Utopia by Thomas More (1478-1535) is a political narrative whose most

recognizable quote is its commentary on poverty. The controversial nature of Utopia, qualifies it

as a political and philosophical novel that impacted leaders and thinkers far outside the literary

world. The Republic by Plato tackles issues of a philosophical nature, framed as conversations

between Socrates and three other Greeks. Finally, The Odyssey by Homer is an early example of

mythological writing that has remained a widely-read work of art for the last 1115 years, since

its composition. These are just a few examples of the innumerable works that influence artists,

foster imagination, create dissonance, and allow human beings to understand each other better

and to enjoy a life enriched by the arts.

One must make note that the literary canon mostly considers works of art by Western

writers. However, some other humanities have historically denied those considered to be

outsiders (women and ethnic “minorities”) a place in their worlds. Through literature we can see

the same historical event affect lives in a multitude of ways. In Margret Fuller’s Women in the

19th Century she argues on behalf of the anti-slavery movement and too its connection to the

liberation of women. Karl Marx and the Frankfurt School pointedly promoted and engaged in an

honest and reflective analysis and critique of society, culture, and authority. Marx and his peers

sparked a discussion that persists today. The Pedagogy of the Oppressed, from the prescribed

reading list for my eight-week course, explains the struggle for self-determination within classist

systems as critiqued by Marx and Engels.

Literature is the language of rebellion, controversy, critical theory, and self-

determination. It is the route by which cultures have declared their independence and reserved

their cultural past. When there are few tools at a person’s disposal to voice communicate their
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experiences with the world, they often turn to literature. For Dambudzo Marechera, author of the

short story “House of Hunger”, literature was his own personal war ground. With cutting

descriptions and burning imagery, he expressed with visceral rage, the limitations and struggles

of fighting for independence in post-colonial Rhodesia. Further, Toni Morrison who holds a

Nobel Prize in Literature, specializes in building plots and developing characters that live,

“outside of the white gaze.” To this end, she removed Iago from Shakespeare’s Othello and

dedicated a play to developing the perspectives of Desdemona and Barbary[ CITATION Eri13 \l

1033 ]. Her outlook on writing for women and minorities is revolutionary in that she allows her

characters to behave proactively, instead of reactively towards a system of oppression and

control.

The Humanities should be ranked in order of importance as follows: 1) Literature, 2) Art,

3) Music, 4) Philosophy, 5) Mythology, 6) Religion, 7) Technology, 8) Theatre, and 9)

Government. Literature explains the evolution of each of the other humanities and it hold the

most knowledge about the past, present, and the future. Art has been functional, expressive of

power, and important features of society and the inner world. Music as a source of communion

functions as a mediator between human flesh and soul among people [CITATION Ola13 \p 94 \l

1033 ]. Music is healing and reaches people were world sometimes cannot. The study of

philosophy is important but may be taking a back seat to the developments of technology, the

overbearing limitations of social engineering and religion, and to the industrialization of modern

society. Now, more than any other time in history, philosophy can aid us in overcoming the

obstacles that continue to create dissonance and conflict in societies such as the dehumanization

of the “other”. Mythology, like philosophy is garners less attention than in previous epochs.

However, mythology predates organized religion and thus demystifies many of the archetypes
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present in religion. Religion is so important so many people it must be studied to understand the

beliefs that people hold and to predict and comprehend their behaviors. Religion can be

dangerous. Technology is expanding in business and science but also delivers goods and arts to

people like never before. New types of interactions between people warrant investigation.

Theatre is ranked more highly than government because the behavior of acting can be found in

both arenas. Theatre is an avenue for truth. Politicians often take advantage of the truth and lie

about their intentions. The better one can decipher an act from the truth, the better one can

demystify politicians. Literature would definitely be at the top of most people’s list because it

encompasses the other humanities and allows for the study of the other humanities. Literature is

the second most inclusive humanity after art. More so than any other systematic view of history,

literature reveals the interactions within and between cultures, the inner lives of people during

major historical events.

One may argue that religion should be studied with more importance than mythology but

mythology offers the precursors of modern religions. It is interesting to investigate the myths of

heroes whose narratives have many of the same features of that of Jesus Christ and other deities.

Mythology offers the polytheistic perspective as opposed to the monotheistic approach of the Big

Three religions. This allows one to draw clear connections between the past and the present.

Some things are validated and others are not. This sort of analysis enlightens society, much like

the scientific or biological cause of many diseases that were once thought to be curses from some

deity.

No one can deny that literature facilitates learning. As previously discussed, literature

contains a significant work of art from each kind of humanity. The tendencies of human nature

are widely and logically discussed in literature. The information presented is much clearer in
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literature than the other arts. There is less left up to interpretation, allowing a single audience to

glean the same ideas from a work of art. Literature unifies people, as well as sparks debate.

When good writers provide imagery, literature is art. When rhythm is created through meter,

alliteration, assonance, and rhyme, literature is music. Literature in action is theatre or even

dance. Literature allows creative freedom. It is the outlet that allows even the most oppressed

people to cry out from the weights of their oppression. Literature is consistent with the

knowledge required of a college Humanities major because it offers a broad history of the world,

each of the humanities has a canonical work of literature, and literature is perhaps the most

accessible of the humanities. Literature is the strongest tool we have for communicating the

ideas, needs, and changes that must occur in order for us to address the needs of the future, or the

next 20 years and beyond. For it is literature that we discuss, view most often, and whose ideas

continue to inspire across centuries.

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References

American Academy of Arts and Sciences. (2013). The Heart of the Matter. Cambridge: The

American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Erickson, P. (2013). Late has no meaning here: Imagining a second chance in Toni Morrisons

Desdemona. Borrowers and Lenders: Journal of Shakespeare and Apropriation, 1-13.

Felluga, D. (2002, July 7). General Introduction to Postmodernism. Retrieved from Introductory

Guide to Critical Theory:

https://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/postmodernism/modules/introduction.html

Fuller, M. (1845). Woman in the Nineteenth Century. Google Play Reader Edition.

Hake, S. (2001). Why Study Literature? Why, 1-11.

Hirsch, R. (2008). Seizing the Light: A Social History of Photography. New York: McGraw Hill.

More, T. (1516). Utopia. Kindle DX version. Retrieved from

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2130

Olaniyan, Y. (2013). Music as a facilitator for healing. Ife Psychology, 94-102.

Princeton University Press. (2015, May 8). Titles. Retrieved from Princeton University:

http://press.princeton.edu/titles/6942.html

Spar, I. (2004, October). The Origins of Writing. Retrieved from Heilbrunn Timeline of Art

History: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/wrtg/hd_wrtg.htm

White, C. (2007, October 6). Modernism. Retrieved from Course Site Humanities University of

Houston: http://coursesite.uhcl.edu/HSH/Whitec/terms/M/modernism.htm
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