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The Meaning and Value of Literature
The Meaning and Value of
Literature
Ideals and aspirations of a nation are expressed in its literature. They are enriched in the immortal works of its great writers and poets for the future generation to read and admire. A nation that has no literature of its own that it can be proud of, has nothing to offer to the world. The glorious past of the country, its present hopes, fears and struggles, and its aspirations for the future will all be found reflected in its literature. The writers and poets who produce this literature are the ambassadors of that nation ---ambassadors for the whole world. This is the place of pride that the literature of the country holds for it. The poorest country is the one which has a poor literature. One test of good literature is that it must have universal interest and a lasting value. A few songs written to be sung at a party or for a film will not form part of the country’s literature. They have only a temporary interest and not much intrinsic worth. On the other hand, folk songs of a country would make good literature if they were collected and printed in a book form. These songs reflect the mind of the people, tell us about the tradition, customs and beliefs of the nation and so they are a good literature. Works of poets like Shakespeare or Firdousi are the great examples of literary works which can stand side by side with great literary products of the World. Works of Keats, Shelley, Coleridge, Yeats and other poets; or works of Dickens, Wilde, Stevenson and others have enriched English literature so that English literature has become one of the biggest literatures of the World. Without the work of these literary figures, the history of the British people will lose much of its interest. Without literary figures the history of a nation is no more than a more record of wars, victories and defeats ---bloodshed and massacres, In fact, the very names of the great conquerors and kings of the World would be forgotten but for the literature of the country. It is the poet or writer who makes the name of the King or the Conqueror immortal. Who would remember the exploits of a hero if some poet had not sung of it? Rustam has become a World famous hero because the great Persian poet Firdousi sand about him. We would know little about great battles of history if they were not graphically described in the literary works of writers of the time. “Pen, indeed, is mightier than the sword” Literature of a country is also the most easily available and most suitable material for educating the young generation of the country. Works of the poets and writers of the country are prescribed for the students at schools and colleges. Good literature will help the small children to acquire education. The young will learn how to read and grown-ups will read the literature to learn something from it. One learns to read, the others read to learn. Thus, the literature of a country helps the cause of education in that country. If we want to learn about the history of a people we must be acquainted with their literature. Without a study of their literature whatever ideas we form about them would be incomplete. The civilization of Greece and Rome are gone from the surface of the World but the contributions of Greeks made to the world literature remain and we read about their civilization only from their literature. If Aristotle, Plato, Socrates had not written anything, the world would know little about Greek culture and Greek thought. All the great civilizations of the World which have disappeared from the surface of the world live still in the World’s literature and we continue to draw inspirations from them and learn to direct our lives from their example. Had it not been for the literature of the World the entire history of the World’s civilization would be lost. Similarly our civilization and culture will live in the literature that we produce. Countries and civilizations rise and fall but the literature of the country live forever.
Published: October 31, 2007
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