What are the concerns of literature, as we understand those concerns today?

The concerns of literature can vary greatly depending on genre, personal opinions of the authors, and other such variables. Good literature may be concerned with entertainment, in the case of fictional or nonfictional works, learning purposes, such as text books and research materials, or simply to know and understand current events.

For the purposes of an author, the concerns of literature could be many things. A fictional writer may be interested in entertaining others, making money, or simply find writing to be a good way to spend their free time and de-stress. A non-fiction writer could be concerned with educating others, informing people of current events, and also convincing others of their own viewpoint. Journalists, who are in a category of their own, are obviously focused on letting others know what is happening around them. They work hard to get the story before their peers do.

Overall, I believe that literature’s purpose is to teach. Even the worst written fiction books have a story, a lesson that can be applied to the reader’s life. It’s been proven that books have an effect on the people reading it. Perhaps this is because the reader cannot depend on outside visuals. He is contained to words on a page; his imagination must fill in the blanks.  It’s been my experience in the past that when most people think of the word “literature,” what comes to mind is something along the lines of a novel. Most wouldn't consider a foreign textbook to be literature, but by its very definition, literature is all written work. Literature, from the latin, litterae, is the art of written work. Literature literally means “made from letters.” In fact, based on the fact that I believe literature’s purpose is teaching, textbooks (and other books used for learning purposes) could theoretically be argued to be the highest form of literature. Granted, they may be boring sometimes, but information is taken from them and learning is accomplished.

When I personally think about literature, I remember the entertainment I found growing up, lost in a novel. My first passion for literature arose when I discovered the Redwall books when I was young. Soon after finishing the last Redwall book that my library carried, I moved on to Harry Potter, and then Eragon. And this is the genre of literature I currently concern myself with, fictional fantasy books.

Second to fictional entertainment, the majority of my reading has been spent in educating myself in many different fields, whether that be through high school, college, work, or even random interests I find. During the school year, this is the type of literature I find myself in most often. With 18 hours a week in school, 30 at work, and the rest spent doing homework, sleeping, and eating, I don’t have much time left for leisure reading other than personal devotionals. However, I do hope that once I graduate from college that I will once again be able to return to my habit of reading for entertainment purposes rather than out of necessity. Until then, I will content myself with the Bible, which, as said in II Timothy 3:16 is used for “teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” If Paul defines here that the most common piece of literature, the Bible, is for these purposes, I believe it then confirms my definition of the purpose of literature.