Ann Sophie was contemplating the question of literature and its influence on us, asking herself how they enrich our comprehension of the world that surrounds us, and disturbingly enough, she couldn't actually find an answer. What do you think? Have you ever wondered?
I believe literature CAN change our minds, for the better or the worst. For me, I see three main ways books influence us. One way is found in almost all stories: the moral. When someone writes a book, they want us to leave with a certain message in mind. Whether we register it or not, we often take these messages into other experiences.
ReplyDeleteAnother way is through comparisons. Take THE GIVER as an example. In THE GIVER, we see a dystopian society, and this makes us appreciate our community even more. Sometimes I find myself just stopping and appreciating all that we have.
The last way is a little hard to explain. Books use words to communicate things besides the moral. Sometimes, authors can use logical steps in the book to make us believe something that may or may not be true. Though this is not considered the moral of the story, we are under the influence of clever propaganda called books. And it's not just propaganda. Books, especially non-fiction ones, can be extremely informative.
So to me, literature is important, and literature definitely enriches our comprehension of the world around us. Besides influencing us now, it also serves as a record of our time for historians in the future to find.
Interesting way of seeing things! I can't say I agree with your point about all books having a message, I don't think that's true. Many books have no real message to give. (Funny, we just studied this in French class xD)
ReplyDeleteOkay, prove it, give evidence. Which books don't have a point? Also, clarify your terms, such as 'book' and 'real message'. Finally, if a book does or doesn't have a point, who decides? Can two people have different opinions about the same book and both of them be right? What if they are both wrong? Does this term 'book' include anything with a cover? Non-fiction? Photo album? Novels? Comic books? Books are a very large category of material.
ReplyDeleteOkay. I'd say that 'book' in this case comprises novels or creative works in words. 'Real message' is an idea, a thought or a statement that is insinuated or given through the said work.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that every 'book' needs to have or has a message; "art for art's sake". Many books are simply experiments or work towards the entertainment of the one who reads it or, reciprocally, for the one who writes it. Novels often content themselves with an acute representation of life without saying anything about it, without attempting to get something across through this representation.
Eugene Ionesco, playwright, author and dramatist claimed that literature can have no message without degrading the said message.
Charles Baudelaire expressed a belief that poetry has no other point than itself.
All this being said I think often books combine the desire to simply entertain with a message that they want to transmit, and this seems to be the most common case, so you're right for a big chunk of 'books' out there.
I think the person who decides whether or not a book has a point is simply the one who reads it. Words, once written, belong to the person who reads them. Every reader has a different interpretation and a different way of seeing things so I suppose anyone who can back their standpoint with evidence is 'right'.