Timons Esaias's Blog - Posts Tagged "literature"
The Purpose of Literature, defined
In Richard Russo's "Introduction" to the 2010 edition of The Best American Short Stories, he tells the story of Isaac Bashevis Singer visiting his downstate Illinois campus, and answering a student question. Extracting from that...
..."Mr. Singer? ... Mr. Singer? Could you tell us, please, What is the purpose of literature?"
Mr. Singer smiled broadly at the question, as if this were the first time he had ever heard it and was delighted to know the answer. "The purpose of literature," he said clearly, meeting the student's eye, "is to entertain and to instruct."
He let his voice fall. Next question.
The undergraduate students looked at the graduate students, who looked at the outer ring of faculty. Clearly, everyone expected more. The question, after all, was the sort likely to generate whole classes of heated, unresolved debate, but here was a Nobel Prize winner who seemed to think that ten words sufficed to put the matter at rest.
"But Mr. Singer," the student persisted. "Shouldn't literature also--"
Singer held up his hand. "To entertain...," he repeated, pausing to allow his wisdom on the subject to sink in, "...and to instruct."
[they keep badgering him on this, he demurs from expansion]
...To entertain and to instruct. Interestingly, he never reversed the order. Literature, he seemed to suggest, couldn't possibly instruct without first entertaining; nor did he fail to pause dramatically between "entertain" and "instruct," as if he feared his listeners were more likely to forget the first purpose than the second....
..."Mr. Singer? ... Mr. Singer? Could you tell us, please, What is the purpose of literature?"
Mr. Singer smiled broadly at the question, as if this were the first time he had ever heard it and was delighted to know the answer. "The purpose of literature," he said clearly, meeting the student's eye, "is to entertain and to instruct."
He let his voice fall. Next question.
The undergraduate students looked at the graduate students, who looked at the outer ring of faculty. Clearly, everyone expected more. The question, after all, was the sort likely to generate whole classes of heated, unresolved debate, but here was a Nobel Prize winner who seemed to think that ten words sufficed to put the matter at rest.
"But Mr. Singer," the student persisted. "Shouldn't literature also--"
Singer held up his hand. "To entertain...," he repeated, pausing to allow his wisdom on the subject to sink in, "...and to instruct."
[they keep badgering him on this, he demurs from expansion]
...To entertain and to instruct. Interestingly, he never reversed the order. Literature, he seemed to suggest, couldn't possibly instruct without first entertaining; nor did he fail to pause dramatically between "entertain" and "instruct," as if he feared his listeners were more likely to forget the first purpose than the second....
