Mario Vargas Llosa’s Why Literature?
belonging that binds society together and
a. Purpose: Prove that Literature is an essential
need [but we are being populated by idiots so
reading has become just another common
recreational activity which is wrong]
b. Key Points:
I. Literature is a gendered activity.
1. Most readers are women while it said that
Literature is not important for men.
a. Women consume. Men write.
b. Women read more because they work
fewer hours than men.
2. Number of literary-appreciators in the world
is continuously decreasing.
a. Nearly half the population in Spain has
never read a book.
b. Whenever people prioritize their
activities, reading usually ends up at the
bottom of the list.
II. Literature does not aim to satisfy needs; it
aims to make our lives better in any way it can.
III. Literature is intended for dissatisfied people.
IV. Literature …
1. provokes change / pushes us to change.
2. Helps move us.
3. Opens our minds / eyes and moves us to do
something about it.
V. There’s no future for literature without paper
books.
c. Specialization leads to a lack of social
understanding and to the division of human
beings.
Awareness of the existence of a bigger world
creates the feeling of generality, the feeling of
prevents it from disintegrating into a myriad of
solipsistic
particularities.
i. Don’t battle for superiority, battle for
harmony.
d. Reasons why Literature is Important
i. Helps maintain peace among people.
ii. Enhances our ability to express ourselves.
iii. Reading is a vital component for the critical
mind.
- Without it, we’d be satisfied with
injustice and false truths.
e. Literature is a unifying factor and helps us all
remember that we come of common origin and
have the same goals. How?
i. Topics are not limited
ii. Learn about different cultures and generation
iii. Anyone and everyone can relate.
f. Life without literature.
i. Since literature widens our vocabulary &
expands our minds, without it, we’d be stupid
ii. Without literature, we’d lack intellect and
imagination.
iii. Since reading is essential to critical thinking,
without it we’d be idiots.
iv. We would resemble a community of deaf
mutes because our means of communication
would be poor thus we won’t get to express
ourselves.
v. Our civilization would waste away.
1. Few words.
2. A lot of adjectives wouldn’t exist.
3. We won’t go to identify the things that are
acceptable and unacceptable in society.

4. Our minds wouldn’t be open to certain

aspects of our conditions in life. We’d be blind

to the terrible things.

5. Our ideals wouldn’t be as they are right now.

g. Although it is highly improbable that life

would be devoid of literature, just in case, we
should act on it

– READ.