7/27/2019 Intro to Lit Studies

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1. INTRODUCTION TO LITERARTURE AND LITERARY STUDIES Dr. Deeptha AcharDr.

Sachin KetkarAssociate Professors,Department of English, The Maharaja Sayajirao University

of Baroda, Vadodara

2. What is Literature?

3. In English we generally use the word `literature in two ways.We use it WITH A DEFINITE

ARTICLE or we use it WITHOUT A DEFINITE ARTICLE.When we use it with a definite

article, as in `I want to read all THE literature available on swine flu, it implies I have readeverything which has appeared in print.When we use it without the definite article, as in ` I have

selected literature as one of my subjects in the college, it implies I am studying TEXTS whichhave SIGNIFICANT ARTISTIC VALUE in a particular culture, e.g. If I am studying Gujarati

literature I am studying things like poems of JhaverchandMeghani or novels of Pannalal

Patel.Meanings of the term `literature

4. We tend to use the term ` English Literature for all literature written on the British Isles inEnglish, e.g. Plays of Shakespeare, poems of Keats or novels of Thomas HardySometimes we

also study literature AVAILABLE in ENGLISH LANGUAGE, e.g. short stories of Indian writer

in English like RK Narayan or poems of an American poet Robert FrostWe also study literaturefrom other languages TRANSLATED into ENGLISH when we study `English Literature, e.g .

Plays of GirishKarnad or short stories of Rabindranath TagoreEnglish Literature or `Literaturein English

5. We study literature because it is extremely important part of our culture and society. Literary

studies is an all inclusive term for systematic study of literary texts. Literary studies adds to our

knowledge of literature.Literary studies includes literary criticism, literary history andcomparative literary studiesLiterary Studies

6. Literary criticism is a reasoned and systematic discussion of literature.The word `criticism

usually does not have the negative meaning we usually associate with the word `criticism.

Criticism is usually of two types: Theoretical criticism and practical criticism.Literary Criticism

7. `Theory is usually contrasted with `practice.By `theory we imply more generalized, abstract

and conceptual discussion of literature like the definition of `literariness, classification of

various types of literature, relation of literature and society, literary values and so on. AristotlesPoetics and Bharatas Natyashastra would be examples of earliest theoretical criticism.Rene

Wellek and Austin Warrens Theory of Literature and Jonathan Cullers Literary Theory: A Very

Short Introduction are recent examples of theoretical criticism.Literary Theory

8. Practical criticism involves ANALYSIS, INTERPRETATION and EVALUATION ofPARTICULAR literary texts, rather than discussion of literature in general. Theoretical issues

may be explicitly stated or implicitly assumed in practical criticism.Practical Criticism

9. Literary History implies history of particular literature, e.gHistory of Gujarati Literature or

History of English LiteratureLiterary history is concerned with changes in literary norms,

periodization , dominant trends, authors, texts of various periods and traditions.Historical

criticism is an attempt to understand authors and literary texts in their cultural, social and

historical context.Historical criticism helps in writing literary history and literary history helpshistorical criticism.Literary history and historical criticism