Danielle Kent
Professor Alisha Geary
English 4950
29 January 2013
Way Beyond Personal Enrichment: A Justification of English and Literary Studies
A
student or professional in the field of English would most likely not need to
justify their study to themselves. For them, the qualities and benefits are
self-evident and true. Of course, this is not enough in the real world.
Particularly in times of economic crisis, the importance and value of anything
that is allotted funds must be justified in its worth. It seems reasonable
then, to require a definite, clear justification of English and Literary
Studies that is agreed upon by the entire field, and accepted in the broader
realm of academia.
This
has proved rather difficult, however, and not just in recent years. Dr. Hugo
Meynell, author of the article, "The Justification of English",
posits that many English professors seem to lack a sense of conviction about
their field. He also points out that theorists, who publish material that might
be helpful in shedding light on the importance of the English field,
consistently disagree with each other (6). This is curious, as those in the
field of English are generally good at arguing and making persuasive
statements. Even though Dr. Meynell does not teach in an English department, he
nevertheless believes that "something of great importance to civilization
would be lost or at least would be in danger of being lost" if all
university departments of English were to close down (5). This is an appreciated
sentiment, but it doesn't bring us any closer to precisely defending the value
of our field.
It
would be helpful to discuss the general qualities of value and stigmas that
exist within the English field. A recent blog post by Patrick Carrothers,
posted in October of last year, sheds light on the repeated good qualities of
English majors as extends to the larger world of business and career searches,
which I will summarize: English students learn the art of communication and
persuasive writing; a fundamental marketing skill. This communication power
enables English students to speak effectively with all kinds of people, such as
customers, stakeholders, employees, etc. They are trained problem solvers. They
know how to study a problem, generate innovative solutions, and document
conclusions. They are not simply romantic dreamers who read the classics, and
even if they are, many businesses could use the creativity and fresh
perspectives of romantic dreaming. English students are comfortable with
ambiguity and see fifty shades of gray, as opposed to seeing things in black
and white. English students know audiences; they will quickly learn what
customers want and the manner by which they will most effectively attain it (Carrothers).
The
above qualities represent to potential business employers the effective and
malleable skills of English majors. It can easily be argued that the study of
the English language and communication provides a foundational skill for many
types of employment. I would argue that the study of English provides a disposition for critical and analytical
thinking that enables those in the field to approach new obligations and
opportunities in a generally more prepared manner than someone not effective in their communications
skills. If we separate the study of English from the study of Literature, it is
easier to justify the value of English and its more obvious connection to the
study of rhetoric and composition. The study of Literature is trickier to
defend, when faced with questions such as: How does analyzing the actions of a
fictional character provide an education that will lead to a well-paying job
that benefits society?
It
is true; the stigmas against the study of Literature seem more aggressive and
hurtful. The reason for this is due to the nature of Literary Studies, which I
would argue is more spiritual and philosophical in nature. In saying this, I
realize I may be setting myself up for ridicule. Any study of religion ought to
be an elective choice, and not imbedded within a major field. And yet, I would
argue that every area of study bears some element of spirituality. One of my
dear friends is a brilliant mathematician, and he used to tell me the reason he
loved math so much was because it was evident in every facet of reality. He
could see algorithms and mathematical systems in every element of life, and he
felt it a humbling and spiritual connection. And when we consider the Sciences,
so much has to do with discovering how we came to be, and the very nature of
life. The study of Literature also
has everything to do with the study of life, as well as the nature of humanity.
In
Literature courses, students are no longer (maybe they never were) passive
recipients of what an author writes. Instead, readers are creative agents that
analyze every aspect of the text in a perspective of societal reflection. Wendy
Griswold suggests in her article, "Recent Moves in the Sociology of
Literature", that "during times of social upheaval, ideological
production by self-aware cultural innovators will increase" (460). In
other words, major periods in humanity's history can be traced and learned
about through the literature produced by people of that time and condition. This
is but one example of the many facets that are observed and which offer
invaluable insight about the attitudes of humanity and its various cultures throughout
history. Griswold goes on to discuss the relationship between literature and
identity. Indeed, a universal identity is developed when readers are able to
broaden their knowledge and perspectives about various events or conditions. It
may be argued that reading about a thing and experiencing a thing are very
distant from each other, and so they are, but developing the imagination and
sensitivity of perception develops a far greater understanding of a thing than
having nothing to do with it at all. Beyond analysis of the context of a text
is the knowledge of cultural attitudes and perspectives when considering the
placement and intent of the author, and the cultural influences and attitudes
of the period that persuaded the subject, manner of delivery, and intentional
or unintentional nuances. Again, these are but some of the facets by which
knowledge is gained regarding the state of humanity.
Studying
literature as a guide to understanding our world and ourselves reminds me of
something I learned about grandmother elephants. Watching a National Geographic
program, I learned that the role of grandmothers within an elephant herd is one
that is respected and protected. A young elephant mother leading her calf over
terrain she has never encountered before will not be aware of any dangers
within this new territory. The grandmother, with her extra generation of
knowledge, will intervene when her knowledge protects or aids the ignorance of
the herd. Literature likewise teaches readers attitudes and patterns of
humanity that provide them with a broader knowledge of things that one
generation alone would not otherwise be able to encompass.
Philosophically
speaking, happiness is often defined as seeking out that which is good. Meynell
states accurately in his article that "the more one's consciousness is
extended and clarified, the more one tends to know what is true and to know and
do what is good" (7). So, instead of literature being valuable only for
pleasure and entertainment, it also provides us with a broader moral
perspective that removes limitations from our collective goals and aims within
society. Take for example, Joseph Conrad's
Heart of Darkness: In the story we encounter many levels of
"othering"; seeing people with different traditions, levels of technological
advancement, and skin color as a different species altogether and opposite from
Europeans. We can observe the wrongness of the Europeans' attitudes while still
being able to sympathize with how they came to think that way. Understanding
this allows us to be more sensitive and open when, in our own culture and
society, people or concepts that are different from what we are comfortable
with threaten to challenge our acceptance of them. This particular power of
words alone should be evidence enough for the justification of Literary
Studies.
Derrida
discusses specifically how power is connected to writing (and inevitably to
reading) and states that, "writing can come
to power or power to writing" (117). He goes on to claim that figures of
rhetoric are active in all of language, and goes on to list methods such as
hieroglyphy and pictography, all of which arise "from one and the same natural system, from a great, universal,
and analogical chain of analogies" (121). This emphasizes once again the
foundational value of language, which teaches those who study it to extend this
foundational knowledge easily and rationally into other fields of study.
Without language we could not study integers, nor could we have named the
elements within the periodic table.
Even
if the study of Literature was solely
for the purpose of pleasure, broadening perspectives, and eliciting greater
happiness through a philosophical understanding of things that are good, isn't
this arguably a worthy enough value for English departments to feel justified
in their standing? Surely our culture and society could do with more happiness
in this day and age, and the creativity and innovations that come from people
with passion and a big-picture perspective. As discussed here and elsewhere,
however, pleasure, happiness, and perspective are by no means the only results
of English and Literary study. But to define and defend this justification
without any ambiguity would be to defy the nature of the field altogether. The
study of English and Literature embraces the importance of pluralism, "of
constantly raising new questions, of accepting the succession of theories
rather than expecting the advent of an all-answering master theory"
(Harris 321). Perhaps in some ways, acknowledging the value of English and
Literary studies requires a little bit of faith.
Works
Cited
Carrothers, Patrick. "7
Reasons Your Business Needs More English Majors".
SizzleWonk. Posted 29 Oct. 2012.
Web. 23 Jan. 2013.
Derrida, Jacques. "Scribble
(Writing-Power)". Yale French
Studies 58 (1979): 117-
147.
Print.
Griswold, Wendy. "Recent Moves
in the Sociology of Literature". Annual
Review of
Sociology 19 (1993): 455-467.
Print.
Meynell, Hugo. "The
Justification of 'English'". Journal
of Aesthetic Education 24.4
(1990):
5-15. Print.
Samson, Thomas. "Reinventing
English Studies". English Studies 91.4
(2010): 467-
473.
Print.
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