What is Literature ? (Then – means Before M.A. , And Now – means after M.A. )

What is Literature ?

(Then – means Before M.A. , And Now – means after M.A. )

Well it is not easy to define literature in any definition.

When I joined English Literature in B.A. that time in college we taught only one definition of literature that,

“Literature is a Mirror to Society”

Before I joined Department of English for my M.A. in English Literature I also used this definition in exam and my views about literature is so limited.

But after joining Department of English for my M.A. in English Literature I understand that this is not true. Literature is not mirror to society but it is much more.

When someone asked about literature without thinking they say that : “Literature is Mirror to Society”.

But I think this is not enough because Literature is not mirror to society or rather I would like to say something more about this, I would like to add something more.

According to me ;

“Literature is X-ray image of society, very ugly and hard to accept. Literature is like Fruit Jam, all fruits mixed together very well that we can’t identify which test is given by which fruit. But this Fruit Jam is not sweet like original one rather I would like to say that this Fruit Jam of literature is rather bitter, hard to understand and impossible to accept as it is”.

In the novel The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes given very smart answer about this question that, What is Literature ?. For the answer of this question Julian Barnes says that,

“The things Literature was all about: love, sex, morality, friendship, happiness, suffering, betrayal, adultery, good and evil, heroes and villains, guilt and innocence, ambition, power, justice, revolution, war, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, the individual against society, success and failure, murder, suicide, death, God”.

It covers each and everything on this earth also and beyond this universe also.

I want to add that before joining department of English I am also people who can be part of “Sheeple Group”.

Because I accept each and everything without understanding as it is taught to us. But after joining department of English I understand value of free thinking, value of individual thinking, value of argumentative discourse but in a true sense with positive ideas.

This all the things I learn from Department Of English and our Prof.Dr.Dilip Barad Sir.

I remember that when I go to Department for the process of admission we given a task of writing answer on this question that What is Literature ?

And what I write is somehow not up to the mark because of lack of knowledge I have about literature but now I have broad idea of what is literature in this last two years I spent at Department Of English.

Now I have wider thinking process, required knowledge and free thinker and above all that I am an individual now not a part of “Sheeple Group”.

At last I want to thank you Department of English and our Prof.Dr.Dilip Barad Sir.

                                              Thank You ….