What is Lit Essay
Ben Berry
What literature is is a very nebulous term. Some people will class it as anything old, such as the ancient Greek classics, or the old Victorian novels. Others class it as anything that happens in the real world, with very few, if any magical or otherworldly aspects. However, the best example of literature is one that is character driven. Rather then the story being driven forward by the plot, with our characters just kind of following it along, it is the characters themselves doing stuff to drive the story forward. A good example of this is in the Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.
These books are classic fantasy books, with magic, fantastical races, and supernatural evil. However, it is our main characters that drive the story forward. Rather then a storm, a sudden attack by the enemy, or anything else forcing Frodo to go it alone, he decides himself that he needs to leave. He realizes that the One Ring will corrupt his friends, and so decides to leave. In the same scene, Samwise decides that he needs to follow Frodo in order to keep the promise he made to Gandalf. There are many more moments like this in the books when the characters drive the story froward with their actions.
Another important part of a character driven, and thus literary story, is character development. When things happen to people, they change and adapt. By the end of the story, the main characters should be noticeably different. The Lord of the Rings gives us another example of this. At the start of the books, the hobbits range from timid to mischievous. At the end of the books, when Saruman takes over the Shire with the help of some bandits and the hobbits come back home, they refuse to bow before the men. Pretty much by themselves they are able to start a revolt and keep it from getting bloody, something the characters at the start of the books could never had done.
Analyzing literature requires careful focus. While many people might say that the point of analyzing literature is to figure out the meaning, what a text 'means' changes from person to person. For example, when I read Lord of the Rings, I see a fantastic adventure that needs no context other then what it provides. Others however, may see a book that was influenced by the times it was written in, and a reflection on J. R. R. Tolkien's views. The best way to analyze is simply to read, and use your own experiences show the connections between the lines.
What literature is is a very nebulous term. Some people will class it as anything old, such as the ancient Greek classics, or the old Victorian novels. Others class it as anything that happens in the real world, with very few, if any magical or otherworldly aspects. However, the best example of literature is one that is character driven. Rather then the story being driven forward by the plot, with our characters just kind of following it along, it is the characters themselves doing stuff to drive the story forward. A good example of this is in the Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.
These books are classic fantasy books, with magic, fantastical races, and supernatural evil. However, it is our main characters that drive the story forward. Rather then a storm, a sudden attack by the enemy, or anything else forcing Frodo to go it alone, he decides himself that he needs to leave. He realizes that the One Ring will corrupt his friends, and so decides to leave. In the same scene, Samwise decides that he needs to follow Frodo in order to keep the promise he made to Gandalf. There are many more moments like this in the books when the characters drive the story froward with their actions.
Another important part of a character driven, and thus literary story, is character development. When things happen to people, they change and adapt. By the end of the story, the main characters should be noticeably different. The Lord of the Rings gives us another example of this. At the start of the books, the hobbits range from timid to mischievous. At the end of the books, when Saruman takes over the Shire with the help of some bandits and the hobbits come back home, they refuse to bow before the men. Pretty much by themselves they are able to start a revolt and keep it from getting bloody, something the characters at the start of the books could never had done.
Analyzing literature requires careful focus. While many people might say that the point of analyzing literature is to figure out the meaning, what a text 'means' changes from person to person. For example, when I read Lord of the Rings, I see a fantastic adventure that needs no context other then what it provides. Others however, may see a book that was influenced by the times it was written in, and a reflection on J. R. R. Tolkien's views. The best way to analyze is simply to read, and use your own experiences show the connections between the lines.
Great blog post! Not only did you use on of my favorite books as an example, but you managed to think in some depth about one possible focus of literary analysis, character analysis.
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