Essay: Literature and Life

 Essay:    Literature and Life

Outlines:
1. Introduction.
2. Literature is the nearest thing to life.
3. Prints of contemporary times reflect in Literature.
4. Ghalib’s poetry, Shakespeare’s dramas are for all ages.
5. Art for Art’s sake.
6. Art for Life’s sake.
7. Conclusion.
It is somewhat difficult to define literature. However, the general interpretation of literature is that writings which are valued as works of art, especially fiction, drama and poetry as contrasted with technical books and journalism, are regarded as literature.
Literature is the nearest thing to life. In the words of George Eliot, 'It is a mode' of amplifying experience and extending our contact with our fellowmen beyond the bounds of our personal lot.’ 

Hudson interprets literature, 'which makes us partakers in a life larger,. richer and' more varied than we ourselves ever know of our own individual knowledge and it . does this not only because it opens up new fields of experience and new lines of thought and speculation, but also and more notably because it carries us beyond the piriched and meagre humanity of everyday found of existence into contact with those fresh, strong and magnetic personalities who have embodied themselves in the world’s great books.’ Literature is intimately  related to life. There is a mutual relationship between literature and life.. Literature thus does not exist in vacuum. It breathes ,as life breathes. *
A novelist, a dramatist and a poet cannot remain divorced from his surroundings. Prints of contemporary times are reflected in their literary works. As literature is to life, it thus represents life as a whole. It deals with different aspects of life.
A literary critic has rightly said that literature is a social manifestation of life. That is why, literature embraces social, economic, political,. religious, psychological, educational
 problems of life. 

Complexities of life provide variety of themes to the literary men. A short-story writer cannot close his eyes to the ugly societal spots. Likewise, a novelist is influenced' by the social, political, economic currents of contemporary life. A poet too ’gives vent to feelings of anguish through his poetry. Changing realities'of diverse nature seek expression in contemporary creative works of art.
Ghalib's poetry, Shakespeare's dramas are meant for all ages as they , represent universal truths of life. Saadat Hasan  Minto - a great Urdu': short-story writer, will ever be remembered ifor his literary aesthetic excellence as reflected in his stories. ‘The New Constitution’ even today is as valid as it was before the creation of Pakistan.
Minto’s story ‘Open Up’ is as refreshing today as it was at the time of its publication some five decades back: Great literature, as observed earlier, is produced, when an artist,' coupled with aestheticism and i(nagination undergoes an experience of creativity. Saadat Hasan Minto by all standards domes up to this criterion. Ghulam Abbas is also another great Urdu short-story writer, who too satisfies the criterion irii question.

 The point to emphasise is that, the artist, be he a J playwright, a poet or a short-story writer, obseryes.life sharply in 1 its multifarious facets arid presents it in a way as to make it ah 1 object of aestheticism and pleasure. All great artists of the world 1 in the realms of poetry and prose pass through literary experience, a combination of imagination, aesthetic-cum-artistic excellence.
There are two distinct schools of thought, which stand for 1 art for art’s sake and art for life’s sake. The former aim-at pure a aesthetic pleasure of art as they believe that- if complex,  problems of life were to eriter into the realm of literature, these “ would lower down the aesthetic standards of art. Oscar Wilde is T a great exponent of art for art’s sake, whose novel, shOrt-sfories and dramas are replete with different life’s problems. He could not dwell in the ivory tower of aesthetic excellence of art, but  had to come down to project the earthly ugly realities of life. 

The writers of this school of thought could not ignore the problems of life, which found expression in their writings. Take the case Of Oscar. Wilde’s story “Nightingale and the Red Rose”, in which the author deals with the theme of artistic creation. The nightingale gives her heart’s, blood to redden the rose demanded by the beloved of a lover. Wheri the latter presents the rose flower to her, she just throws if in a casual manner on a road, whose petals are run over by the wheels of a cart. She had no appreciation for the rose flower which embodied the heart’s blood Aof the nightingale, as a rich lover had presented to - her precious .jewels. Oscar Wilde had to come out of the , aesthetic tower to deal with the social realities of life. ’

The other school of thought, namely art for life’s sake, J stands for social improvement, of course, the path of creativity remaining in tact. The followers of this school believe -that literature tor art’s sake, being divorced from life is just a sort of mental pleasure and a relaxation. Bertrand Russel, G.B. Shaw stand for iiterature%to serve life by pointing out the social .

problems of their times. Likewise Minto, Ghulam Abbas and a host of other short-story writers believe in literature for life’s sake as their literary works expose social contradictions. Artists thus feel the pulse of societies in which they live and lash at the social contradictions in an artistic manner. 

Saadat Hasan Minto was criticised for promoting pornography in Urdu literature through his afsanas (short-stories). The reference is to his afsana (Thanda Gosht). Minto in defence said, “My only fault is that I expose the hollowness of society. I write with a white piece of chalk on a blackboard. The idea is to arouse the blackness of the board. I hold, a looking glass to show the ugliness of human/societal faces.”

George Bernard Shaw is of the view that writers instead of going to the past, should have a rapport with the realities of their times. Although journalism can't be considered literature, yet G.B. Shaw is inclined to regard journalism as literature, as it deals with the existing realities of life.

 One may say, that technically speaking unless a journalist undergoes the process of creativity, his writings cannot be considered literature. However, in the light of G.B. Shaw’s observations, one may say that literature and life are closely supportive of each other. Literature' is rooted in the currents of the age in which it is produced. However, it may be appreciated in the succeeding age.