1. Culler explores the relationship between language and meaning, as well as how language develops meaning, in “Literature, Meaning, and Interpretation.” The link between language and meaning is one topic from this chapter that I find intriguing. The message the speaker is attempting to convey and the reader’s interpretation of the text. When the speaker goes into great depth and describes even the tiniest elements. This permits the reader to mentally see and imagine the scene. This particular choice of language engages the reader while also conveying the message in a non-monotonous manner. The use of language and its meaning are intimately connected. The speaker chooses carefully which words to use in order to deliver his message with the fewest number of words possible in a text.
2. Jonathan Culler addresses some of the ways poetry pushes us to think about how language works in Chapter 5 of Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction. The use of metaphors is one method that interests me. The speaker utilizes two ideas that are unrelated, yet when combined, they produce a meaning and image in the reader’s mind. Emily Dickinson’s poem The Brain is Wider Than the Sky is an example of this. Emily compares the brain to the vast sky, which does not seem to fit together, but when viewed from the reader’s perspective, it becomes clear that she is comparing the brain to the sky, which is limitless. This helps shape the meaning of the poem by, helping us understand the message the speaker is trying to get across using the use of metaphors.

In this part of the chapter, Culler defines literature from several angles. The angle that I am most drawn to is  “literature as fiction”. The literary work is a linguistic event that projects a fictional world that includes a speaker, actors, and an implied audience. Literary works that refer to imaginary rather than historical and factual ideas. It is how the reader interprets and understands the writer’s message. I find it interesting how it can lead to multiple meanings for the audience, depending on the views and mindset of the reader. A sentence can be put out with a lucrative purpose, for the readers to interpret and make it their own. Fictional literature is not bound to factual ideology, rather it is more imaginative and thought-driven. This draws the attention of readers like me, pushing us to imagine the unimaginable. It allows us to gain meaningful insights without the fear of being wrong. Since it is interpreted in numerous ways there is not definite answer. This  leads to interesting discussions paving ways to topics that are not usually talked about in our daily life. This is why fictional literature is the most appealing and relatable angle to me.