Literature or Not Literature

Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography grade: A- San Francisco State University (Ethnic Studies) course: Asian American Literature and the Arts language: English abstract: What is Literature ? According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Languagethe term Literature is defined asImaginative or creative writing especially of recognized artistic value: Literature must bean analysis of experience and a synthesis of the findings into a unity (Rebecca West).The Collins English Dictionary describes it aswritten material such as poetry novels essays etc. esp. works of imaginationcharacterized by excellence of style and expression and by themes of general orenduring interest.The emphasis in the first definition lies in the words of recognized artistic value. Howeverin my opinion what makes literature in the sense of printed material Literature is notnecessarily the recognition of its artistic value. As far as the second definition is concernedby excellence of style and expression and by themes of general or enduring interest seemsof primary importance. In opposition to this view I believe that neither excellence of styleand expression nor themes of general interest are necessarily characteristic for what shouldbe considered Literature. In my understanding everything that addresses our emotions thatmakes us feel for one moment with a situation described is of artistic value and that thingsthat are not of general interest and may not excel in style and expression can still be equalto the Great Literature recognized by the academic and literary world.Critics have long considered Toshio Mori's workoverly sentimental and poorly plotted [... and] full of grammatical errors. [...]