I am a casual reader. I have read a few series of books and some one off novels as well. What I have came across is that most of these novels have similar English with many words that I do not grasp quickly. I require additional help to know the exact meaning of these words. Why is this the norm? Is there any novels from major authors that are written in simple English? Well, the answer lies in Literature.
From Wikipedia, Literature is "... an art form, or any single writing deemed to have artistic or intellectual value, often due to deploying language in ways that differ from ordinary usage" (I have highlighted the text in bold). So, in Literature, it is mandatory to use language differently? May be so. And, I have read somewhere that novels have their own grammar.
If this is so, then were the writings of past greats actually Literature. Were they not written in language that was popular in their time or were they still written differently than what was prevalent then.
I think the most common candidate for Literature would be the Holy Texts from the Religions. Since these texts were written long ago and these really do require extreme understanding to grasp the almost hidden meaning in the texts. Most of the text are context specific and you are required to know the conditions that were prevalent or a event that had occurred which led to the specific text being written.
Does Literature include self help books, cookbooks, biographies, DIY books, magazines, newspapers. I do not know, but most of these are the ones that we regularly read. What if we take the basic meaning of Literature as a form of written or spoken words that helps us in achieving something tangible. What is this tangible something? Well, this differs from person to person. A person who has no background in English would find even the nursery rhymes to be Literature. Or, a person who with the help of a DIY book, creates a masterpiece that the person had always wanted to create, would find that DIY book as a heaven sent. In addition, many successful people have followed other marked personalities to get their inspiration. This would make biographies as Literature.
So, what should be considered as Literature. I believe Literature should not be just confined to the select few but should be broadened to include the works that have an impact on an individual.
From Wikipedia, Literature is "... an art form, or any single writing deemed to have artistic or intellectual value, often due to deploying language in ways that differ from ordinary usage" (I have highlighted the text in bold). So, in Literature, it is mandatory to use language differently? May be so. And, I have read somewhere that novels have their own grammar.
If this is so, then were the writings of past greats actually Literature. Were they not written in language that was popular in their time or were they still written differently than what was prevalent then.
I think the most common candidate for Literature would be the Holy Texts from the Religions. Since these texts were written long ago and these really do require extreme understanding to grasp the almost hidden meaning in the texts. Most of the text are context specific and you are required to know the conditions that were prevalent or a event that had occurred which led to the specific text being written.
Does Literature include self help books, cookbooks, biographies, DIY books, magazines, newspapers. I do not know, but most of these are the ones that we regularly read. What if we take the basic meaning of Literature as a form of written or spoken words that helps us in achieving something tangible. What is this tangible something? Well, this differs from person to person. A person who has no background in English would find even the nursery rhymes to be Literature. Or, a person who with the help of a DIY book, creates a masterpiece that the person had always wanted to create, would find that DIY book as a heaven sent. In addition, many successful people have followed other marked personalities to get their inspiration. This would make biographies as Literature.
So, what should be considered as Literature. I believe Literature should not be just confined to the select few but should be broadened to include the works that have an impact on an individual.
