Unraveling the Boundless Realm of Literature

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How do we begin to define an immense subject such as literature? We may refer to dictionaries and find scholars explaining literature simply as any written piece of work, but those definitions do not even begin to scratch the surface of what this entity we call literature truly is. In order to understand the true concept of it you must delve into it yourself. Personally, after reading many novels, stories, and poems, I have come to the realization that literature is not just a boring subject we study in school. Through many stories and the work of Northrop Frye, I have realized how literature has no boundaries because it is built by human imagination and anything can be broken down, even time, by imagination (Frye 80). Literature has allowed me to travel countless miles, experience catastrophic events, and feel a …show more content…

We long to know how it feels to be adventurous, accepted, or cheerful. Not only do we yearn for good sensations, but we desire to know what it is like to be confused, brokenhearted, or enraged in problematic situations we might not encounter within our own lives. Through literature, we are capable of experiencing such emotions wherever we may stand in our physical condition. When reading “The Parable of the Prodigal Son”, we feel what it is like to be rebellious and run off on our own even if we would never dare to do so personally (Luke 224). When circumstances became difficult for the youngest son, he returned home. “But when he was a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion on him, and ran, and felon his neck, and kissed him” (Luke 225). Although the son had rejected him, the father still showed him compassion and adoration when he returned. I have read this parable many times and each time I still have the feeling that I am accepted, forgiven, and loved just like the Prodigal Son. Although literature pleases us, it also educates us in preparation of real life

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