In The Educated Imagination Frye argues, Wherever illiteracy is a problem, it's as fundamental a problem as getting enough to eat or a place to sleep. The native language takes precedence over every other subject of study: nothing else can compare with it in usefulness” . Frye also explains that without literature math and science would not be able to exist. If this is true then our society is built on literature and everything else is built on top of it. However one could counter this argument by explaining that literature is a tool used to explain the math and science’s.
Using Frye's The Educated Imagination and other research discuss:
What good is the study of literature?
Is the study of literature as important as math and science in constructing the society we live in?
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As said by Northrop Frye, “A person who knows nothing about literature may be an ignoramus” (3), however he also mentions that numerous people do not seem to have a problem with this. Indeed, as literature is able to capture the very essence of humanity and make such great impact upon perception, literature has so much to bestow and contribute to society. That is, people that know nothing of literature gain very little or nothing at all thus is an ignoramus. With literature being able to make such a difference, as well as creating more morally and socially informed people, literature does vast amounts of good for society and is important in constructing the society we live in. In fact, the study of literature is as important as math and science in constructing the society we live in. Indeed, by granting people with experience and thus allowing people to gain a more thorough understanding of the world around them, literature does much good towards society.
Literature provides the world with the experience, that in fact, “no matter how much experience we may gather in life, we can never in life get the dimensions of experience that the imagination gives us” (61). That is, through literature, we attain the ability to encounter events that may be familiar or unfamiliar, whether they be personal or ethical issues present in the piece of literature, it will shape human experience. This experience will then alter decision –making and allows individuals to formulate questions or opinions that are needed in society. Like George Orwell’s novel, 1984, provokes citizens of our present day society to formulate questions about the world around them, and also to take action-not to be an ignoramus. Frye, in the Educated Imagination, states that, “A writer’s desire to write can only have come from previous experience of literature, and he’ll start by imitating whatever he’s read…” (19), meaning that the reader may understand what the writer has experienced. Literature allows people to see other cultures and worlds through the eyes of others, experiencing joy or pain, similar to us, however in contrast to us, they learn the lessons or realize certain aspects that people fail to notice. In 1984, for instance, people live their daily lives without questioning anything-whether it be the political or current events, not everybody acts like Winston and does something that will leave them forever changed. With this in mind, “Literature is a human apocalypse, man’s revelation to man” (64). In addition, literature can also help to obtain a habit of transvaluation and sensitivity towards others. It would allow an individual make more informed decisions. Hence, Frye’s words, “If our experience is limited, we can be roused to enthusiasm or carried away by something that we can later see to have been second-rate or even phony” (63). Thus, literature is a transcending aspect of our lives that guides in constructing the society we live in by, granting us the experience that is necessary for people to question the society that they live in and to make more informed decisions.
Also, literature enriches people with the knowledge that is key to understanding the world around them and once again does good in society. Literature provides a comprehension and answers to the challenges that are encountered in life. By exemplifying, the ideas, perspectives and experiences of writers, the reader will better understand the world that they live in. As the reader has a broader perspective, they are able to understand other people around them and develop a sense of empathy. Frye even says, “One of the most obvious uses, I think, is the encouragement of tolerance” (46), people will be able to relate to others. Moreover, as exposure to literature is a direct exposure to language, evidently, people build language skills. As a result, people can express themselves more freely and in the process, become wiser, more experienced and face life with more intelligence. Thus, they learn their place in the world.
In conclusion, by granting people with experience and thus allowing people to gain a more thorough understanding of the world around them, literature does much good towards society. Literature, constructing the people of society’s ability to question the world and to see it differently, indeed, it is if not more, just as important as math and science in constructing the world we live in and is not simply just a tool to explain the sciences.
The imagination is as vast as the creations cultivated from it. Although, what is brought about from the imagination can only be determined by the amount of knowledge integrated. Literature poses as a fuel, geared towards feeding the growth of emotion and thought; sparking a higher and brighter light. The importance of studying literature is carefully illustrated in the words of Northrop Frye.
Literature plays an important role in the development of an educated imagination. Frye questions literature, “What good is the study of literature? Does it help us think more clearly, or feel more sensitively, or live a better life than we could without it?” (1), as a means of showing its purpose. Frye focuses on the importance of literature in relation to human experience, stating that, “the simple point is that literature belongs to the world man constructs, not to the world he sees.” (12) Literature is a product of the world that humans construct; the literary world is a concrete world of direct experience. Literature helps an individual formulate an opinion based on what he/she has been exposed to, the more knowledge of literature one posses, the more educated and concise their thoughts would be. “If we don't know the Bible and the central stories of Greek and Roman literature, we can still read books and see plays, but our knowledge of literature can't grow, just as our knowledge of mathematics can't grow if we don't learn the multiplication table." (40) The exposure to literature must be vast enough to generate educated opinions, rather than just reading novels, Greek mythology and the Bible must be read in order to fully capture the essence of humanity and everything around it. The study of literature is as important as math and science in constructing the society we live in because literature allows the imagination to grow and flourish, and the “imaginative world is more important” (95) than the world we live in. The imaginative world then, allows for social and moral development. The growth of the imagination enables an individual to question the world around him and make more educated decisions, with more dimensions in depth.
Literature is seen everywhere. The basis of distribution of the knowledge of math and science is literature. Although it is not merely used as a tool for such, it has a greater advantage. In educating imagination, literature facilitates the ability to see and change the world around you into a world in which you want to live in.
People use language as a form of self expression, social participation and to understand the world we have and know the world we want. This is why people write, so that they can express this. This is also why it is a good idea to study literature, because it is a perfect representation of the human condition. It is a representation of the world we all live in and try so desperately to understand “Literature gives us an experience that stretches us vertically to the heights and depths of what the human mind can conceive” (61) and this translates back to life allowing us to apply it to any part of our lives, not just literature itself.
Literature, science, and mathematics all include in its process the world we do live in and the world we want to live in “Science starts with the world we have to live in, accepting its data and trying to explain its laws. From there, it moves towards the imagination: it becomes a mental construct, a model of a possible way of interpreting experience. The further it goes in this direction, the more it tends to speak the language of mathematics, which is one of the languages of the imaginations, along with literature and music.” (8-9) this is why literature, mathematics and science are equally important, it only starts in opposite directions. Science begins in the world we know and creates a world we want. Literature starts in the world we want and then apply itself to the world we know. Ultimately they are all equally important because they are all focused on creating from a world that we have a world that we want to live it.
What is good about the study of literature? The importance of studying literature is to get a stronger grip of a world that is slowing being more difficult to understand. As time goes on, we are slowly losing what the world was like, and to regain our hold on the world, we reflect on that when we read a novel, or play. For example, Frye states that “[…] in the history of civilization literature follows after a mythology” (65). It helps us “[…] identify the human with the non-human world […]” (65). Mythology, and by extension literature, helps us cope to the things we cannot understand. The best example can be the story of Prometheus and how he goes up and steals fire from the gods. The Greeks had no concept of where they first had gotten fire, so they developed stories to make it simpler to understand. Another example is given by Frye again, “two teen-aged girls looking at the display in front of a movie, saying it was the thrill of a life time, […] and I heard one of them say “Do you suppose it’s any good?”. That was the voice of sanity trying to get it’s bearings in a world of illusion” (84), this shows that in the post-modern era, we have “grown” so much that we have lacked the need for something to kick in and make sense of it all. But there is always one thing that does, no matter how we may crush it, and that is the imagination.
The imagination is important in all levels of our civilization, with at its core being literature, science and math. All three of these fields play hand in hand, and without them, civilization cannot function without one. Without literature, one cannot communicate ideas, thoughts, and ideas or as Frye calls it, “[…] an ignoramus.” (3). Without math, we cannot construct what we see with our imagination, and even if we could, we could not understand how we did it. Science is needed to grasp the real world. At one time this was done with mythology, the realm of literature, but as we grow as a society, science slowly takes ground from literature. The 3 fields can be called an atheist’s trinity, with the imagination being the “god” figure. The idea that the world can function without one of these 3 is ludicrous. An example would be to get rid of science. Sure, religion would reign supreme, but if you take a look at how the middle ages went, you can see how fundamental science really is. Math also, it is needed to make the world function. Without it, you cannot construct a building properly, or even have a functioning economy. Then you have literature. It is needed to grasp the things that science and religion do not cover. You have the facts of science and math, and that helps you grip reality. But the oldest is literature, and that is where the cradle of your imagination lies. Literature is the expression of someone’s imagination spilt onto paper, so that anyone can take it and apply it to other things, the best example would be Leonardo da Vinci, and his pictures of a flying machine, with the Wright brothers seeing it, and coming up with their own version. It is “good” to study literature, as it helps to educate us. Not in the sense that we are unknowledgeable without it, but in the sense that with the turbulent times we are in, we lose sense of reality. Literature, along with math and science, helps us cope with that fact, because without any of the above three, we are stuck in a cold isolated world.
One of crucial reasons that literature should be studied diligently is to comprehend the foundation of civilization. Western civilization rests on the pillars of the Greco- Roman and Judeo- Christian traditions; everyone should take the time to become aware of these because they are footing for modern time. If people are not aware of history they cannot understand how it is that society evolved into what it is today and furthermore understand how it operates. The mythologies of the past still influence the literature of today, “Stories are told about gods, and form a mythology… the same types of characters get into legends and folk tales, and, as literature develops, into fiction”(19) therefore it becomes a gateway to understand the bedrock of society. In order to properly understand literature—thus the world you live in—it is necessary to start with poetry and progress outwards to literary prose then further on to the language of professions such as business to finally reach the language of ordinary life. Literature envelopes everything, “a great work of literature is also a place in which the whole cultural history of the nation that produced it comes into focus” (75) therefore by studying literature you become informed and are able create an informed perception about the world you live in. You cannot form an opinion about an issue without reading about it because it would a decision formed out of rash ignorance without a point of comparison or basis to sustain it. Since the mythology of literature deals with the past it becomes just as important as math or science in constructing the society we live in because you cannot build a home without a foundation or source of reference. History is crucial, “Who controls the past controls the future” (Orwell) and is less susceptible to repeat past mistakes or be succumbed by ignorance. Literature gives us a means for transvaluation, a sense of detachment that allows us to observe the past, present and all concurring events together, to produce an overall picture of the scheme of things—it becomes the mode to understanding macrocosm as well as microcosm and what they have resulted in throughout time. Only when you understand the reasons for the present state of things can you begin to construct an efficient model for an otherwise different state of human experience.
A good foundation for any society is laid with it roots of literature, from the telling of myths to advanced writing of Shakespeare. Throughout Frye’s Educated Imagination he is able to show literature is a building block for human life and literature is just as important as math and science in constructing the society we live in. The Educated Imagination evaluates the importance of literature to life.
Literature is essential for the survival of humans in a society, without literature society will break down and become a complete failure. We use literature to connect with the physical world around us that leaves us to keep us in a state of mind belonging without this we are unable to function in our lives “You see this world as objective, as something set over against you and not yourself or related to you in any way.”(3). To prevent the breakdown of society Frye explains we need literature to communicate. “debase our language by turning our speech into automatic gabble.” (92) If this is allowed our society can be captured by a tyrannical leader. Without using literature to relate to the world around us and communicating with others we are separated leading us to the downfall of man kind.
Some would view literature and the arts as useless but The Educated Imagination helps show how the arts are just as important as sciences and mathematics. Frye continuously proves throughout his talks that literature is just as or even more important then math, and sciences. Literature is able to touch in away no math lesson could because literature speaks the language of human nature. “That language is not English, or Russian or Chinese or any common ancestor, if there was one. The language of human nature,… …It never speaks unless we take the time to listen in leisure,”(98) An imagination can not be taught it has to be developed with literature that can expand the mind and educate the imagination. “only literature gives use the whole sweep and range of human imagination as it sees itself.”(61) By realizing that there is way more to the human imagination then math and science can prove, the need for literature becomes more evident to us.
With a strong back bone placed in society by literature we are able to see literature is a building block for human life and literature is just as important as math and science in constructing the society we live in. With Northrop Frye’s Educated Imagination we are able to see the importance of literature.
In my educated opinion, there is no such tings as the bad study of literature. Any form of literature can help a person to improve on their literary skill. What is more important is how much you study literature, not what kind of literature you study. The more exposure of various types of literature a person is exposed to, the more knowledge they are possess. The more wisdom you receive from various readings, the person will be able to form various opinions when it comes to a certain subject. For example, as Northrop Frye would say, a poet is a “man with a special craft of putting words together”, (41), and also, “the well-known poets have well-known lives” (42), showing that the more experience they experience in life helps them to craft their work. They will not be narrow minded to see the answer in solid black or white, but incorporate both point of views and produce a theory of their own. Furthermore, they will be able to back up their answers using the sources they have receive from the studies.
The study of literature is definitely more important than the study of mathematics or sciences. Yes, it is true that the study of English, math, and sciences are considered the most basic studies. But I believe the study of literature is the primary study. Without being able to comprehend the language, the person who is studying any area cannot express their opinions. Literature is crucial study since, “literature illustrates them, [other studies], putting their abstract ideas into concrete images and situations” (37), and people are able to learn better when they can relate the subject to their own experience. You can see that the study of English is a mandatory course for all four years of high school, while other subjects become electives as the grade level goes up. This is relevant since for example, no matter how much a person has a talent with their mathematical skill, if they cannot understand the question that is being asked, then they cannot answer the question. This would show that the person is not much different compared to a calculator, who calculates without any thoughts. Therefore, yes the study of literature is crucial for any person to live the world they live in with the ability to speak their mind.
Literature is a fundamental skill or resource that is needed in many situations. I do agree that illiteracy is a major problem. It is a major problem because without reading and literature our surroundings would remain the same due to the fact that there would be no advancement in any way. If you examine the ancient civilizations that did not have any form of literature except for repetitive oral stories, they remain the same for thousands of years. Take the Inca for example and the Natives that inhabited North America before Europeans crossed the Atlantic and raped and pillaged the lands. Both the Inca and the Natives did have literature in their society which kept these communities from achieving any major technological or cultural advancements. Even in ancient civilizations that had the ability to read and had literature available to them the lower classes, which made up the majority of the population did not have the ability to read. This kept the lower classes in check and even with our ability to read in our more advanced society, certain pieces of literature are not made available to us due to the fact that certain organizations do not want us to be exposed to these writings. Literature is also connected to math and science even though many believe that they are completely separate and not connected in anyway. Learning formulae and applying these to different situations is only possible through the fact that imagination plays a big part. It is one thing to learn the formula and use it but when thinking critically and applying these formulae to different real life situations requires imagination. Everything is not straight forward and with out our imagination being fueled by literature we would not be capable of advancement and humanity would not have the capacity to become what humanity is today.
Literature is the basis of all society and everything we write, speak or do and without it, we would not be able to function in society. We need literature to communicate with others and to make connections with our imagination and the world around it and it is just as important to study it, as it is to study math and science. Studying literature allows us to be able to understand were literature comes from and it gives us a base from which to write our own. The same stories are told repeatedly and you can only find this out by studying literature, “You notice that popular literature … is always very highly conventionalized.”(21) We are told these stories repeatedly and without studying literature, you will not understand the allusions that are right in front of you. Literature is just as or more important than studying math or science. Sciences and math are based on literature and with knowing literature; you cannot have science or math so that shows how important literature is. It is the base of everything we do in life and with out it nothing would make sense and we would not be able to function our world would crumble without the existence of literature so we must study it or we will loose ourselves.
It is within the imagination that the human mind can flourish and create. But it is only within a well educated imagination that greater things can be created. Our foundation as a society comes from the myths and stories of centuries ago and without educating our minds with the knowledge of these myths and stories nothing could evolve properly. People need to understand the roots of our society in order to understand what it is today and how to function within it. The need for literature and the education of our imaginations is all well outlined by the mastermind Northrop Frye in the Educated Imagination.
The well educated imagination can only be furthered by literature, for it is within literature that we learn a great deal about society and the human experience. Literature is a part of the foundation in society that man creates and is a way to relay the human experience, “the simple point is that literature belongs to the world man constructs, not to the world he sees” (12). It is within the myths and stories that we educate ourselves with that we can understand our society and how it has come to be what it is today. From the knowledge that we gain for this we can thus then devise our own thoughts and ideas and be able to opinionate ourselves over the matters we have furthered our knowledge in. Yet is out imagination has not been educated we will not understand anything and will become apart of the mob mentality following a leader for no one would have an opinion of their own, “If we don't know the Bible and the central stories of Greek and Roman literature, we can still read books and see plays, but our knowledge of literature can't grow, just as our knowledge of mathematics can't grow if we don't learn the multiplication table." (40) Literature is as important as math and science also because it is when these are melded together that we obtain the society that we desire and create new concepts that use emotional and rational thought to create, “…intellect and emotions are now both engaged in the same activity, so there’s no longer any real distinction between them” (5-6). When using both rational and emotional thought new ideas are spawned and further our understanding of the world around us.
Literature resides as a pillar to our society and a way to further develop our imaginations. From the educated imagination we can understand and communicate in the society in which we live in.
The question of, what good is the study of literature? are answered clearly all of Northrop Frye's talks in his novel The Educated Imagination. Within the first talks of his novel Frye establishes many crucial connections in literature and also places a foundation of what literature is. In addition on the first talk Frye deals with two major questions, " what is the relation of English as the mother tongue to English as a literature? Second: what is the social value of the study of literature, and what is the place of the imagination that literature addresses itself to in the learning process."(3) which are all addresses thoroughly in the first talk with supporting arguments in the next four talks. Frye answers his first question by defining the three levels of language found in our society, " language of consciousness and awareness made of mainly nouns and adjectives, practical sense made up of mainly verbs and words of action and vision or model in your mind of what you want to construct." (33) By establishing these three levels of language the reader can better understand the role of literature in everyday society, and the role of literature in the arts. When Frye beginning discusses the role of literature in society it is inevitable that the discussion of math and science ensues, and whether one is more important than another. Frye clearly defines the role of science saying that," science begins with the world we have to live in, accepting its data and trying to explain its laws. From there, it moves towards the imagination: it becomes a mental construct, a model of a possible way of interpreting experience"(8) which basically says that even within science the imagination is present, and that the imagination is expressed through literature as well. Frye gives a simple reason as to why we need literature in our world saying that, "literature belongs to the world man constructs, not to the world he sees,"(12) which is a very powerful and accurate statement to be made. With all this said I believe that literature is as important as math and science if not more important. This is because literature helps man improve the imagination and with out an imagination math and science would remain stagnate and never evolve.
The study of literature is a necessity in all forms. In The Educated Imagination Dr. Northrop Frye talks about this necessity in order to become a well rounded individual and fully develop your brain. One must see the importance of studying literature as much as math and also the need to study previous works of literature to understand yourself and your feelings and how to communicate them.
Many people overlook the importance of studying literature as a normal part of life. However, this does not deter from its necessity, one must read and understand past and present literature to become proficient in his or her own language. “we can still read books and see plays, but our knowledge of literature can’t grow, just as our knowledge of mathematics can’t grow if we don’t learn the multiplication table.” (40) In order for one to learn and understand math he or she must first learn the basics and grow on those principles.
If one does not know how to formulate a proper sentence to explain an idea then he or she will do what they believe is correct, causing problems in their sentences “I said earlier that there’s nothing new in literature that isn’t the old reshaped.” (40) Therefore, if one hasn’t learned how to produce a proper sentence then one can not create one. Also, a person’s imagination created by the study of literature affects the entire person as a whole. “our imagination is what our whole social life is really based on. We have feelings, but they affect only us and those immediately around us;” (82) If one does not know or imagine the emotion then he or she can not express it.
In The Educated Imagination Northrop Frye stresses on the fact that without the literature of language there would no importance to human expression and feeling. Human emotion cannot be expressed exactly but words are constructed to fit the feeling of what it will give. Math and Science has been around just as long as literature has, the only difference is man can’t express anything with them. Man’s intellect has evolved with using the concepts of Math and Science, and slowly literature’s importance is being lost into history. Concepts of one word ends up being translated into another meaning with math and science there’s only one formula, one equation, one answer. There is no replacing literature, man can try and will not succeed because without the expression of ones feelings then the human is unable to function. Math and science have no comparison to the ability to express ones emotion with words, man can live without the need of denominators and factors but man cannot live without the use of words. Without the structure of literature then math and science would not exist society would not be able to construct itself into the ability to express it let alone think of the concept of it.
The imagination is an interesting function humans were built with. What is created by the imagination could have only been determined by the idea of what we want from what we have. But the word “want” is now appealing to something impersonal and unselfish in us. It is impersonal and unselfish because literature teaches us to imagine what we want as a person. Literature is a form of self expression which tends to be very allusive. This allusiveness in literature if of importance because you can not just read on poem or novel and think you know everything literature has to offer. Literature creates an allusion and this allusion played is what we want out world to look like from what we have and what we have is from the though of the few poems or novels we have read. That is why we teach literature to keep educating the imagination so we know what we want; nothing is new in literature that is not the old reshaped.
Science starts with the basics of the world we live in, as a society we have to accept its information and attempt to explain its law to the rest of human civilization. From that point science turns into the imagination and it becomes a “mental construct, a model of a possible way of interpreting experience…which leads to the language of mathematics, which is really one of the languages of the imagination” (8). With the study of mathematics and science it leads to the wider range of the imagination and therefore is of importance to teach along side literature to help strengthen the imagination.
In Northrop Frye’s The Educated Imagination, Frye explains the reasons for literature especially in the advanced societies that now rule the world. Having a high literary training is often mistaken as a skill that is only attainable by the most intellectual of individuals. Frye expresses his concern in regards to this theory, and states that it “is a little more serious than that” (92) and that the importance of literature has a direct correlation to the development of our immediate society. Literature is an essential to every individual’s education in that it is a mode of identification, it develops the human imagination, and it is a means of learning from the past.
Humans initially suffer from the constant aggravation that they cannot completely identify with anything or anyone. All humans have the standard feeling that they are alone in the world where there is no device that will enable another individual to read their mind. The most complicated procedure is that of truly expressing how you feel in words. This is the skill possessed by writers as they are not superhuman they simply have the ability to communicate effectively. Literature in turn, is produced by these talented individuals. One component of literature that makes it so universal is its use of “associative language” (15) such as the metaphor. Metaphors are used to answer the wandering of the individual whom wants to relate an indescribable emotion. A metaphor implies that a feeling is exactly the same as a concept being applied in a poem for example. The only problem with this association is that there is no logical sense in saying that two ideas are identical in nature. Literature asks the reader to use the metaphor as a “suggestive magic” (16) where the reader can validate their human instincts. A connection is established and a rare feeling of identification is offered to the individual.
One of literature’s main motives is to educate the human imagination. “Everything man does that’s worth doing is some kind of construction, and the imagination is the constructive power of the mind set free to work on pure construction, construction for its own sake.” (73) and it is for this reason that literature intends to be a mechanism in which the imagination can practice and develop its need to construct as well as what it is going to construct. The arts and sciences are expressions of construction. They only differ in the order of their progress in that the sciences begin in the world that the individual lives in and the arts develop from the world that is founded in the imagination. Inevitably, a society in which an individual can feel entirely comfortable can only be created in the imagination through the cohesion of art and science. “Science gives the intellectual view of reality… [and is able to] … evolve and improve” (9) while art such as literature will forever be derived from the “literary model…[called] the classic.”(9) This is where is it questioned whether technological advances in society will turn literature obsolete in that myths and the imagination will no longer be necessary. The answer is that literature will sustain as long as humans have the ability to imagine. In every society, the individual can either conform to a social mythology or challenge it in creating their imaginative reality. In either scenario the human instinct will at one moment emerge and cause the individual to wonder what unique factor they possess “that would make the world poorer if [the individual] weren’t in it” (94). As long as this question lays restless in any individual’s mind, the necessity for literature will be undeniable. This is the desire for a more educated imagination. The individual will forever be curious of the type of society they would like to create for the present.
From the previous scenario, when an individual conforms to the surrounding society it is due to the society’s ability to work the imagination to its benefit. For instance, the use of propaganda ignites fear in the individual’s imagination. In such a society the influence can be reversed if “the most direct appeal to the imagination” (84-85) is literature where human experience can thoroughly be evaluated. When developing an improved lifestyle the individual cannot act until there is sufficient knowledge of what has occurred in the past. Political mistakes, failures towards the will of humanity, and victory in overthrowing oppressive regimes form a basis to what is apparently flawed in the current social mythology. Literature provides a glimpse into that past as “A great work of literature is also a place in which the whole cultural history of the nation that produced it comes into focus.” (75) This allows the individual to view the literary situation in an ironic perspective. In determining intriguing results and those which could never have been imagined the literature is being criticized and a model has been prepared for the individual to strive towards. A skilled writer can capture the essence of what is presently affecting their immediate society and provokes the individual to emotionally react and hopefully, act. A “reality that we don’t get from any other approach” (62) has been presented. The characteristics of any society can be placed parallel to another society and compared. This is what literature attempts to introduce to the individual. The detached vision is an “imaginative key to history” (76) in which causes the individual to realize the consequences his imaginative world would not like to face. When carefully informed, the individual can learn how to recognize the severity of “mob rule” (79) and stand against any society that demeans the human imagination in narrowing its usefulness. When humanity suffers a feeling of injustice should erupt in the individual. The final result of such an experience should enable “the transfer of imaginative energy from literature to the student.” (80) and evoke a “fully conscious vision” (62) of the society that human’s lack the ability to achieve.
In conclusion, the study and comprehension of literature is a crucial skill that enables individual thought. Through associative language, broadening of the individual imagination, and acknowledgement of historical events literature depicts its significance in building a humane society. At this point the individual ought to read literature in a more critical fashion and show tolerance to a writer’s personal perspective.
The purpose of literature is to allow for man to express himself in a way that would otherwise be impossible. Literature allows for emotions and thoughts to be transcribed as the author imagines it. Furthermore, literature allows for interpretation as it pertains to the individual; “Literature gives us an experience that stretches us vertically to the heights and depths of what the human mind can conceive…” (pg.61). Evidence of such a claim can be found in every work of fictional literature, and perhaps the greatest story told, the bible. Literature allows for the human imagination to create unanswerable questions and attempt to refute those same questions in the same thought process.
The same claim cannot be used in the contexts of math and science; however important, math and the sciences would cease to exist without the written word. Literature serves as a form of communication of ideas, thoughts, and feelings, much the same way that science does. However, without a medium of communication those ideas would become lost and eventually forgotten. “No human society is too primitive to have some kind of literature. The only thing is that primitive literature hasn’t yet become distinguished from other aspects of life: it’s still embedded in religion, magic and social ceremonies.” (pg.19). The basis of modern physics comes from Sir Isaac Newton, his ideas and theories have evolved over time through studies and writings. Those ideas would not exist if his ideas were not written down. The same can be said for many of Da Vinci’s writings and experiments. The only reason his name still exists is through literature.
In conclusion, literature serves as the main catalyst of communicable ideas. Man’s perception of reality and the ability to question comes from this. It is then that math, the sciences, and even the arts would cease to exist without the foundation of literature backing it.
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