Blog post #1

In my opinion, the most important aspect of Chapter 2 and its first ten pages is that there is no simple definition of what literature is and what is not. Jonathan Culler describes many features of what could define literature, but all of them insist on more complex consideration. It is crucial to think about definitions of the literature because literature can enrich us in the sense of the knowledge of the language, and also provide informative value or emotional sensation. Literature also evokes in us thinking or asking questions, which is essential for critical thinking, for instance. Culler explains that sometimes it is complicated to determine if the text is literature or not because even fundamental aspects determining some of the texts are changing over time. Some of the old famous literature pieces could have been hundreds of years ago considered just an example of the rhetoric or use of language. Culler described as a suitable example of ads that are written in a certain way, and thanks to playing with the words and its order could remind a poem. In the meantime, some poems nowadays that are qualified as literature could sound as a part of the ordinary conversation. That is why Jonathan Culler, at the beginning of the chapter, suggests asking queries about the particular text. We should try to analyze it, and that can help to detect whether it is the writing literature or not. For instance, what is the relation between the words used? Could the specific terms attract the interest of the reader or what the author meant by that statement?
I think Culler wanted to say that literature is closely connected with the readers and what evokes in us reading of specific texts.

The question that stayed with me the most is: “What is involved in treating things as literature in our culture?” (page 23). I think that is very similar to art. Variations of modern, abstract paintings or conceptual art pieces could be considered by many as nonsense, but to many others, could have significant value, for instance, in associations that are appearing on their mind when looking at the specific art piece. It is a very complex and complicated question that is worthy of deeper thinking.