A. What is good literature? Why is literature important?
Without looking up any definition, I define good literature as literature that can withstand time, has an underlying meaning(s), has an impression on the reader, and entertains or benefits the reader. I think literature is important because it helps people to express themselves, and it is a record of culture and history that can be passed down to future generations.
On Yahoo.com answers page the best answer chosen for the question "What is good literature" is the following Good literature is when it makes you think, and feel. It opens your eyes to something new, or brings vivid images of another time and place to mind. Mostly, however, I'd say good literature is something that endures through time, which is why it is so difficult to classify modern novels as good literature. When something was written a hundred years ago, and is still read and enjoyed, that is good literature. The book of the moment at the top of the charts that everyone raves about may not. Entertaining does not necessarily mean good literature. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060913184009AAoqSb7
Yahoo's best answer for "Why is literature important" is Literature helps us understand and make sense of the world around us. Through literature, we explore the human condition and analyze how and why people think the way they think and feel the way they feel. Literature enables us to develop our minds analytically and promotes open minds. We see the world through the eyes of different writers from different cultures and in turn learn the ways to deal with things happening around us. Without literature, we lack insight and understanding of human nature. Everyone should, therefore, study literature. WWW.Classiclit.com believe literature is important to us because "it speaks to us, it is universal, and it affects us. Even when it is ugly, literature is beautiful." http://classiclit.about.com/od/literaryterms/g/aa_whatisliter.htm
B. Genres of literature include: Drama, Fable, Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Fiction in Verse, Folklore, Historical Fiction, Horror, Humor, Legend, Mystery, Mythology, Poetry, Realistic Fiction, Science Fiction, Short Story, Tall Tale, Autobiography, Biography, Essay, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Speech. http://www2.bsfcs.org/forums/green/Literature/Genres.htm
C. These are a few of the pieces I have read that have stood out to me.
1. It, Stephen King, 1980, horror. It is about a group of kids who decide to kill a monster that preys on the town's children every twenty seven years after the ringleader of the group's brother is eaten by it. They believe they successfully kill the monster but still promise to come back and finish the job if it ever starts killing again. After twenty seven years the disappearance of children in
2. "The Raven" 1844, "Annabel Lee" 1845, Edgar Allen Poe. In both poems Poe is talking about past loves that have died. In "The Raven" Poe has a conversation with a raven questioning if it is possible he well see his love, Lenore, once again. In "Annabel Lee" Poe says that even though Annabel Lee was taken from him, he will never forget her or stop loving her. These poems impress me because of their emotion and beauty; I can feel the suffering of the speakers.
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was written by J.K Rowling in 2007. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series. Harry must face his destiny and either kill or be killed by Voldermort with the help of his two best friends, but first they have to figure out why their late headmaster left them peculiar gifts and what to do with them. This book stood out to me because it shows the struggles of growing up and the importance of friendship; the book took me to another world with its detailed imagery.
4. The Fall of the House of Usher was written by Edgar Allen Poe and was published 1839. The story is about a man who goes to help his depressed friend after receiving a letter from him. The friend either has a split personality or a sick sister causing the narrator to question his own sanity. At the end of the story the House falls apart symbolizing the destruction of the mind. I like this story because it talks about the psychological state of people.
D.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cujo
Cujo is about unfaithful Donna Trenton, her husband Vic, and her four year old son Tad as well as a mechanic, Joe Camber and his dog, Cujo. After Vic founds out his wife has been cheating on him, he goes on a business trip. While Vic is away, Donna's car breaks down, so she takes the car to their mechanic; the family's mechanic, Joe Chamber, lives in a secluded part of town, but they continue going to him because he is closer and cheaper. The same day Donna takes her car to Joe's, he plans a fishing trip with his friend, but Cujo his dog kills both him and his friend after he is infected with rabies. From the Cujo's point of view we understand the immense pain he feels while he loses his mind. The dog goes back to his owner's home to wait for death, where he finds Donna and Tad stuck in the driveway waiting for the mechanic. Donna continues waiting for Joe because her car won't start, she has no cell phone, and Joe's is too far from anything else to walk. She decides to try knocking on the door again, but when she opens the door Cujo attack her. Donna and Tad are trapped in the car with little food and water not knowing that Joe is dead. Vic is mad about his wife's affair; thus, he hasn't tried calling to check on her. As the two become dehydrated, Donna realizes that if she doesn't call for help soon Tad will die of dehydration. She spots a baseball bat in the yard and makes a plan to kill Cujo, who has already attacked her once mangling her leg. Hysterical with fear, Donna dashes for the bat beating Cujo to death. Even after he dies, she hysterically continues beating his bloody body until the police come having been called by her husband. Sadly she risked her life by facing Cujo to save her son only for him to die of dehydration. The death of their son allows the couple to reconcile differences.
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