Society and the literary text

A literary text works as an insight into the time/period it was written. The text usually provides us with an
insight into:

- Social structures: how we have structured society into institutions, e.g. family structures
- Social dynamics and tendencies: certain trends of the time distributed across social groups
determining the probability for certain types of habits, e.g. eating habits
- Social debates: the themes or subjects in society that are debated, e.g. equal rights
- The controversial: what is considered taboo of the time, e.g. sexuality

These can be analysed and interpreted in order to give the reader an understanding of the tendencies
in/development of society from past to present. Literary texts, in other words, work as comments on
society. Meanwhile we need a basic understanding of the time in which the text was written in order to
make a correct interpretation of the text – Society  Interpretation  Literary text. This is called a
hermeneutic analysis.

Great literature usually comments on and challenges the established norms and values of the time
(culture). Some of the key words for analysing and interpreting are:

- Plot: the actual storyline (what we summarise)

- Theme(s): the main subject dealt with in the story
- Setting: the place and environment in which the story takes place
- Characterization(s): portrayal of characters in the story
- Narrator: the point of view from which the story is told, e.g. 1st (I) or 3rd (he) person narrator
- Message: the author’s motive for writing the story
- Perspective: what the story teaches us about society

When dealing with a text we need to go through certain taxonomical levels in order to comprehend fully
the problematic issues dealt with in the text at hand. Only through a methodical approach to the text, can
we acquire a suitable comprehension of the text at hand.

The author (consciously or unconsciously) uses certain tools at their disposal to convey their message (used
as a comment on the aspect in question). Examples of these can be:

- Overall theme(s)
o The subject, the story is built around (e.g. suppression of minority groups, taboo-ridden
subjects etc.). The theme is directly connected to the message, the author wishes to convey
to his readers and therefore works as an insight into a certain culture of a given time
- Plot
o Story line - what does the protagonist (main character/hero) go through from beginning to
end
o Often includes terms such as exposition/introduction, conflict, climax, resolution
- Stereotypical characters (archetypes)
o The norm of the given society conveyed in the story
o Typically used to bring out contrasts in the main character (protagonist)
Work questions on ‘Society and the Literary Text’

Questions for understanding the literal aspects of the text:

1. What kind of insight does a literary text provide us with?

a. Consider what defines social structures, social debates, the controversial
2. How can we gain this insight?
3. What aspects do we need to consider in order to make a “correct” interpretation of the text at
hand?
4. What does literature usually comment on or challenge?
5. What is meant by “a methodical approach to the text”?
6. What sort of ‘tools’ do authors usually use to convey their message?

Consider:

7. What a literary text can teach us about a given culture?

8. What kinds of background knowledge might be helpful to us in our analysis and interpretation of a
literary text?
9. How we can use background knowledge on a given culture in our analysis and interpretation of a
literary text?