CHAPTER ONE

LITERATURE

In order to approach a generally agreeable definition of literature, various

theories examined the problem from various viewpoints, but no universally
valid definition has been produced so far. The safest way to arrive at a
plausible solution would seem to ask what literature is. But some simple
questions cannot be answered simply.
t ,
/1 In the broadest sense, literature is everything in print. This clear1y cannot
give the answer to our problem sin6e we are aware of the differences existing
among the texts as to their language, style, form, and function. The dominant
trait of distinction of artistic literature is the presence of aesthetic function.
<' ~ .c.;

The term litera tu re as applied nowadays on imaginative writing underwent

significant development. In ancient Greece it was poiésis,_dllring the
Rennaisance it was named liUerae humaniores, in the French context we
know it as bel1es lettres. With the names, the content of individual terms
changed as··"weIl. "-
The dominant criterion in our attempts to produce a plausible definition of .
literature should be the content, considering aesthetic principles and· seman-
tie characteristics of language. The main difference between imaginative
and non-imaginative Iiterature is that in the "language of non-imaginative
wiitiifg~-Iogical abstractions are employed, while creative Iiterature makes
~pr:~dominant use of artistie images.

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 1.2 LITERA RY SCHOLARSHIP
Literary scholarship is divided into three main spheres: !iterary history,
!iterary theor~, a~d literary criticism..:. .
Literary history Jollows the historical development of literature from the
~rliesft1mes-i; the presenf Howevel,-·compärativt liteiaiY-schohiišhip alsO u

ušes-historical· criteria in examining the regularitiesof development com--

'. ~oseveralnationalliteratures and within't~~, the existence of common
motifs and subjects.
~.!!~rary __~!:~ticism iinaiy;~~~the content and form Ef c!~ative literature,
making use ofthekriówledge of literary history and theory. It addiésses both,
readers and writers. It employs aesthetic and formal criteria in the evaluation
of literary works.
Liter~ry_ th.~ory.stuc!.~.st~leforms,..~.llt~g()r~es,criter~, te.chn.J9ues,literary
types, genres, language, co"mpo'sition,style and other relevant a.spedš· 'of
creativewritiiig.LiterarY theory is a relatively YOlmgbranéhof scholarsliip"..
-Tíí1ii~ti-;nesofAntiquity, t4e studyofliteratiiiewas iilClúôeôwithin'the stlidy
of language, i.e. philology. The part of literary theory dealing with the study
of form is called poetics. It is statie sinec it does not examine the dynámism'"'"·
ol-Urerary-development "äiid the aesthetic value of a literary work. It is this
aspect of literary theory which the present manual is concerned with.

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