Booking through Thursday
When somebody mentions “literature,” what’s the first thing you think of? (Dickens? Tolstoy? Shakespeare?)
Do you read “literature” (however you define it) for pleasure? Or is it something that you read only when you must?
This is a good question. Personally, “literature” for me means reading material. This is probably in good part because as a writer, I tend to think of books in genres, sci-fi, literary, romance, classics, fantasy, etc. When I am researching markets for my work I have to pay attention to what kind of fiction each market publishes, and “literature” is way to broad of a term, and therefore I think in genres. So, for example, when someone mentions Dickens or Tolstoy I think classic literature. Shakespeare, plays. Ray Bradbury, science fiction. Yakio Mishima, world fiction.
I will pretty much read all genres, although of course I do have preferred genres. Classic literature I don’t read often, but I enjoy it when I do. Literary fiction I tend not to enjoy as much, so I don’t seek it out, but I do like a lot of it so I don’t avoid it either if I find something that interests me. Westerns, romance and mystery not so much, but I have found books in each that I enjoy. I love to read so there is very little that I go out of my way to avoid. If what I want at the time isn’t available, anything else is fair game 
Excellent answer.. much more well thought out than mine
Comment by Lisamm — April 3, 2008 @ 10:25 am
I really like you answer: it does mean reading material…but would you include those of oral tradition as well…are their tales literature or something else?
I appreciate that you did not just say that classic lit is the only true lit, i think we get confused in school when we take engligsh lit, and then start calling it lit…as if that were the only language literature is written in!!
hhaha…I usually don’t get this worked up about BBT…but this was a good one for me. Check out my answer and let me know what you think.
Comment by bethany — April 3, 2008 @ 10:46 am
I like your answer that the term “literature” can encompass pretty much everything you can read. Unfortunately, in everyday conversation, most people only are talking about a subset–so naturally that’s where my mind first goes.
Comment by sya — April 3, 2008 @ 11:02 am
One of the things that is becoming apparent as more and more people post is that there is no quick and easy definition of literature; it means something different to each one of us. My pot-boiler is someone else’s literature. In the end I suppose we will each classify according to our own perspective and as long as e take something away from the reading act it perhaps doesn’t matter.
Comment by Ann Darnton — April 3, 2008 @ 2:27 pm