Literature Text and contexts

Literature

Texts and Contexts

 

What is Literature?

 

As previously studied on Week 5 of our programme, we came to the conclusion that Literature is "a highly developed use of language in that is the stylized manipulation of language for larger effect (purpose) and/or affect (emotional response)" (L&L Course Companion p.9)

So, can a literature work be read only as stylized words used on a piece of paper or an online medium? Is there ANYTHING ELSE we need to know in order to comprehend a literature text "better"?

Try your skills and let's see if you can handle the following texts. 

CC Activity 1 - pp 272, 273

TEXT A: "The Leopard" by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa (1958)

TEXT B: "Notable American Women" by Ben Marcus (2002)

WARNING: These are not easy texts. Both passages are short sections form long, complicated novels. Jot down all the questions that pop up in your head while you read them. After you finish reading, go through the sample student's questions. Are they similar to yours?

 

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Take a look at the following audio/visual material connected to the works from which you just read extracts. Let's see if it broadens your mind and perspective towards your reading.

"The Leopard" by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

The Leopard ‎(1958)‎

"Notable American Women" by Ben Marcus

Writers on Writing: Ben Marcus

• "Reading is not simply a decoding of letters and words but a process through which we understand what a text or author is suggesting and what the words mean"
• "We all bring knowledge and experience to our reading of the text"
• "To be an informed reader is to be a reader who may know it is impossible to know and understand everything about a work of literature, but who understands the forces on an author, on the meaning and interpretation of a work, and on his own personal reactions"

What are CONTEXTS?

 

Context can be defined simply as the circumstances that surround a given text and help to specify its meaning.

Context is best expressed as CONTEXTS (plural) because of the wide variety of external forces that affect the general reception or understanding of a work.

 

CONTEXT OF PRODUCTION: Critical positions, historical facts, biographical aspects of the author's life.

 

CONTEXT OF RECEPTION: Once you approach a work as a reader, the meaning that is communicated, that is sent from the text to you, is influenced by everything that you bring to it, from your reading to your personal experiences and biases.

 

General Questions about Context

 

 

The work of literature you will be analysing and discovering is Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird". Do an online research this week and find out the following information (Post it in your BLOG)

 

• What is the cultural and educational background of the author?
• What are the values and aesthetic concerns of the culture of the author (literature movement, cultural movement, society of that time, etc)?
• What important social, political or economic issues took place in the author's times.

A digest of texts and contexts

Harper Lee and the killing of a mockingbird

Many context elements inspired Harper lee to write her novel. 

The Great Economic Depression, Jim Crow Laws, 

and the moral and social conventions of the time are reflected in the chapters and characters of 

"To Kill a Mockingbird".

Take a look at the following presentations on these topics:

Great Depression

kill_a_mockingbird.ppt

As part of the study of context, we will consider the following points as context of PRODUCTION in "To Kill a Mockingbird"

• Harper Lee's life and times
• The Deep South
• The Economic Depression
• Jim Crow Laws (segregation)
• Social Classes and Discrimination
• Martin Luther King's figure

Have a look at the following video. What effect does it cause on you?

The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl

TKM Chapter 1 Analysis

taken from <http://www.enotes.com/to-kill-a-mockingbird/chapter-1-questions-answers>

1. What do you learn in this chapter about Maycomb, Atticus Finch and his family?

2. Describe Calpurnia as Scout depicts her in Chapter 1.

3. What does Dill dare Jem to do?

4. The townspeople of Maycomb have some fears and superstitions about the Radley place. Describe these fears and superstitions.

5. How important is bravery to Jem?

6. What do you notice about the narrative voice and viewpoint of the story?