The writer, Mattew C. Strecher argues the terms so-called, “pure” and “mass” literature. in his article, entitled “Purely Mass or Massively Pure? The Division Between ‘Pure’ and ‘Mass’” (1996) Actually, the title, “Purely Mass or Massively Pure?” intrigues me who has interested in the related question, what the difference between popular literature and pure literature is. Yet, the writer would rather use the term “mass” than “popular”. As the title makes an allusion, it’s not easy to define the terms mass/popular and pure literature. In fact, there is no a precise definition of those terms in both Western and Japanese literary world. According to Mattew however, in Japan, it is obvious the distinction between literature for the few and literature …show more content…
The critic Hirano Ken who is one of the members claims that since the 1920s both junbugaku and proletarian literature had shared same issue, anxiety for realism, however the distinction between junbungaku and taishubungaku was a calculated political move on the part of the bundan to distance itself from works of mass appeal. In 1923, after the Kanto earthquake, there was a boom in proletarian literature and the reaction of most critics was negative, because it was based on the injustices of the bourgeoisie against the working class. With the appearing taishubungaku in 1930s, there had been much argument for the junbungaku; some sees junbungaku as an ideal form of literary expression, some defines in ‘pure’ literature there are certain types of themes that are easily handled, and others are difficult to write about. Hirano’s view is that junbungaku as an artificial concept, a construct brought about at a critical historical moment by specific members of the bundan, for definite social, political, and aesthetic purpose. While the issues about junbungaku discussed, a new era, postmodern moment had arrived and the concerns of junbungaku are changing. In 1953, the television was introduced to Japan and its effect on popular culture was the topic of discussion. Although it did not threat to pure literature directly, the movement to non-traditional fields of art and entertainment was not
As a precursor, the common understanding needs to be reached that: literature is an art, and has many mediums. Medium is the material or technique with which an artist works (Dictionary.com), for example: photographs, pastels, canvas, paper, ink, etc... There are technical, recreational, and otherwise artistic uses for all mediums. A small child taking pictures of a puppy with a disposable camera, a reporter taking precise pictures of a sporting event, and an artist taking close-up pictures of the dew as it drips off a tree are all different uses of the same medium in photography. Literature can be created with many different intentions and reasons, but the attempt to determine that something is not art based off of the motivation or intentions of the artist is quit meaningless.
... World Literature. Ed. Martin Puncher. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 441. Print.
An example of literature is brought up, where for no apparent reason the historical novel became a popular genre and everyone was reading and writing them despite the fact that the genre had been around for a very long time. He used this example to give a concrete example if his idea, and it appeals to the audience’s
Vonnegut, Kurt. “Harrison Bergeron.” Making Literature Matter. Eds. John Clifford and John Schilb. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. 1512-1517.
Throughout history artists have used art as a means to reflect the on goings of the society surrounding them. Many times, novels serve as primary sources in the future for students to reflect on past history. Students can successfully use novels as a source of understanding past events. Different sentiments and points of views within novels serve as the information one may use to reflect on these events. Natsume Soseki’s novel Kokoro successfully encapsulates much of what has been discussed in class, parallels with the events in Japan at the time the novel takes place, and serves as a social commentary to describe these events in Japan at the time of the Mejeii Restoration and beyond. Therefore, Kokoro successfully serves as a primary source students may use to enable them to understand institutions like conflicting views Whites by the Japanese, the role of women, and the population’s analysis of the Emperor.
Roberts, Edgar V., Jacobs, Henry E. “Literature.” The Lesson. 470-475. Toni Cade Bambara. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. 2001
Gatten, Aileen. "Review: Criticism and the Genji." The Journal of the Association of Teachers of Japanese 22.1 (1988): 84. JSTOR. Web. 26 Feb. 2011.
Many civilizations have formed overtime due to cultural differences. Ancient Greece was a prime example of two very different city-states, Sparta and Athens. While Greece had a number of civilizations the two that ended up being the most contradictory were Athens and Sparta. While both Athens and Sparta had sophisticated governments Athens involved women less in their society and traded. While Sparta involved women in their society and became a more isolated city-state.
The Heian period(794-1185), the so-called golden age of Japanese culture, produced some of the finest works of Japanese literature.1 The most well known work from this period, the Genji Monogatari, is considered to be the “oldest novel still recognized today as a major masterpiece.”2 It can also be said that the Genji Monogatari is proof of the ingenuity of the Japanese in assimilating Chinese culture and politics. As a monogatari, a style of narrative with poems interspersed within it, the characters and settings frequently allude to Chinese poems and stories. In addition to displaying the poetic prowess that the Japanese had attained by this time period, the Genji Monogatari also demonstrates how politics and gender ideals were adopted from the Chinese.
"Neoclassicism." A Guide to the Study of Literature: A Companion Text for Core Studies. Comp. English Department Brooklyn College. 6th ed. Landmarks of Literature. Brooklyn College. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. .
In attempting to discriminate between the nature of a "literary" text and a "non-literary" text, a metaphor from Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being comes to mind. Especially in considering this same novel in contrast with a novel such as Danielle Steele's Vanished, the idea of lightness versus heaviness presents itself, and with it, a new way of approaching the decipherment of any high/low dichotomy of "literariness". When the "literary" text is imagined as "heavy" and the "non-literary" as "light", an interesting illumination is cast upon the scene, and parallels emerge alongside ideas originally presented in the writings of A. Easthope and Wolfgang Iser.
Kirszner, L. G., & Mandell, S. R. (2012). Compact literature: Reading, reacting, writing. (8 ed.).
Given a flexible definition of greatness, what is great literature? Is it literature that has meaning (doesn't it all), invokes thought, is it defined by being likable, or achieving the authors goal, is it marked by the span of time and influence that the story has, or is a broad equation encompassing any or all, perhaps even none, of those characteristics?
While this essay can in no way claim to contain a fully representative sampling of what various scholars have contributed relative to the ongoing debate over the literary canon, I will attempt to highlight three distinct positions which are all informed by John Guillory's critical contributions to the canonical debate. First, I will discuss the concept of ideology and canon formation as Guillory first articulated it in his 1983 essay, "The Ideology of Canon Formation: T. S. Eliot and Cleanth Brooks," and which he subsequently thoroughly revised and included in his 1993 book on canon formation, Cultural Capital: The Problem of literary Canon Formation This essay on the ways ideology and cultural politics complicates and informs canon formation, also discusses Guillory's theory concerning the death Joe Weixlmann who offers his own commentary concerning how ideology and politics of literary orthodoxy in favor of a more democratically situated heterodoxy, and how this concept of a heterodoxy might inform the university's literary curriculum. Next, Christopher Ricks' essay, 'What is at stake in the "battle of the books"?" will be analyzed to determine if his attack on Guillory's assertions relative to his critique of the current status of the canonical debate contributes in any meaningful way to opinions about whether or not the literary canon should be revised. Finally, the several critics who have now offered commentary on Guillory's latest theories on canon formation as articulated in Cultural Capital will be discussed relative to how influential they perceive Guillory's latest work to be as it pertains to the ongoing debate over the nature of the extant literary canon.
Eastern and Western literature dates far back in time. Many of the key characteristics of both styles of writing are what make them what they are today.