What is Literature ?
What is Literature ?
This blog is part of a thinking activity given by Prof. Dilip Barad from the Department of English at MKBU. It talks about how literature has helped me understand the world and myself better. As I’ve read and learned from different books, I’ve grown and changed in many ways. Literature has not only taught me new ideas but also helped me reflect on my own experiences. This blog shares how literature has been an important part of my personal growth and how it continues to shape my thoughts and perspectives.
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What is Literature?
Literature: A Transformative Journey
Literature, for me, is more than just words on a page—it is an evolving journey, a mirror reflecting both the world and the self. If I were to speak my truth, the person I was before studying literature and the person I am now are vastly different. There is a profound difference between merely studying literature and truly immersing oneself in it.
Since childhood, I have loved literature, yet I never imagined I would one day study English literature in depth. From the wisdom of ancient texts to the dynamic pulse of contemporary language, literature has always intrigued me. It shapes perspectives, challenges ideas, and unveils emotions in ways nothing else can. Studying literature is not just about analyzing texts—it is about experiencing them, allowing them to transform the way we see the world and ourselves.
Especially after my master’s degree, I believe literature has profoundly changed my perspective on the world. The way I viewed life before and how I see it now are completely different. Literature has opened my mind, allowing me to see beyond the surface of things, question assumptions, and understand diverse perspectives.
More than anything, studying literature has made me question—everything. It has led me to rethink history, power structures, politics, and societal norms. I have come to see how narratives are shaped, how stories are told and retold to serve different purposes, and how literature itself can be both a tool of resistance and a means of enforcing dominant ideologies. Through literature, I have learned to engage critically with the world, to recognize biases, and to understand the complexities of human existence.
This journey has been deeply personal as well. Literature has not only broadened my intellectual horizons but has also allowed me to explore my own emotions and identity. It has helped me articulate thoughts I didn’t know I had, find comfort in words I didn’t know I needed, and see reflections of myself in characters and stories across time and space.
It has also given me a greater sense of empathy. By stepping into different worlds—whether historical, fantastical, or deeply personal—I have learned to appreciate the nuances of human experience. It has taught me to listen, to reflect, and to understand the perspectives of others, even when they differ from my own.
More than an academic pursuit, literature has been a transformative experience. It has shaped the way I think, feel, and engage with the world around me. It has shown me that questioning is essential, that meaning is never fixed, and that stories—both the ones we read and the ones we live—are endlessly complex, layered, and beautiful.itical thinking, and emotional depth. Let me know if you’d like any refinements!
The Influence of Literature on My Life
Literature, for me, is more than just a field of study—it is a lens through which I perceive and engage with the world. If I reflect on the person I was before immersing myself in literature and the person I am now, the transformation is undeniable. Studying literature has not only deepened my understanding of texts but has fundamentally reshaped the way I think, feel, and question everything around me.
Since childhood, I have been drawn to literature, but I never imagined the extent to which it would shape my worldview. The journey of studying literature—particularly during my master’s degree—has changed me in ways I never expected. Literature has challenged my preconceived notions, forced me to question societal structures, and encouraged me to engage critically with politics, history, and identity. It has given me the tools to see beyond surface-level narratives and recognize the complexities hidden within words, cultures, and ideologies.
One of the most profound influences literature has had on me is the ability to question. It has pushed me to scrutinize power structures, understand the role of language in shaping history, and recognize the narratives that have been silenced or rewritten. It has made me more aware of the politics embedded in literature—how stories are constructed, whose voices are heard, and whose are marginalized. Through this, I have come to appreciate literature not just as an art form but as a powerful tool that reflects, critiques, and sometimes resists the dominant discourse.
Beyond the political and intellectual impact, literature has also been deeply personal. It has provided me with a sense of connection—whether to characters, authors, or the vast human experiences contained within stories. It has helped me articulate emotions I struggled to express, find solace in words that resonated with my thoughts, and see fragments of myself in narratives spanning centuries and cultures.
Moreover, literature has cultivated empathy within me. By stepping into different perspectives—whether through the voice of a postcolonial writer, the introspective monologue of a tragic hero, or the raw emotions of poetry—I have learned to see the world through multiple lenses. It has taught me the importance of understanding and listening to experiences that differ from my own, making me more open-minded and reflective.
In essence, literature has shaped not just my academic pursuits but my entire way of engaging with the world. It has instilled in me a relentless curiosity, an appreciation for complexity, and a commitment to critical thinking. It has made me realize that stories are not just narratives on a page; they are windows into history, mirrors of society, and catalysts for change. More than anything, literature has given me a lifelong passion—a desire to keep reading, questioning, and discovering the limitless depths of human expression.
My Metaphor for Literature
I see literature as a force that shakes my foundation, forces me to confront the unknown, and makes me question everything I thought I understood, then vertigo feels like the perfect metaphor. Just like vertigo itself—an unsettling dizziness that takes hold when my mind struggles to find stable ground—literature disorients me, pushing my thoughts and perceptions into unfamiliar and uncomfortable places. In this disorientation, I feel a deep, almost physical shift in perspective, where the familiar becomes strange, and the strange feels oddly familiar.
At first, when I dive into a new book, it can feel like stepping into a void, where the ground beneath me seems to dissolve. The narrative might pull me in different directions, or the characters might present contradictions that make me question their motives. I feel this mix of exhilaration and uncertainty, almost like a free fall. The world I thought I knew—my comfort zone—suddenly feels unstable, and it forces me to reassess everything.
But here’s the thing: just like vertigo, literature is not always a negative experience. It doesn’t disturb me for the sake of it; it reframes my understanding, makes me see the world in ways I couldn’t before. That uncomfortable sense of losing myself within a text is ultimately what leads to revelation. I may feel momentarily lost in the words, but as I move through the narrative, I start to find new ways of seeing, new ways of thinking. It’s this mental shift that stays with me, even long after the book is closed.
In this sense, literature, like vertigo, leads to personal growth. I might emerge from it with a deeper understanding of myself or the world. But the feeling isn’t just one of clarity—it’s often accompanied by a lingering, awe-struck sense of change. Literature forces me to confront new ideas, beliefs, and perspectives, and in doing so, it often makes me question my prior assumptions, leading to moments of profound transformation.
Take Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" for example. At first glance, the story of Gregor Samsa waking up as a giant insect feels surreal, perhaps even absurd. But as I dive deeper, the narrative becomes a reflection on isolation, family dynamics, and the alienation that can come with modern life. It’s a disorienting experience, but by the end, the shift in perspective makes me reconsider what it means to truly be human.
Similarly, Virginia Woolf’s "Mrs. Dalloway" takes me into the minds of its characters, shifting between past and present, memory and reality. As Woolf moves between perspectives, the experience of vertigo intensifies—I'm constantly navigating through disjointed thoughts and emotional turbulence. But, like vertigo, this constant shifting of viewpoints ultimately leads to new insights about the fragility of human experience, time, and connection.
Even Haruki Murakami's "Kafka on the Shore" offers a disorienting, dream-like narrative that plays with time, identity, and fate. The surrealism in the novel creates a sense of vertigo, as the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur. Yet, by the end, there’s this strange kind of understanding—a kind of resolution where I realize that the journey through the unknown, the confusion, and the discomfort, is what makes the story so profound.
These moments where I lose myself in a book mirror the experience of vertigo: I feel unmoored and disoriented. But in the process of finding my way again, my view of the world is forever changed. Literature opens doors to new ways of thinking, new ways of experiencing life, and that exhilaration—the mixture of uncertainty and epiphany—is what makes it so transformative.
Ultimately, literature, like vertigo, challenges the way I view the world. It disorients and unsettles me, but it’s through that disorientation that I discover new horizons. By the time I regain my footing, my perspective has shifted irrevocably, and I emerge with a richer, more nuanced understanding of myself and the world around me.
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