User:LGreg/sandbox/Approaches to Knowledge (LG seminar 2020/21)/Seminar 18/Power/Power in literature

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Defining literature as a discipline[edit | edit source]

From a modern perspective, literature includes all written and oral works generally considered as a form of art such as poetry or drama. They may or may not be fictitious[1]. If literature is nowadays much used for entertainment, it is also a way to transmit knowledge and thus to bring about change.

Literature has the power to change the world[edit | edit source]

Many people refer to literature as "the mirror of society". Indeed, this discipline has the power to reveal hidden truths on a collective scale.[2] Fiction in particular is an important tool for seeing reality differently. This is how literature can change the world: it enables change, whether political, social, cultural or even economic, through the power of words. A well-known example of this indirect power of literature is the novel To Kill a Mockingbird published by Harper Lee in 1960.[3] Indeed, the author uses many symbols and characters to denounce the omnipresent racism in the United States during the 1930s. This novel thus allowed a better understanding of the situation, especially at a time when the Civil Rights Movement was growing.[4]

Literature has the power to change people[edit | edit source]

On a more personal scale, literature also has the power to change people in depth, in particular by making them feel a variety of emotions and feelings. Reading allows reflection on one's own life and can thus become a real experience during which a subtle process of evolution takes place.[5] It can then become a real quest for the self with multiple revelations about the reader's own personality. Even more interesting is the fact that scientific studies have looked at the benefits of reading on health. [6] Literature could therefore have a direct impact on the reader's well-being. However, it is also relevant to question the experience of the author, which can also change drastically. Being an author implies a real inner exploration which is found in published works and which is fundamental to the very existence of literature.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ literature noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced American Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com [Internet]. Oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com. 2020 [cited 9 November 2020]. Available from: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/american_english/literature
  2. ↑ Moledina A. Does Literature Change Anything? - New College of the Humanities [Internet]. New College of the Humanities. 2018 [cited 6 November 2020]. Available from: https://www.nchlondon.ac.uk/2018/07/09/ahlaam-moledina/
  3. ↑ Bell J. Can books really change the world? [Internet]. the Guardian. 2006 [cited 6 November 2020]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2006/nov/27/canbooksreallychangethewo
  4. ↑ Shapiro E. Harper Lee: The Impact of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird' [Internet]. ABC News. 2016 [cited 7 November 2020]. Available from: https://abcnews.go.com/US/harper-lee-impact-kill-mockingbird/story?id=37055512
  5. ↑ Wagner N. How Good Books Can Change You [Internet]. The Atlantic. 2016 [cited 8 November 2020]. Available from: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/06/how-good-books-can-change-you/259169/
  6. ↑ Whiteman H. Five ways reading can improve health and well-being [Internet]. Medicalnewstoday.com. 2016 [cited 8 November 2020]. Available from: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/313429
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