Have a question?

Mason

Ask here

Goutam_Dass

Sir, If we define literature as anything in written form, why do we consider works of Homer and Virgil as literature as there works were in oral form ?

Mason

Goutam_Dass dear to my understanding, literature is the artistic use of language to convey stories, themes, history and cultural values, be it via oral or written means, though word literature is lexically associated with written text but it covers both, that is, oral as well as written literatures.

Goutam_Dass

What is stream of Consciousness, sir ?

Ibrahim

Goutam_Dass stream of consciousness dear is modern technique used in novels by writers like Virginia Wolf, James Joyce. It is inspired by Freudian psychoanalysis, whereby focus was shifted from physical action to thought process. Writers started to write about what characters were thinking more than physical action and unlike Aristotle's linear action time was shifted from past to present and characters thoughts would roam about.

Goutam_Dass

Ibrahim

Sir, Thank you

Hamza

How do you see the relation between literature and philosophy?

Goutam_Dass

Hamza

Philosophy is the study of truth and knowledge of the world. Philosophy is studied to aquire wisdom, While Literature, on the other hand, is the reflection of the society. Literature is either written for the purpose of aestheticism (pleasure), or for the purpose of didacticism (knowledge). Some of the literature is philosophical, e.g, critical theories. This is where literature interacts with philosophy.

Hamza

Goutam_Dass I researched it a bit. It's almost the same, there are same philosophies but critical literary theories particularly demand their application to literary works. Seems intriguing 🤔

Goutam_Dass

Hamza

As long as I understand, you can also apply critical theories to the current situations of your surroundings, forexample, Extraction of surplus value stated by Marxism still exists in our society. Critical theories give us insight about what is going on in our society. Philosophy tries to cover each and every topic of the world including science, arts, nature etc, and it is much detailed. While literature focuses on social, political, economic conditions of past and contemporary life and in doing so, it connects with philosophy at some extent.

Hamza

Goutam_Dass I agree. Philosophy is groundwork of all fields and theories in general. But it is love for wisdom. It covers much. Literature is also production of society and has a lot to say about society.