Summary of "What is

Literature?" by Terry Eagleton

Terry Eagleton was a student
of Raymond Williams, the
famous theorist who published
the
book 'Keywords'. Eagleton
does not straight arrive on his
argument and state evidence to
prove his statement. Instead he
examines all the ideas
proposed about Literature, all
the
definitions provided for the
same, then gradually unpacks
them and finally points out his
problems with them. Towards
the end he arrives at his own
idea and tries to define what
Literature is. Mr. Pinto
suggested that students take
this route of reasoning while
writing
their research papers so that
they do not end up
summarizing their own
argument in the first
paragraph itself and would be
exhausted. Descartes also
emphasized on the importance
of
doubt in order to attain
knowledge.
Some of the immediate ideas
that Eagleton throws in are
following:
He first examines if Literature
is imaginative fiction or just
fact. Literature can't be just
one of
these because it spans from
newspapers to philosophical
treatises to novels and poems.
While newspapers maybe
purportedly reporting facts and
daily happenings, one may
wonder
why so many newspapers exist
to do the same work. Though
the question and its answer
cannot be so simple, one can
see that readership of different
newspapers is dictated by the
interesting/informative/
humorous nature of reporting
which distinguishes each
paper. Also,
this definition of literature
seems to exclude texts that
transcend pure writing like
manga or
comic books.
Then he comes to the formalist
argument about literature. Mr
Pinto first briefly explained
why the fascination with
formalism. It is so because
formalism tried to break away
from the
existing norm and resorted to
examining the medium itself:
language. The Formalist
definition: Literature is
organized violence committed
on ordinary speech. This
definition
focuses on how for a text to be
valued as literature, the
importance is to write in a
certain
way and use a particular
register. This can be marked as
the linguistic turn in literature.
Register in linguistic simply
means a variety of language
used for a particular purpose or
in a
particular social setting.
Looking at register as a
"formality scale" and placing it
in context of
literature's formalist definition,
we can say that when one
shifted to using "very
formal/printed word" language
or "formal/archaic" words that
were not used in ordinary
conversation, the writing
written so could be qualified as
literature. Otherwise, as the
signifier does not refer to the
commonly known signified,
for example, "thou unravished
bride of quietness" (it is not
necessary that the person is
talking about the bride or it is
not
even necessary that the bride
should exist). Formalists defy
reference to such quasi
mystical
symbolism and draw attention
to material reality. Formalists
say that literature (poetry was
particularly talked about) is
not a vehicle for content/ideas
because what is written could
have been written by anybody
else located in that time under
those conditions. Preethi then
asked, if this is not
contradictory to the formalist
argument of rejecting social
background
and its influence on the
author's life and work. Mr
Pinto agreed that it was indeed
one of the
shortcomings of the theory but
even so, formalists paid more
attention to the forms of
writing like satire, allegory etc
and explained that it is the
nature of the form that makes
the
content what it becomes in the
end.
Summary of "What is Literature?" by Terry Eagleton

Terry Eagleton was a student of Raymond Williams, the famous theorist who published the book
'Keywords'. Eagleton does not straight arrive on his argument and state evidence to prove his
statement. Instead he examines all the ideas proposed about Literature, all the definitions provided
for the same, then gradually unpacks them and finally points out his problems with them. Towards
the end he arrives at his own idea and tries to define what Literature is. Mr. Pinto suggested that
students take this route of reasoning while writing their research papers so that they do not end up
summarizing their own argument in the first paragraph itself and would be exhausted. Descartes
also emphasized on the importance of doubt in order to attain knowledge.
Some of the immediate ideas that Eagleton throws in are following: He first examines if Literature is
imaginative fiction or just fact. Literature can't be just one of these because it spans from
newspapers to philosophical treatises to novels and poems. While newspapers maybe purportedly
reporting facts and daily happenings, one may wonder why so many newspapers exist to do the
same work. Though the question and its answer cannot be so simple, one can see that readership of
different newspapers is dictated by the interesting/informative/humorous nature of reporting which
distinguishes each paper. Also, this definition of literature seems to exclude texts that transcend
pure writing like manga or comic books.

Then he comes to the formalist argument about literature. Mr Pinto first briefly explained why the
fascination with formalism. It is so because formalism tried to break away from the existing norm
and resorted to examining the medium itself: language. The Formalist definition: Literature is
organized violence committed on ordinary speech. This definition focuses on how for a text to be
valued as literature, the importance is to write in a certain way and use a particular register. This can
be marked as the linguistic turn in literature. Register in linguistic simply means a variety of language
used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting. Looking at register as a "formality scale"
and placing it in context of literature's formalist definition, we can say that when one shifted to using
"very formal/printed word" language or "formal/archaic" words that were not used in ordinary
conversation, the writing written so could be qualified as literature. Otherwise, as the signifier does
not refer to the commonly known signified, for example, "thou unravished bride of quietness" (it is
not necessary that the person is talking about the bride or it is not even necessary that the bride
should exist). Formalists defy reference to such quasi mystical symbolism and draw attention to
material reality. Formalists say that literature (poetry was particularly talked about) is not a vehicle
for content/ideas because what is written could have been written by anybody else located in that
time under those conditions. Preethi then asked, if this is not contradictory to the formalist
argument of rejecting social background and its influence on the author's life and work. Mr Pinto
agreed that it was indeed one of of the theory but even so, formalists paid more attention to the
forms of writing like satire, allegory etc and explained that it is the nature of the form that makes the
content what it becomes in the end.