What is the point of literature

1509 Words7 Pages
Literature is an art form which is with us from an early age, yet the question remains as to why? In this essay I intend to draw my own conclusions as to what the point of literature is and how it influences our lives, whilst also drawing upon the critical views of others. In particular I will be looking at literature and its role in education, as this is a topic which I find especially interesting. Ideas and views of literature have constantly changed through the ages, with different opinions being formed throughout history, however it is hard to come to a conclusion as to the point of literature without first giving it a definition. The oxford dictionary defines literature as “1 written works, especially those regarded as having artistic merit. 2 books and writings on a particular subject. 3 leaflets and other material used to give information or advice.” Although this offers a concrete definition as to what literature literally is, I believe in looking at literature not as a noun or concrete object, but instead, as an art form, not just something written down, but a way of entertaining, educating and amusing the public. Commonly, many people have the skeptical view that only works such as Shakespeare or Dickens can be defined as literature, true, these are great, classic works of literature, but can it not be argued that an article from “Hello” magazine is not also literature? In my opinion, literature is a way of learning through the views and opinions of others; I see it as a way of communicating and getting personal points across. Therefore anything that expresses someone’s opinion can be classed as literature; this includes factual texts, as every single fact was once an individual’s opinion until proven to be true. Literature is all around us from an early age, from birth it is used as an aid to learning and teaches children about many different
Open Document