Literature as fiction

The section called “nature of literature” from chapter 2 of “what is Literature, and Does it matter?” by Jonathan Culler, In this part of the chapter, Culler presents us with five different angles from which to view literature: “literature as the integration of language,” “literature as fiction.” literature as an aesthetic object.” or “literature as an intertextual or self-reflexive construct.” and of all five angles, the one that most intrigues me is literature as fiction. I have always been drawn to reading fiction because I feel like it broadens my imagination and always gives me a new perspective. Also, literature presents its audience with a fictional world that employs a range of storytelling techniques making the fiction stand out more to the readers.

As literature constructs a fictional world filled with characters, actors, events, time, and audiences, what makes it even more interesting is the fact that when it comes to fiction, interpreting the characters’ words and the meaning of what the author’s intent is always a matter of interpretation. Fictional literature allows the reader to understand what the text is about, how it interacts with its context and setting, as opposed to non-fiction. For instance, according to Culler, a nonfiction discourse is usually framed within a context that indicates what it is about, such as a newspaper report, a nonfiction novel based on true events, or a charity letter which all are facts and reality and have specific goals.

Although, in literary fiction, it is possible for the author’s intent to differ substantially from what the reader or speaker takes away due to the way we think and how our imaginations work, and that is the reason I find literature as fiction most interesting. Therefore, I would say, that’s the appeal of fiction lies in how readers interpret it.

 

 

1 thought on “Literature as fiction

  1. Lahiva, your post does a thorough job of explaining your position. I’m wondering if you could say more about the relationship between literature and context you’re laying out here.

Comments are closed.