Literature as a special language
"Literature is a 'special' kind of language, in contrast to the 'ordinary' language we commonly use" (Eagleton 4).
Upon the first time reading this quote, I took it for what it generally said - We use literature in addition to the common language that we use, day in and day out. But after finishing the assigned section, and going back to pick out a quote to talk about, I couldn't get this line out of my head. There has to be something more to it. And I believe I've only begun to scratch the surface.
Literature is different to everyone. I could consider a short story written by a feisty 8-year-old, to be literature, no matter how erratic or didactic it may be. Someone else might just consider it to be jibberish. But literature is always special, because the words and sentences are formed exactly how the author wants them to be, in order for them to have the most meaning when slapped on a piece of paper. When writing literature, I would have to say that we tend to choose our words more carefully than we would when spitting out everyday language.
Comments
I agree with what you said about the difference in our every day language and the language we use when we are writing. I don't think anyone could argue that this is not a cultural occurrence that we all experience.
Posted by: Bethany Merryman | January 28, 2009 7:25 PM
Corey, when I first read this quote, I imagined special literature language coming from a great author like Shakespeare sitting around speaking in iambic pentameter with a specific rhyme scheme. The Formalists and their focus on the way a work was written made me think of that image. Also, I thought that literature language would have a little flare to it, which made it appear sophisticated. However, I like how you say that the literature of language is always special because of the author. Yet from the chapter, I did not get the sense that anyone can just write literature. However, it is based on our value-judgments, so anything you consider literature would be literature to you. The book made it seem like there were people who specifically dubbed works as literature for the world to respect as such. I agree that special literature language is the specific way a writer puts the words on paper.
Posted by: Jenna | January 28, 2009 11:04 PM
Literature is definitely its own kind of language, and every author has a different voice within that language.
Posted by: Bethany Bouchard | January 29, 2009 3:12 PM