Literature is one of the most interesting and significant expressions of humanity.
P.T. Barnum
Studying Literature does not only comprise of endless reading of novels, poems, short stories; it is more than that. Studying Literature does not only revolve around answers to questions like: “Who is the author of this work?”, “What is the moral of the story?”, “What is the summary of this book?”; it is more than that. Studying Literature is also studying humanity.
It is crucial to study Literature for us to better understand ourselves, other people and the world. This field provides us opportunities to either travel back in time through Aeneid, Iliad, Epic of Gilgamesh and alike, or visit the future through 1984, A Wrinkle in Time, Journey to the Center of the Earth and alike. Literature is not only a body of work, it is a living, dynamic compendium of recorded human experience.
If we will read, for example, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, we will get to know how finding the right bachelor looks like during their time as compared to what is happening today. If we will explore The Little Prince of Antoine de-Saint Exupéry, we can assess our morals and philosophical views as an adult and as a child before. As we can observe, Literature transpires and transcends in a wide, varying fields and time.
The vitality of Literature can be observed through various fields such as History. Both tell the same thing—happenings of the human life and society. But with Literature, we can accompany the character in their struggles or be that character.
Therefore, the study of Literature is important not just for us, but for all aspects of our life. It does not only improve our reading skills and comprehension, but it also shows to us what kind of human we are, what kind of society we live in, and what else happened before and will happen beyond.
Tags: studying literature, importance of literature, literature in society, relevance of literature, personal growth, professional growth, modern times, lifethinkler
Author: Christian Loid Valenzuela
