Asih Sigit Padmanugraha September Introduction to English Literature

Fields of Literary Studies Text Study English Dept. Stage Performance Theater Literary Production Creative Writing 2 THE PLACE OF LITERATURE IN ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

What is Literature? 3 Literary study is special: Prof. A. TEEUW Why? Compare it to other fields of study Math Chemistry

Literature or literature 4 Literature: Western Term Literature: English Literatur: German Littérature : French Literature means grammatika (Greek) Litteratura and grammatika : littera and gramma meaning letter Literature is anything written, the use of language in written form Latin: Litteratura

What is sastra? 5 Sastra  Sanskrit sãs-,  “directing, teaching, giving instruction” –tra refers to tools, equipment, means Sastra  tools to teach, guiding book, manual or books used to teach What about text book?

The Definition of Literature 6 1. Anything written 2. Dulce et utile 3. Performance in words 4. Spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling 5. Imaginative writings 6. Writing moving the readers’ hearts and emotions 7. Violation of language 8. Beautiful thoughts and ideas in beautiful expression

1.Literature is anything written 7 Too broad What about books on engineering? What about writings on the instant noodle wrapper? What about oral literature?

2.Literature educates and entertains 8 It derives from “our inborn love of telling a story, of arranging words in pleasing patterns, of expressing in words some special aspect of our human experience” Is it always useful and entertaining?

3.Performance in Words 9 Indicating literature is entertaining What about Danarto’s “the box poem?” What about “cyber literature?” What about poems using audiovisual effects?

4.Spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling 10 Poets have extraordinary power, imagination and feeling. What about logic and reason? It is the ultimate truth. Romanticist vs. Neoclassicists

5.Imaginative writings 11 Comic book is imaginative but it is rarely considered as literature Eagleton argues that history, philosophy, and also other sciences are also imaginative The questions: Is Darwin’s “The Origins of Species” imaginative or factual? Is Bunyan’s prophecy imaginative or factual?

Writings moving the reader’s hearts and emotions 12 Is reading on Tsunami not touching the reader’s hearts and emotions? Is the killing field in Vietnam not touching enough? Is the bombing in traditional market in the end of May 2005 not making us “trembling”?

Violation of language 13 This idea argues that the literary language is peculiar compared to the one used by common people This means that the “graffiti” might be included as literature.

Beautiful thoughts and ideas in beautiful expression 14 Shakespeare’s “Winter” expresses a simple theme, an ordinary life in a winter in England The Glass Canoe contains many harsh languages which are far from being beautiful

Definition important to bear in mind 15 Sapardi Djoko Damono and Jonathan Culler define literature as “a cultural production which is in a particular place and time considered as literature” This implies literature as a something not created in a vacuum condition Literature is one era might not be considered as literature in another era

Literature and Culture 16 Based on the previous definition, therefore, as Eagleton argues, how is literature read means whose culture is privileged This means literature and “power” is inseparable Here comes Eagleton’s thesis called “political criticism”