Directions: answer these questions in a paragraph, and keep your response to 200 words or less. To you, what is literature? What have you experienced recently that you would consider quality literature? Why was it quality literature? How do you define quality? What have you experienced recently that you would consider low-quality literature? Why was it low-quality? How do you define low-quality? What did you see in our class on the 27th that you would consider high-quality literature, low-quality literature, and/or not literature at all? Why?
Ex. I think literature is anything written down that expresses someone's thoughts. I recently read a news article about the conflict in Gaza. It really made me think about what is going on in the East. It also made me feel really angry. I think it was quality, because quality literature should be something that makes its audience think and feel. I also read a comic strip recently, Beetle Bailey, and I thought it was low quality because I didn't understand the humor. I think that low-quality literature is something that does not appeal to a large number of people.
(this example neither reflects my writing style or my opinions, but it would be an acceptable response.)
Initial reply due before class on September 3rd.
Reply to classmate: ask a question for clarification on one or more of your classmate's answers to the blog questions. Questions are meant to provoke thought, so make sure that your question(s) is (are) well thought-out.
Ex. Do you think that maybe you aren't the audience for Beetle Bailey? Who do you think might be the audience? Do you think that quality depends on the point of view of the audience?
Extra Credit Opportunity: you can get an extra point of credit for responding to more than one blog, and/or replying to a classmate's reply (answer the question(s) put to you). You can earn up to five points of extra credit.
Ex. You're right. I'm probably not the audience for Beetle Bailey. It's probably meant for people who are in or have served in the military, and it might even be for an older audience. So, yes, quality would depend on the audience. The actual audience might see it as quality.
Reply to classmate due by 5pm on September 5th.
Note: all of my examples show a level of respect in tone. Keep your tone respectful.
To me, literature is any written word. I have read a couple fiction novels recently by author Robin Jones Gunn and I would consider her novels quality literature. Her books are quality literature because they stir up emotions in me, and she makes me want to keep reading. I define quality literature by the ability of it to stir up a lot of emotion and interest in a reader. I have been helping my husband study for a job promotion by reading the Army Doctrine Publications of the Army. I would consider this low quality literature because it is tedious to read and stirs up no emotions in me, characteristics, I believe, of low quality literature. I consider A Midsummer Night’s Dream to be high level literature because it is read by many generations, and it stirs up emotion in a wide range of audiences. I would consider the music video of Aerosmith to be low quality literature because for me personally it didn't stir up any emotion. I considered everything we viewed to be some type of literature because it all is written words that have evoked someone’s emotion and imagination.
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ReplyDeleteLiterature in it's most basic form to me is an idea that is being shared or expressed in words. Therefore, it necessary doesn’t have to be written nor in the form of a novel – there are songs and stories that are passed along generations that may never be written down. Thus, I'm conflicted on where literature officially starts and where is ends. “Guardians of the Galaxy,” I felt his was an amazing movie and an aspect of literature. It had a plot, character development, invoked emotions, and was entertaining all at the same time. But, can I call it good quality literature? Normally when I hear the word quality I think of something that is far better then something else. Thus, brings up a question, “is a stop sign literature?” It's a word that expresses an idea which I stated was the basic form of literature. Can that be an example of low-quality literature or can a single world even be considered literature? If so, then anything with words is literature and who I am to say what is quality literature and what isn't?
ReplyDeleteWho do you think does or should define literature as quality literature? I like your point about literature not having to be written down to be considered literature so then would you consider anything that comes out of everyones' mouths literature?
DeleteAgain, that is where the conflict starts. What is Literature? Who has the right to deem something literature and not? I know a teacher who once said something in the lines of, "your words mean nothing till you have a graduates degree in that field."
Delete(might even had been you needed a doctorate, Ms. Taylor will have to remind me of how she worded that!)
Anyhow, if we agree that words written or not can be a form of literature then doesn't that mean anything that anyone says can be literature?
Literature, in my experience, has always had a poetic creativity. Growing up, the literary works that my brothers and I read often had deep imagery. This sense of imagery became an expectation whenever I picked up a book. If the book didn’t reach my expectations, it would lose me. To this day, the ideas I had when I was younger continue to exist. My mother taught us literature often. She would present a poem or short story to us, and then ask our opinions on the content. One day, my mother read a poem about depression and rebirth titled, “Renascence,” by Edna St. Vincent Millay. This is my definition of quality literature: the poetic arrangement of words, ideas, and imagery. That is what literature is all about. However, I recently finished reading “The Fault in Our Stars,” by John Green. Although I enjoyed this book, I felt it was too simple. I feel that literature should give a sense of excitement when you can create your own story to the ideas of the author. Imagination and poetic creativity is my satisfaction.
ReplyDeletePoeme, I love that your mom was challenging you at a young age! I also read "The Fault In Our Stars" over the summer, would you consider it children's literature perhaps?
DeleteNot so much children’s literature, but perhaps more for adolescents. Not that I do not examine novel’s like “The Fault in Our Stars” to be literature, however I view it as too modern. It seems as though there is too much similarity in books, today. Also, if someone has not read the book, there is a movie based off of it that they feel is more convenient. My expectations of literature don’t branch far from these: “Frankenstein” and “The Great Gatsby,” genres like poetry and lit-fiction, and writers such as E.B White, Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Frost, and Shakespeare. Everything else, to me, just falls under the “read to read it” category.
DeleteAlthough I love sitting down to a good book, I have ever thought much about what literature actually is, so I don’t know. Last week I picked up “To Kill A Mocking Bird”, and I have found it to have a range of emotions, a message and I believe it is a book that past generations have enjoyed. This book is to the point, not overly wordy and I believe it is good literature. Looking over the syllabus for all of my classes is not literature; it is boring, and just a bunch of words that have no emotional attachment for me personally. The examples in class were all literature to me, they were personal stories and accounts of experiences that others can gain something from reading or hearing. In my opinion the songs and funny movies of today are no different from a poem or comedy “classic” written for the middle class 100 years ago, they are feeding the same purpose.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you believe the purpose of literature to be? I agree that an important part of literature is its ability to evoke emotion. Because of that do you believe it is possible to have a universal definition of literature even though not everyone will have emotions evoked by the same thing?
DeleteI can appreciate that your being totally honest about not really knowing what literature is. It's a pretty loaded question. However your showing a really good idea of the basic jist. Your opinion does determine (emotional or not) what you consider high or low quality. Either way it's all literature if it's documented, and by a person. What do you think could help you to understand literature better? That way you won't dance around the idea and feel unsure.
DeleteLiterature is a lot like art to me, it is a personal master piece to the individual creating it. Sometimes the creator is widely recognized, but others go undetected for a generation or more. What may have been an amazing work of art in one generation may not be as well received in another and opinions are constantly evolving. The creator of the work feels a pull to a form of expression and creates something regardless of recognition, which I believe is the purpose. While I may not have a definition of what literature is and quality I do enjoy dissecting and looking at the deeper meaning that can be in writing and art alike.
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ReplyDeleteLiterature is anything at all written down to express a person’s thoughts. Yesterday I looked at Calvin and Hobbes comics from Bill Watterson. It reminded me of something simple to understand about life. It brings out empathy in a person which makes it quality. Then I just finished Veronica Roth's book called Divergent. I thought it was low quality because the plot was confusing. I think low-quality literature is something that doesn’t evoke some sort of emotional reaction.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that you find literary satisfaction through Calvin and Hobbes comics. Especially when being compared to a popular book such as “Divergent.” What do you think the author should have done differently in order to make the plot more understandable? Do you think that literature should be simple and to the point in order to reach your expectations? Would the Harry Potter series have more of an emotional reaction for you? Why or why not?
DeleteGrowing up I guess I took a different path then most when it came to literature. Don't get me wrong, my family as very heavy readers where 1000's of books use to stack our garage and living spaces. However, I never really could get into reading, I get lost in the words and loose the meaning of what I'm reading; which, has ended up making me almost hate reading all together.
DeleteMy escape from reality came around 6th grade when I was introduced to table top role playing games like dungeons and dragons. Which formed the idea of, “why be stuck in another person's point of view or world when you could just create your own unique story and world with your friends!” Also, not everything we said or did was written down thus is why I'm happy to support unwritten literature as a form of literature as well.
Let's not forget that Calvin and Hobbes is popular and still is. The fact that Bill didn't want advertisement, because it really didn't need it is a good sign. Books like Divergant wouldn't have gotten anywhere if it wasn't made into a featured film for the book. In all honesty, it wasn't great and had too many elements that have already been brought up. A bad cluster is unesssary and makes it confusing. Not that originalty is where it's at, but that going about an idea that people know of, in a clever or new way, is valuable. If she would of went the easy way, maybe it would of been enjoyable to get some sort of hatred. The comic kept it simple and to the point. Divergent needed a billboard to get the idea across and that's not good
DeleteMelanie I disagree with you when it comes to Divergent needing a billboard to "get the point across". In today's world reading is becoming more and more sparse, creating the need for movie adaptions for those who are not interested in the books they come from. Divergent was an excellent read, and I have to say that the movie really dumbed it down to a simple love story. Do I believe it to be true literature? I'd have to say no, and with this I agree with you. It is too similar to stories such as The Hunger Games, Matched series, etc. to really stand out on its own. I agree that Literature means those writings that stand out, are different and give new twists to old stories. We can never have true original stories anymore, but do you think that is to say that something such as Harry Potter or something more modern can not be Literature?
DeleteMaybe you disagree because of favoritism. That's understandable. In all honesty it's still confusing, and will be for myself if I like it or not. I don't think true literature exists. Because anything can be literature when you look at it with an open mind. The Harry potter question is irrelevant in this case because I didn't read that or share my thoughts on it
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ReplyDeleteTo me literature is any type of writing that provokes emotions, ideas, conversations, opinions over topics in a twist that really resonates with the reader. In my spare time I don’t read a lot of literature. I read for fun and love fantasy such as Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and most recently the Maze Runner series. I try to see if it is taking a story and putting a new twist on it to bring emotion and new thoughts to the reader about certain values and/or views. If a book is able to do this, I believe it to be quality. To use an example already brought up in this discussion I would say the Harry Potter series is quality literature. Never before have I seen a series use the world of witchcraft to really showcase values such as courage, love, family, selfishness, etc. When I reread them I still find new concepts and different thoughts about the plot that I didn’t have when I read it before. I would consider the Maze Runner series as literature because it does make me think emotionally and psychologically about the world we live in, but see it as low quality literature because it follows in a lot of similar books shadow’s such as the Hunger Games. Low-quality to me is when the books push out the emotion, but not a whole lot or when they compare too much to other reads without being able to stand out enough. I believe everything in class to be literature, but for examples by using my definition I would say the Twilight series is low-quality (doesn’t stand out enough with emotion) and the Bible as quality literature (brings values and emotion to a lot of people that pull what they want from it).
ReplyDeleteI love your definition of literature! Would you consider plays and songs to be literature? Why or why not?
DeleteI think your definition is amazing. I also love the Maze Runner series. Do you have any specific books besides the Twilight series that you would find low quality?
DeleteIn your answer to low quality literature, I noticed that you listed The Maze Runner series as low-quality literature because it copied the ideas and theme of The Hunger Games. If that is the case, do you believe that there are exceptions to this rule? That is, can inspired works improve on the ideas of their inspiration and become quality literature through improvement, or are inspired works merely copycats of their inspiration? In addition, if a book or series instigates other works like it, can the original work be considered true literature?
DeleteI agree with your definition as well. I've noticed that many are referencing recent young adult novels. do you think young adult novels can be viewed as literature.
DeleteLiterature can have many different views to each person. There is no right or wrong answer. To me, I think Literature needs to have a strong story line in which it’s important to experience emotion, a strong plot line and able to connect with the character or idea to the piece of literature. For me some of the high-quality literature includes of course poems, journals, and the classics such as Romeo and Juliet, Frankenstein( My personal favorite), The Great Gatsby, but also the Harry Potter series and The fault in Our Stars because even though they are modern, they have a strong story line and the writing is powerful. However, I also think it’s important to look and study when the piece of literature was written because as the years go by things begin to change the idea of what many may think is literature. The style of writing can change and so can the definition of literature.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement that there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to literature. Take the saying, "a painting if worth a thousand words," which implies that everyone is going to see something about the painting differently. I feel that literature is very similar to that idea as well.
DeleteDo you feel that older literature may sometimes not influence future generations as it may once had before? As perhaps, future generations are unable to relate to the writer as well? If I read a book about the struggles of a boy who came to America in the early 1900's or about the life of a Nazi prisoner, I may not connect to the reader as strongly as someone who may have lived during those times or faced difficulties like those in the book.
Also, I get the feeling that most people agree that music, poems, movies, books, and stories are all a form of literature but, can a video game or cartoon also be considered a form of literature?
I believe video games can be a form of literature because behind the games there is a story. if there was no type of story to the games then the games wouldn't catch the players interest.
DeleteLiterature is verbal work which provokes emotion and thought. Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief is quality literature due to its unique POV and tone for its setting (Death recounting WWII using satire and understatement). Despite the dark humor, the novel still provides insight into human cruelty, despair, and sheer force of will. Quality literature delivers a new, unique experience while also opening a window into the human condition.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast, I consider the movie adaption for The Book Theif low quality literature. Low quality literature is a work with a basic plot and flat characters, whose deepest meanings can be found at face value. In the case of the movie, significant events are quickly forgotten, entire scenes often have no relation to one another, making the plot very confusing, characters are stripped down to wholly good or evil, and there is no insight or coherence at any point within the story.
I would consider Kill Bill high quality literature due to its familiar structure (Greek epics) being told in a modern setting. On the other hand, I would consider Bridesmaids low quality literature due to its lowbrow humor and relatively uninteresting plot.
Just because it has terrible humor and a boring plot means it is a low quality literature. That seems like an unfair judgment, What else does it take to become a low quality literature?
DeleteI suppose that you have a point, since such shows as Tom and Jerry, The Three Stooges, and many comic strips today are widely hailed as the best of their genres despite their simplistic, albeit humorous, setups. Allow me to elaborate on my idea of low quality literature.
DeleteI feel that much of low quality literature is forgettable, or includes trite, tired and clichéd elements. In the case of Bridesmaids, it seems that much of the humor (which, in a comedy, defines the movie), comes down to a familiar setup and toilet jokes. However, I do feel that I have less room to speak as I have not seen the movie myself, and can only judge by what I have seen in trailers.
Literature is anything that has words in it or a point. All songs are literature and so are all movies. They all have a point they are trying to get across to the readers/ viewers/ listeners. However comic books and other picture books are a little less believable but there is a story to be told in them. The definition of literature is very hard to define but it can be described in many different ways.
ReplyDeleteWould you consider advertisements or commercials to be literature? They do have a point to convey, which is to get people to buy a product, see a film, etc.
DeleteI have seen a lot of posts saying literature evokes emotion. I do agree to some extent, but not all that I would consider literature evokes some emotion in me. To me literature is something that has been written down and is used/read as entertainment, to teach a lesson, to record an event, something historical, it also contains non-fiction and fiction works. I do believe literature can evoke emotion just that is doesn’t have to. I think that there is a lot of high-quality literature out there. I like literature that keeps me interested, and also helps me learn new things. I am also a fan of the Maze Runner series as well as the Pendragon series. I think these are high quality because they evoke the imagination. For low-quality I would say that it would be something that was written poorly and wasn’t able to keep my attention as well as something that wasn’t written to be a book. One book in class the other day was The Journals of Sylvia Plath. The book was not written to be read by anyone but herself and her family. The Bible and the Journal of Anne Frank are high-quality.
ReplyDeleteA piece of literature is the expression of an author or artist’s ideas and emotions through words. It is not simply for the sake of entertainment or enjoyment; it elicits a deeper understanding of a concept or emotion. That is not to say that literature does not entertain. Currently I am reading Jane Eyre, which is not the most entertaining book I have encountered, but I consider it high quality literature because it is thought provoking, emotional, and beautifully written. On the other hand, I recently heard a song called “All Night Longer” by Sam Smith that while entertaining does not evoke emotion or require thought to understand. I think low quality literature is characterized by an inability to stir emotion or deep thought and by poor writing skill.
ReplyDeleteLove this! Agree completely.
DeleteFor me, literature is hard to define or form into one specific category. After much thought, I still haven't come much closer to a revelation, mostly because I'm fickle, but I have conjured up some ideas that entail what I believe a piece of work possibly requires to fit into the category. And here it goes. Literate means able to read or write. Therefore, I believe that literature must first be written in words. For me, this excludes paintings, drawings, photographs, etc. Literature, I believe, is some written work (novels, scripts, poetry) that sheds light on our souls. It offers some beauty, emotion, or piece of wisdom. It expands our knowledge of the world around us or suggests a new outlook on some idea we already are familiar with, or even the same outlook that establishes and gives backbone to a concept we already believe in. Literature can hold great value like the classics we are required (but privileged!) to read in school. It can also hold poor literary value; in my opinion, that would be any song by Nicki Minaj.
ReplyDeleteForgot to mention one thing! I believe literature also has lasting value and importance. It is timeless or represents a certain time or theme. An example might be, the Declaration of Independence or the Bible.
ReplyDeleteI believe literature is anything written or recited that forms a story or has a plot. I have decided this because there really isn’t a universal definition to know what literature is. It can be whatever you believe it to be. Something I have explored recently that I would consider literature would be the book and the movie The Giver. I think this is quality literature because the story is incredible and the plot of the movie and book is extremely intriguing and thought provoking. My definition of quality literature is a collection of words that has middle, beginning, and end and some sort of value. I would consider a comic strip in the daily newspaper bad literature because it has no value. You don’t gain anything from it. Low quality literature would be a collection of words that is not thought provoking and doesn’t have any substance. Something of good literature that we looked at in class would be the bible because it is extremely thought provoking and stimulating. A piece of bad literature would be the children’s book because it has no substance or message.
ReplyDeleteI agree on terms of believing that in order for it to be literature, you should be able to gain something from it. Literature should have the power to open up minds and allow different perspectives and beliefs into people's lives. Not necessarily to brainwash one's own belief, but allowing a book to open your mind to different perspectives can be truly rejuvenating. Different forms of literature such as poetry normally have a powerful imagery effect. I think this is the most important thing in literature. It keeps a person's imagination flowing and can have many variations for meaning! Do you think that children's books don't have a benefit to children? If so, why? What do you think would have more benefit to a child? In my opinion, I think children's books hold many messages (for children of course.) Children's books expand imagination. That is a very valuable message.
DeleteI believe that literature is any form of art that takes you on a journey of emotions or experience, broadens your perspective, or reflects our own values in art. It definitely changes among cultures and through time. Readers change the work and the work changes those who read it, therefore literature changes through time. Quality should be defined as a natural degree of excellence or essential characteristic or trait. I recently watched the Notebook with someone who had never seen it and do consider it to be quality literature. It is based on a book by Nicholas Sparks, which does fulfill the requirement of being literature as a printed material. Being taken through the journey of a couples’ life was not only an emotional rollercoaster, but also reflected my own values of love and friendship. Something I read recently that I would not consider literature is a school newsletter. It is based solely on facts and does not transcend emotion, perspective, or value. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl I feel is high quality literature as she lets us experience her joys, fears, and heartaches through her life at a difficult time in history.
ReplyDeleteThe more I pondered the question "what is literature" and the more I read your individual responses, the more I began to realize the arbitrary nature of the word "literature." To discover my own definition (which was not as pristine as I previously thought) I looked at the question from a very primal perspective; seeking the very basic thoughts that come to mind when one says "literature." the most obvious item is books. What are books? Words really, pages of 'em all bound together. From there I took my definition. I would define literature as writing. But not simply and strictly as writing; rather the sort of writing that requires deep thought to produce, and slightly less thought to understand. Writing intended to be read, This is why I rule out film and music, they are there own genre/medium apart from writing. Moreover, the twaddle the mainstream entertainers produce today is hardly something that requires any thought. Which leads me to my second point: literature is writing that has withstood the test of time, lasting text that has inspired generations, brought about social or political change or are widely recognized for their excellence and mastery of language, vocabulary, and emotion (Examples would be To Kill A Mockingbird, The Republic, Les Meserables). [Notate Benna: I do not mean to say that a piece must satisfy all of these criteria I have set, merely one, or two or three.]
ReplyDeleteI looked up literature in the American Heritage Dictionary and all definitions listed pertain to written work, like you have stated. Your examples, To Kill A Mockingbird and Les Miserables make me wonder if written work still be literature when it is turned into a movie or play. Would you still consider these versions literature or do they become a part of another genre once converted from writing to another medium?
DeleteWhat about music that does contain deep thoughts, or requires some thinking to understand? For example, some twenty one pilots songs are written from personal experience and from struggles of the mind. After all, songs are born of poetry.
Delete"I start to part two halves of my heart in the dark and I
Don't know where I should go
And the tears and the fears begin to multiply
Taking time in a simple place
In my bed where my head rests on a pillowcase
And it's said that a war's lead but I forget
That I let another day go by
I want to be afraid but it seems that these days
I'm caught under water and I'm falling farther
My heart's getting harder, I'm calling my father
Am I screaming to an empty sky?"
Anathema by twenty one pilots.
Literature to me is a form of art, it's a way of expressing yourself through books, songs, etc. I am not a huge fan of reading, I enjoy only books about the supernatural and books that take me outside of the real world such as Harry Potter series, Night World series etc. I am a huge fan of music so I relate more to the song aspects of literature. A form of literature that I would say is poor quality a lot of the time is like rap music I feel that it is just a bunch of mindless words that rhyme together usually with no meaning at all. Since I am not a huge fan of reading I haven't come across books that I find to be poor quality, normally the books I chose I tend to enjoy. One book I did read that I wasn't crazy about was The Fault in our Stars. Hopefully this class will help me better understand books and what I am reading to where I enjoy reading more than I currently do.
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