"Language is more than a medium for communication.

It�s an instrument of power, a

measure of humanity, a map for world-making. It is also never neutral. A national
language, like a nation itself, is accomplished and appropriated by force. The
Chinese language I speak, Standard Mandarin, is as old as Chinese civilisations and
as young as the modern Chinese state. Its dominance has pushed many Sinitic and
non-Sinitic languages in the territory to the verge of extinction, as the Chinese
government dictates a singular, politically correct way to be Chinese. The othering
gaze from the west inadvertently aids Beijing in its mission.
[...] Understanding a foreign language is desirable, but takes resources that not
everyone can afford. What is more important is the ability to hold foreign people
in the same regard as one�s own.
[...] The end of the world does not arrive through water, fire, or the plague: it
begins with the slow death of language, when words grow stale and complacent with
power, when artificial boundaries between nations harden. A new order for our
collective survival can only be birthed when we acquire new ways of speaking."

iterature is very broad term. It covers wide range of ideas. Single definition of
Literature might not be possible. Everyone defines it according to his/her own
views. I myself admire definition of T.S.Eliot, �The purpose of literature is to
turn blood into ink". This definition can be elaborated by describing allegories of
blood and ink. Blood basically denotes elements which reside inside human body.
These are abstract elements which can be only felt I.e. zeal , love , hate ,
anger , enthusiasm, courage , cowardice , zealous , hope , etc.
This definition basically romanticizes literature and literature in fact is
romantic but it covers only one aspect of literature.
I myself define literature as , The written piece which reflects human emotions ,
nature and society.

Literature is the stream of ideas. It is the world of developed thoughts. It

contain experiences of veteran personalities. It discusses all ups and downs of
life. Literature may have authentic description of future. It is said that poets
create world of imagination and on the power of imagination they think ahead of
their time while scientists and engineers deal with existing time. Whatsoever
imagine by poets come into existence later on. The cars , the aeroplanes and large
machines are result of prolong imagination.
So, whosoever study literature will take advantage from ideas and experiences of
writers. The reader will have developed thoughts and will better know how to deal
with life . Literature also make person civilised, according to , Bertrand
Russell , civilisation is not development of material adjuncts , it is basically
development of thought and literature develops it.

My definition of literature is any book that tells a story that resonates emotion
and a feel for the authors subject matter and time.Literature to me does not have
to be a great classic,it would be a book that can stand the test of time by the
emotional response that it draws from the reader.Literature put's you in the scene
of wherever the author is driving you.You are a part of the characters world and up
inside their heads through the written word.You are transported through the
author,to a differing lifestyle or vicinity or era.You become the characters as you
read of their trials and tribulations and their joy.Literature to me comes alive
inside the person who is reading the book.The reader is not passive.They are living
vicariously through the characters the author has presented.The experience is like
a portal,one can go through and be reborn into another life.to me ,literature is a
form of life. ??????

Literature , work of art which employs words as its tool. Truth of life
acknowledged and with emotions fabricated. It is a peculiar art where thougts of
human being are statistically presented. Ideas developed with in the narrative it
borrows. Literature with its genres though not definitely classified tells about
human behaviour. It the ocean which has expression of experiences ( gone under or a
detached one i.e. Factual or Fictitious). Literature is a realm where men learn the
world. It gives a path to live. Either in aesthetic or moralistic manner. It has
been argued that the literature in not viewed as a significant part of living this
scientific world. But the succour and sustainance comes from the amount of reading
one has done. Ability to argue and to upgrade it with instances is where literature
helps. Not diverting literature is play of words weaved in with emotions and
thought. Art of writing , creativity,imagination, is celebrated here.Language is
just a tool. Oral literature also has its impotance

I have pondered this question long and hard, and the first definite conclusion I
reached is that 'literature is bad philosophy'.

That is, to clarify, literature is that beautiful substance which arises from
problems.

Only, this wasn't my last conclusion. My next conclusion was that literature is bad
poetry.

That is, what literature can do, poetry can eventually do much better, and all good
literature is eventually classified as poetry or discarded. Efficiency alone might
save this thesis, since the average poem is shorter than the average novel.

But I did not stop there. I decided, if literature is bad philosophy and the
literature can be saved becomes good poems, then maybe literature is evidence of
God!

In this case, what we find in an average university's graduate school English

program is not literature at all --- but something very interesting.

So, I decided, literature has something to do with being very interesting (on a
profound level, like raising censor vapors).

If that was the case, then what could I do to find a decent, ideal theory of what
literature means? I decided finally that literature is meaningful writing. That's
all that it is.

I found it, now I share it here:

The value of composition and the allied forms of expression through language is
endorsed in the study of literature. It gives the student a means of self
expression and stimulates his very life.

All literature is either the representation of life or the expression of

conclusions about life. The formation of one's own philosophy of life is a
significant task which can be developed through the use of quickened senses,
sincere feelings, tolerant sympathies and the power of thought.
The main purpose of literature is to nurture the spiritual life of the student.