Sometimes it is difficult to control the strong disinterest in literature and its devices, which arises after contact with the extraordinary in a real story. Come to mind all the criticism of Northrop Frye, systematizer of a wide variety of creative possibilities, divisions into genres, modes, particular uses of symbols, myths, etc., etc. All of this, in short, is quite interesting, but seems insignificant in the face of a simple real experience. The question arises: for what purpose do we read and study? And then we realize that literature, like any science, the more we study it from a strictly technical perspective, the more we leave aside what truly justifies a creation. It is very, very difficult not to want to send all these expedients to hell and retreat forever into silence and meditation.
Tag: literature
As Can Be Seen in Individual Personalities…
As can be seen in individual personalities, it seems very appropriate to make a distinction in literature between authors whose spirit is inclined toward knowledge and authors whose spirit is inclined toward pleasure. Poetry, more than other genres, shows that these are very different types, in which the years bring about different transformations, so that, for the former, the work seems to be much more dependent on this evolution. Thus, the tendency is for the former to produce their best work at the end, with their early books taking on a somewhat preparatory character, of greater interest to the biographer than to the ordinary reader. For the latter, it is not uncommon for maturity to spoil that youthful verve on which their best compositions depend.
Linguistic Decorum and Literary Decorum
Linguistic decorum and literary decorum are different things, although superficially they can be confused. But when analyzed closely, it becomes clear that some authors display a strong manifestation of the former, the latter, both, or neither. And in each specific case, much about the author is revealed by whether or not he possesses them. Taking literature as a whole, which encompasses both good and terrible authors, the most common thing is that a lack of literary decorum is evidence of a lack of culture; however, the same cannot be said for linguistic decorum. What is said and what is represented are two different things, with language being merely an instrument of the latter, which can be employed with greater or lesser intensity, depending on the need and intention. Linguistically, there are impulses that call for extreme expressions; otherwise, a fair representation will not be achieved. But the essence of every work precedes language, and it is only in this essence that the degree of refinement of an author can be measured.
Hermann Hesse Is a Model Writer
Hermann Hesse is a model writer. It is a pity that he is such a rare example, whose pages never waste the reader’s time. When reading him, one gets the feeling that the subject matter is always important, the artistic motivation always genuine; and even in those moments when the author allows himself to fly into more nebulous and uncertain areas, as he does in Demian, one realizes that the intention is none other than to artistically express real experiences. Sometimes, he also tackles themes that are not his favorites, but are necessary themes, and which give his work that important breadth that shows that the author was not blind to the bigger picture of life. Reading him is always a great pleasure!