Defining Literature Essay 18th Century Literature Essay The Study of Literature Essay Literature Questions Essay example What Is Literature Essay

1. Defining Literature Essay
The definition of literature has been discussed and argued over time and there is no precise
answer to be given. Any reader or author can define literature as whatever they wish it to be
defined as. This is more of an opinion of how one views certain pieces of work or writings and
whether or not they feel that is actually literature or not. Literature is any type of creative writing
such as fiction or poetry, for example. Literature is also any form of body of written works of
language, which could be from the English era or even as far back as the Shakespearean or
Elizabethan era. It is also work from a specific period or culture defining key elements or somehow
relating to and/or expressing how it is exactly from that time. The...show more content...
In her poem, "Dylan" in lines 4 and 5, she writes, "Her hair was a halo of warm light / and color
dripped off her tongue" (23). The reader can interpret just from those two lines the creativity and
imagination not only in that one poem, but also in all poetry. The description of hair being a halo
of warm light allows the reader to use his or her own imagination to perceive that image in
whichever way they would like. Creative writing can be determined by many other things not only
image or structure of how the poem is set into stanzas, but what is left up to the reader for
interpretation. Jewel writes in "Cautious" in lines 23–29, "an open vessel / whose function it was / to
be filled / until my consciousness / could return and / spit out / the bad seeds" (18). After reading
these lines the reader can be left with different feelings and emotions that vary from disgust or
simplicity. This is just another example of how poetry is creative writing. According to the
American Heritage Dictionary, literature is defined as being the body of written works of a
language, period, or culture. An author of any specific type of writing or works can include
certain details pertaining to language or other details, which allow the reader to develop a sensory
image of that specific period or culture. If the reader had no prior knowledge to the language,
period, or culture of the writing he or she would be reading, upon reading and analyzing
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2. 18th Century Literature Essay
18th Century Literature
The 18th century is a period of great literary works. The styles are different throughout the period,
but the unity of the work is still present.
Much of this period focused on public and general themes, until the Pre–
Romantic era when literary works began to focus upon personal expression. 18th century literature
can be broken down into three main parts: the Restoration, the Age of Pope, and Pre–Romantics.
The literature of the Restoration period covers a time span from
Charles's recovery of the throne to the years until the expulsion of James II in 1688 or until the death
of John Dryden in 1700. The literature of the
Restoration was characterized by...show more content...
This literary time period also included works from John Dryden, who used elegance and cleverness
in his writings. This period ended about 1700, and enabled a new age of literature.
In literary history, the first half of the 18th century is known as the
Age of the Pope. In this age, the writers expressed views of the public and restrained from writing
personal topics or expressions. In the Age of the Pope or the Neoclassical Age, most of the literary
themes were of social, political, and moral life. The Rape of the Lock and Epigrams by Alexander
Pope, and "A
Modest Proposal" and Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift are some examples from the Age
of Pope or the Neoclassical age. Most of the literary works in this period used satirical styles to
express a concern in society. "Puffs, powders, patches, Bibles, billet–doux", from The
Rape of the Lock shows an example of pathos a satirical device used in this age of literature.
Jonathan Swift also uses satire in Gulliver's Travels to mock the Parliament, and in "Modest
Proposal" he writes about eating children as a solution to a socioeconomic problem. After the
writings, literature began to focus on private expressions rather than public thoughts and emotions.
The Age of Johnson or the Pre–romantic era was shown in various ways.
Characteristics of the age included ballads, a new taste for ruins, Gothic
castles
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3. The Study of Literature Essay
The Study of Literature
I finally understand the study of literature. As an English major, a reader/ writer/ poet who has spent
a great deal of time reading the works of others and writing about them, I am reminded of something
I have heard my father, a teacher, say repeatedly about the modern American attitude toward
education. "Nobody learns just to learn," he observes sadly, pointing out the way in which students
often view particularly higher education as some kind of training ground for a career. I know exactly
what he means. Every time someone asks me what I plan to do with a degree in English, I am
reminded of the inquisitive student who interrupts a classroom lecture to ask in earnest "Is this
going to be on the test?"...show more content...
If others train for careers, learning practical skills with "real world" implications, then the
Humanities student simply learns about being human. He attempts to recognize universal experience
and reflect it in art. As ambitious as that may sound, I find my pursuit of English studies to be quite
useful in my own life. Let me explain.
One year ago, my wife and I separated. When she left, she took with her (according to mutual
agreement) all of the furniture and household amenities, leaving me with only the barest essentials.
For several weeks afterward, I returned home to my modest quarters that contained no more than a
mattress, my work desk and my books, and one small stand on which to place a stereo. I must
confess that in the near month before my parents rescued me, supplying me with a dispossessed
sofa, love seat, and T.V. (What do you mean you don't have a television?), I accomplished much
more in my work and studies than ever before.
I came to realize in that period the true definition of necessity. Though my wife had retained the
comforts of modern living that one gets used to, I found I could still satisfy my basic human needs
within the five empty rooms of my apartment. I was reminded of my reading of Thoreau's Walden,
and his experimental living in the woods that invited the criticism and skepticism of many of his
contemporaries. Inspired, I
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4. Literature Questions Essay example
Which of the following words from the poem "Home Burial" give the reader insight into the
relationship between the man and woman? Mark all that apply.
Select one or more:
a. opening
b. mounting
c. arguing
d. shrinking
Feedback
The correct answer is: mounting, shrinking
Question 2
Partially correct
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Question text
The poem "The Weary Blues," by Langston Hughes, focuses on all but the following elements of
modernism:
Select one or more:
a. fragmentary nature of thought
b. erasing the disctinction between high and low art
c. using the first person voice
d. subjectivity
Feedback
The correct answer is: fragmentary nature of thought, subjectivity
Question 3
Correct
Mark 1.00 out of...show more content...
Select one:
True
False
Feedback
The correct answer is 'False'.
Question15
Correct
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Question text
All of the following are characteristics of postmodernism:
Select one or more:
a. fragmentation
b. subjectivity

5. c. objectivity
d. pessimism
e. universal truth
Feedback
The correct answer is: fragmentation, subjectivity
Which of the following was not a common literary form in American literature from 1865 to 1914?
Select one:
a. Newspapers
b. Telegrams
c. Magazines
d. Novels
Feedback
The correct answer is: Telegrams
Question 2
Correct
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The work of Henry James can be most precisely characterized as
Select one:
a. dramatic realism
b. psychological realism
c. understated realism
d. natural realism
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The correct answer is: psychological realism
Question 3
Correct
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"The girl" in "Hills Like White Elephants" is also called:
Select one:
a. Jig
b. Sedonia
c. the American
d. the Spaniard
Feedback
The correct answer is: Jig
Question 4
Correct
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By 1915, regionalism as a theme in American literature completely died out.
Select one:
True
False

6. Feedback
The correct answer is 'False'.
Question 5
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7. What Is Literature Essay
Charmine J. Cramales
BS Math II
Lit 3 10:30 – 12:00
What is Literature?
Poems, novels, and stories; these are some of the things that first came to my mind upon pondering
on the question 'What is Literature?'. And just lately I have known that literature also includes
songs, speeches, plays, and many others in written and spoken forms. I have also known that things
that are produced out of creative imagination can be referred as literary works which are the ones
that comprise literature. Considering this description of what literature is, the coverage of literature
seems very puzzling. If literary works are those produced out of creative imagining, then it would
directly point to fictional works. But then, there are also...show more content...
Take for example the views of two individuals coming from different places on anovel based on the
culture of one. It would likely be the same if their culture and beliefs are quiet related but if not, then
they would surely have different understandings on certain parts of that novel. Hence, defining
literature as those considered by people as 'literature' is questionable.
Eagleton also associated literature as any kind of works which are valued highly by people. But
then again, since people may have different perceptions on things, one may value highly a certain
work while another person may consider it just as a plain writing. As stated by Ms. Pinzon, a
literature professor, a personal letter can be an example of this. The recipient of the letter can be
expected to really value the letter while her classmate may not. Hence, this can't define literature as a
whole.
Then, what really is literature? Many great critics have tried formulating a fixed definition of
literature but have failed to do so. In the rise of every possible definition of what literature is,
counter arguments also rise.
Literature, though it seems impossible to enumerate everything it covers, play an important role in
every individual's life. One can influence using literature or be influenced by it. Examples of these
are the novels made by our very own national hero, Jose Rizal – the Noli Me Tangeri and El
Filibusterismo. During his time, Rizal has
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