The Purpose of Literature

[E. M. Trepke]

Hello, there.

I am busy writing my Senior Thesis (hence why I have not been very active on KP recently), and since it centres around writing and calling, I thought “What better place to garner ideas than KP?”

My thesis has had… uh… a lot of changes since its original form. For reference, its original form was (basically) “Literature is declining” (but with the why, of course).

Now my thesis is more about the purpose of literature. Literature nowadays seems to be focused on entertainment, but I am arguing that it is truly inspiration that is the purpose of the written word.

So I ask thee, what is inspiration? I am finding many definitions, so I would love your input. What is it that makes stories truly resonate with readers?

Some tags: @freedomwriter76 @godlyfantasy12 @artsydragon @mineralizedwritings @lightoverdarkness6 @keilah-h @ava-blue @thearcaneaxiom @loopylin @theloonyone @whalekeeper @whoeverelseisinterested

We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good on, eh?
-The Doctor

[TheArcaneAxiom]

@e-m-trepke

Good luck on your thesis! That’s a really good question. I think that it’s a lot of things. It can be escapism from the real world, it can be thoughtful discussion, it could be an expression of self, all of the above. I think that readers will resonate with different things, as based around their own personal experience. I also think this can be generalized to all medias however, so I’m not fully convinced yet that inspiration is really what sets the written word apart, but I’m not sure, and that may not be the point your getting at. I don’t know if that helps at all, but that’s my take at least.

He is perfect in Justice, yet He is perfect in Mercy, even when we fail Him. For this, He is good.

[soleilnaia]

Hi @e-m-trepke

Just off of the top of my head…difficult for me to define inspiration. The first thing I thought of was along the lines of what people might call their “muse.” The second was the inspiration of the Bible. The first is an abstract concept, and I’m pretty sure you’re not talking about divine inspiration. I suppose if you’re writing your thesis from a Christian standpoint/about Christian literature, you could talk about God’s hand in the creative process.

I don’t know—just thinking out loud here.

The question that I read as having a more tangible response was this one:

What is it that makes stories truly resonate with readers?

I can’t speak for ALL readers, but I can speak for myself. Stories resonate with me because they provide a specific type of connection that you don’t get with other art forms. It’s like getting to peel back the layers of someone else’s soul and find, like that lovely C.S. Lewis quote says, that we are not alone.

Sometimes, the connection is so strong that you experience the camaraderie of friendship or the authenticity of human connection when you experience stories.

I think stories offer us this connection without the messiness of human relationships. Of course, there’s a stark difference between stories and real life relationships. While stories can offer you a sense of “you’re not alone” and make you feel seen, a book cannot love you like a person can. You can’t have a relationship with a story. But it does provide insight into the human experience and might help a person navigate it better. And maybe be better at connection in the real world.

Anyways, my two cents. 🙂 Hope you have fun writing your thesis. Blessings!

[Light Warrior Pen]

@e-m-trepke

For me, inspiration is when something that makes me think or write or whatever. I believe the Holy Spirit has a lot to do with this. I guess you could almost call inspiration a spark that sets you into action.

I think literature resonates with us because we can identify with that situation or character. It makes us think, “Hey, I’m not the only one.” And because of that, we’re open to what the writer has to say about whatever’s going on. I would say literature also lets us know that a bad situation isn’t the end; there’s a chance that everything’s going to turn out in the end. They can provide hope.

P.S. I highly recommend Book Girl by Sarah Clarkson. While it’s technically full of book lists, she also talks about the reason for books and the written world in general. She studied this in college, I think. Another good read is Caught Up In A Story, which is also by her. I think those books would help answer some questions.

Sorry for my lengthy two cents.

This girl is armed with books, coffee, and writing accoutrements!

[E. M. Trepke]

@thearcaneaxiom @soleilnaia @light-warrior-pen

Thank you all for your thoughts! They were quite helpful!

We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good on, eh?
-The Doctor

[soleilnaia]

@e-m-trepke glad to hear our random rants were helpful XD

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