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About literature and life
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When I think of a work of literature and compare it to a relation with life, the Bible is the first piece to come to mind. The Bible is abundantly full of literary technique. It can be read historically, theologically, or leisurely, in which the reader can relate to human experience. The Bible as an anthology of literature, meaning a collection of literary pieces, tells the story of humankind; it is a story of tradition revealing the present. This is the view from the Christians’ eyes, and a relation to human experience. As an anthology, the Bible shares similarities with other anthologies: many authors, diverse genres, and a strategy of organization that is based on groupings of genre and historical chronology.
Archetypes play an important factor in the relation between life and literature. Archetypes are the building blocks for literature and help to identify the quality of the text. Once the reader is aware of the archetypes, it is easier to help unify the bible. This is because we as humans relate one instance of an archetype to another, helping one to relate to a personal experience. This also makes the Bible a universal piece of literature. Another literary fact making the Bible universal and more unified is the fact that it can be divided into hundreds of different types of genres and subcategories of those genres.
The writers throughout the Bible refer to a variety of literary genres in which they write: proverb, narrative, poetry, complaint, prophecy, parable, song, and many others. Not only do the writers of the Bible refer and relate to this diversity and variety of genres, but so do the readers. Some of the genres correspond to the authors’ surrounding culture and the literary forms of that time. This is one aspec...
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...e the characters in normal settings performing actions easily related to a human. Expository writing gives us the guideline; literature gives us the example and relation.
Literature and life are very easily related, especially if you look for it or aspects of what really make up literature. When I think of literature and life, the Bible is the first piece for me to easily relate to. This is mostly because I know what aspects make up literature and how they are presented in a text. The Bible can be a casual read, an interchange of narrations and view points, a historical study, a guide line for the way of life, a book of philosophies, theories, or prophecies, a piece of art, or just an interpretation of what a bunch of people thought at a specific time. There are many aspects of literacy and the relation to humans and life, and this is clearly evident in the Bible.
The Bible, for many centuries, has impacted society, culture, and religion in innumerable ways. Included in the Bible’s impact, is fictional literature (Erickson, 2015). Biblical allusion, defined as an ancillary reference to Scripture ("Definition," 2015), can be a useful tool for fiction writers to draw the attention of the reader to certain biblical truths. Mixed in with the writer’s style and language, biblical allusion, assists in building plot lines, themes, and influence over the reader’s beliefs (Erickson, 2015). Nevertheless, the real magic of biblical allusion lies within the author’s creative genius and ability to infuse biblical themes, metaphors, images, and characters in with the story to allow the audience to reach certain
In, “True and Living Word”, Gomes introduces the readers to a variety of topics and attempts to explain how the Bible relates to them. These topics are: The Bible and...The Good Life, Suffering, Joy, Evil, Temptation, Wealth, Science, and Mystery. The Good Life is a slightly more detailed repetition of Gomes’ main point. This section again explains how the Bible is a living text, as it withstands the test of time and applies to all those who read it, and how people are scared of admitting their Biblical illiteracy. Gomes makes a broad statement in this section that everyone feels drawn towards the Bible, subconsciously know it is holy, and want to read it but do not know how. He also states that the Bible is difficult to read and requires great analysis to truly understand it’s message. The other seven sections discuss how the Bible connects to each of them. These seven section are essentially a “crash course” on the Bible’s
Michael Joseph Brown, unveils new ways to read and examine the Bible in his book, titled “What They Don’t Tell You: A Survivor’s Guide to Biblical Studies”. Although quite technical, the guide, not book, really goes into depth on the process of studying the Bible and its documents. Brown has a new and refreshing way of giving the reader this information that is necessary in a small group, or for a Biblical scholar. This guide is not meant solely for the biblical scholar and talks in detail about the difference between these two, because some may link the two together. Published by the Westminster John Knox Press, WJK for short, this book gives straight forward answers on the best way to thoroughly understand Biblical text. As you read on you will find out more about how they differ and why they appear so similar from an outside perspective. Brown has taken a wide variety of information, and made it into something interesting and extremely useful for the reader. In his own words, “What I have done is to ‘translate’ some foundational concepts in biblical studies into an idiom more people can understand” (xiii)
Before examining Beowulf through the archetypical lens criticism, it must be explained exactly what an archetype implies and how it affects the work being examined. An archetype is a concept that was first defined by Carl Jung, a swiss psychologist who attempted to relate recurring themes in literary works to a collective unconscious that all humans have. Jung theorized that this phenomena of recurring themes of heroes, mentors, heralds, shapeshifters, and so on in literary works could be contributed to the idea that there was a collective set of innate emotions and ideas that resided in all humans. This theory has been able to account for several literary works analyzed through the archetypical lens criticism.
Archetypes are pivotal in the structure of any story. Without archetypes, individuality is not expressed. The story will fail to have a characteristical context if not knowing the individual classification of personality for each character. It is as if reading an open book with blank pages. Using The Oddessy, by Homer. Translated by Robert Fitzgerald and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho I will prove that without archetypes, stories will be bland and difficult to finish. There will be a shortfall of captivation, engagement of the readers, interest in the plot, and unknowing of what will happen next.
The archetypal literary criticism centers itself around archetypes. Archetypes represent the first model of something. Writer and literary expert Elémire Zolla explains archetypes appear as patterns and exist in an intangible fashion. Another interpretation describes them as patterns of “instinctual behavior” (LaLlave and Gutheil). In literary terms, they appear in the form of characters, traditions, events, stories, or images existent in other works. Regardless of different cultures or time periods, archetypes remain present in literature.
An archetype is a human experience or symbol that is universally known and accepted. Archetypes can be images or stories passed on through history. Carl Jung, a prominent psychiatrist in the early 1900’s, used archetypes in his theory about the human psyche and how humans can recognize these symbols because they reside in the collective human subconscious. Some common examples of archetypes are The Hero, The Mentor, The Mother, The Villain and many more. Archetypes like these can be seen in everyday things like books, tv or movies. In The Complete Stories by Zora Neale Hurston there are many different archetypes in each story but three prominent ones are The Trickster, The Devil or Evil, and The Hero. In the novel The Trickster archetype
The Hebrew Bible, better known as the Old Testament, is a collection of tomes that form part of the Biblical canon. Many scholars around the world do not think that a single author wrote the books contained in the Hebrew Bible, but rather that it represents centuries of stories frequently compiled after the events they describe . The stories were created with visions for the future, in order to allow audiences insight into communities and beliefs that were common thought during their era. The stories responded to the issues and problems of their time, but also addressed contemporary climates. While the stories themselves may not be true, they convey truth without needing literal readings. For example, the creation stories in Genesis, portray God as creating the universe, and while this is considered as not ‘literally true’; the stories communicate theological truths about mankind’s relationship with God through the eyes of Hebrew writers .
A Christian, when faced with the challenge of writing, finds himself in a dilemma: how is he to complete the task? Should he create an allegory? Should he try to teach a lesson reflecting God’s glory? Or should he follow secular trends and current desires in literature? To this, many Christians would say, “Certainly not!” Dorothy L. Sayers and Flannery O’Connor both aim to answer the first question of any Christian writer: How do I write a story with my beliefs?
An archetype in literature is defined as a typical example of a certain type of person. A character in a poem or play can be placed into many different archetype categories. Archetypes help a reader to gain a better understanding of who a character in the work is on the inside. This deeper insight into the character allows the reader to follow the flow of the story easier and more effectively. There are many different archetypes that can help to advance the story. One of the most useful in advancing this story is the typical powerful character. Whether it be supernatural or cunningness this character always comes out on top in the situation and holds the most control over others and their actions. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”,
Archetypes have been around for thousands of years, dating back to at least Plato discussing his “Theory of Forms”. In a literary contexts we think of archetypes such as the hero, the mentor, the journey, or the initiation. When looked at from these perspectives it appears that there is nothing original to write about, but these archetypes are used over and over with much success. The reason is because the writer and the reader empathize with the archetypes. Take for example the Initiation archetype, also called the Coming of Age story, in it is the struggle of the young against the old in an attempt to obtain individuality, and freedom that reflects what Jungian psychologists call, a “father complex”, a type of subset to the oedipus complex, in the authors.
Literature plays a vital role in nearly every aspect of life. The importance of literature to the Christian worldview is immeasurable. Commonly defined as written works that have superior or artistic merit, literature has been a part of our world since creation. In the first book of the Bible we are introduced to the story of Creation. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth. The Earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” God spoke the creation of the world into being. Palmer states “God begins His story by describing the creative power of words over chaos.” As Christians, we often turn to the Bible for strength and encouragement. The written Word of God gives us wisdom, peace, and understanding in an unpredictable and chaotic world. The reading of scripture is, or should be, the most important element in the life of every believer. However, reading for the Christian is not just limited to the Bible. The world of literature opens up new experiences for us. You can see and feel the trials and adversities of other people in similar situations. You can also travel across the world into a completely different time period and culture; literature gives way to expression of common feelings. Christian and non-Christian literature is informative and interesting. Literature is extremely influential and therefore a person should keep guard not to get caught up in a false reality. The Christian should be careful to keep their mind and heart attuned to the Holy Spirit; even when studying classic literature, one must always take the Christian approach to learnin...
To what extent can literature have an affect on the way we judge society? Humans are naturally able to make a first impression on countries, religions, and people based upon their own beliefs. Writers are grown up in different societies and express their own beliefs on countries, religion and people through their own life experiences. Writers have enough power to change the reader’s preconceived ideas by the writers sharing of their own perspective on their beliefs. Through analyzing different forms of literature such as White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, Joseph Brodsky’s “A commencement Address,” and watching Chimamanda Adichie’s “The Danger of a Single Story” I have realized that reading literature has the ability to change our thinking which in return affects the we judge different society. There have been controversies that media is a huge factor in altering the mind of humans. Literature can be also viewed as a type of media because literature helps the readers understand the conditions of certain societies.
Literature can be entertaining, funny, beautiful and tragic. It takes us beyond our limited experience of Live to show us the lives of the other people at other times. We are intellectually and emotionally stirred by studying Literature.