What is literature? Can it even be defined? To reflect on these questions is an important task for literary scholars.
In this video I talk about three different accounts: Terry Eagleton criticises different approaches and draws his own conclusion of what literature could be, Peter Lamarque and Stein Haugom Olsen present their own concept of literature as a social practice which aims at appreciating works for their aesthetic value, and Robert Stecker tries to take a broader approach that aims at a classification.
Texts I've talked about:
Terry Eagleton, Literary Theory: An Introduction (Chapter 1)
Peter Lamarque & Stein Haugom Olsen: Truth, Fiction and Literature. A Philosophical Perspective (Chapter 10)
Robert Stecker, What is literature?
Thanks for watching!
Check out my other videos through my playlists:
Literary Theory: • Literary Theory
Fantasy & Science Fiction: • Fantasy & Science Fict...
Gothic & Romantic Literature: • Gothic & Romantic Lite...
Japanese Literature: • Japanese Literature
About this channel
I am Laura, a PhD student of Comparative Literature in Germany researching hermeneutics and aesthetics. I love reading classics from ancient to modern times. At the moment, I am making my way through ancient stories that have a huge influence on modern-day fantasy and science fiction literature. Besides that I also make videos in which I introduce aspects of my field of research in literary theory and also cover contemporary books every now and then.
Video chapters
0:00 Introduction
2:40 Different approaches to define "literature2
12:40 Terry Eagleton's Definition
14:00 Peter Lamarque & Stein Haugom Olsen's Definition
18:38 Robert Stecker's Definition
23:01 Conclusion
#literarytheory #definition #literature #booktube