Difference between revisions of "What is literature?"

Revision as of 18:59, 4 April 2007

spectrum of materials: predominantly scholarly publications
discussed in "histories of literature" and in journals reviewing latest events in the republic of learning
geographical scope: competition of the nations
historical scope: progress in learning and comparison of ancient and modern learning

belles lettres = all fashionable and elegant pieces of learning including poetry, fiction

spectrum of materials: all fashionable publications such as novels, poems, plays, memoirs, (scandalous) histories
discussed mainly in prefaces to elegant works, exceptionally also in works of literature
geographical scope: European market, main language French
historical scope: comparison of ancient and modern elegance

spectrum of materials: poetic genres including prose comedy and all works performed with music as operas, cantatas, masks, ballets
discussed in poetological works with a view on beauties of language and the observation of rules every art and genre has to follow
geographical scope: mostly on the main languages of poetry: (due to Opera) Italian and French
historical scope: search for the ultimate work in each language

fiction = stories to be read for their instruction and entertainment even if they should be feigned

spectrum of materials: romances = fictional prose histories of love and heroism presented in a series of adventures; novels = short stories related for the sake of the "point" they can "exemplarily" make, usually constructed around an intrigue leading to the surprising point
interpreted - after Huet’s Treatise on the Origin of Romances (1670) - as a cultural indicator
geographical scope: all cultures united by a world wide transmission of stories and fashions - great interest in foreign tastes
historical scope: all periods - growing interest in fashions of the past

The debate of learning adopts and appropriates discussions of the belles lettres, poetry and fiction - yet

it imposes a perspective on the nation (as the provider of the each literature's language)
it focuses on the "poetic" genres (according to Aristotelian concepts - a measure excluding the international opera)
it accepts a reformed novel as a "literary" genre as long as it can be read as a cultural indicator of "deeper significance" within the nation's cultural development (a step designed to exclude the European chronique scandaleuse)
it develops new journals of a broader appeal devoted to the new debates
it offers its expertise to the nation in a process in which literature can become a national topic to be taught at secularised schools
it calls for authors to write works to be reviewed within the new debates of literature and thus
it divides the preceding markets into

it de-conceptualises the preceding debates of literature, the belles lettres, poetry and fiction

The sciences have developed their own specialised debates
The general discussion of literature focuses on a small field of works which can, however, no longer be defined (due to fact that we can switch between all the debate we adopted whenever we want to discuss something as "literature")
The question "What Is Literature" does thereby become a key question designed

to format the national canon
to keep materials out of our general debates of cultural phenomena
to allow or de-legitimize discussions we could adopt and appropriate in order to spread or to limit the discussion of literature

Roland Barthes. "Histoire ou Litérature?" in R. Barthes, Sur Racine (Paris, 1963), p.155, first published in Annales, 3 (1960).
René Wellek. "Literature and its Cognates", Dictionary of the History of Ideas. Studies of Selected Pivotal Ideas 1-4, ed. Philip P. Wiener. New York, 1973, 3: p.81-89.
Paul Hernadi (ed). What Is Literature?. London, 1978. ISBN 0-253-36505-8
Jürgen Fohrmann. Projekt der deutschen Literaturgeschichte. Entstehung und Scheitern einer nationalen Poesiegeschichtsschreibung zwischen Humanismus und Deutschem Kaiserreich. Stuttgart, 1989. ISBN 3-476-00660-3
Rainer Rosenberg. "Eine verworrene Geschichte. Vorüberlegungen zu einer Biographie des Literaturbegriffs", Zeitschrift für Literaturwissenschaft und Linguistik 77 (1990), 36-65.
Richard Terry. "The Eighteenth-Century Invention of English Literature. A Truism Revisited", Journal for Eigtheenth Century Studies 19.1 (1996).
Olaf Simons. Marteaus Europa oder Der Roman, bevor er Literatur wurde (Amsterdam/ Atlanta: Rodopi, 2001), p.85-94. ISBN 90-420-1226-9

@@ Line 51: / Line 51: @@
 * Roland Barthes. "Histoire ou Litérature?" in R. Barthes, ''Sur Racine'' (Paris, 1963), p.155, first published in ''Annales'', 3 (1960).
-* René Wellek. „Literature and its Cognates“, ''Dictionary of the History of Ideas. Studies of Selected Pivotal Ideas'' 1-4, ed. Philip P. Wiener. New York, 1973, 3: p.81-89.
+* René Wellek. "Literature and its Cognates", ''Dictionary of the History of Ideas. Studies of Selected Pivotal Ideas'' 1-4, ed. Philip P. Wiener. New York, 1973, 3: p.81-89.
 * Paul Hernadi (ed). ''What Is Literature?''. London, 1978. ISBN 0-253-36505-8
 * Jürgen Fohrmann. ''Projekt der deutschen Literaturgeschichte. Entstehung und Scheitern einer nationalen Poesiegeschichtsschreibung zwischen Humanismus und Deutschem Kaiserreich''. Stuttgart, 1989. ISBN 3-476-00660-3