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LITR 4232: American Renaissance  |
Final Exam Essays 2013 Sample answers for
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Jenna Crosson
Classic, Popular, Representative: Not Cookie Cutters
As we have discussed in class, there
are many ways that American Renaissance Literature is classified.
With the terms that are used to define these works
to the categories that they fall in, it is easy to see that there are many
defining factors.
The three most common categories that American
Renaissance Literature can fall into are classic, popular, and representative
literature, categories that were significant then and still significant today.
During this time period it is easy to notice that
all of the works do not fall into just one defining category, yet they could
belong to more than one, or even all of them, they were not exclusive and all of
them could fall into at least one category.
However, all three categories have their own
distinct qualities.
These categories are defined by their target
audience, shelf life, style, appeal, genre, and other factors that effect
literary studies.
Knowing where works fall into categories is very
important in understanding why these categories exist.
Classic literature is usually
found on any list of reading material in any academic setting.
Students usually associate classic literature with
selections they “have to read” for a class, something they would not pick up for
an entertainment purpose.
However, these works are usually well-known pieces
of literature that everyone has at least heard of if not studied in a classroom.
These pieces are considered classics and are
enjoyable to read because they challenged the social norms and were ahead of
their times.
They are historical or mythological and are considered to
be “timeless”.
They are popular among academia, have low
publication, and are intended to be enjoyed time and time again.
When I think of classic literature, I think of
works that apply to those who are reading it, they are very real problems and
struggles that everyone can relate to.
These pieces of literature are meant to evoke an
emotion from its reader and challenge a higher sense of thinking.
Think of Emily Dickinson; without reading a single
line of her poetry anyone would recognize her name.
Open up one of her poems and any reader would
relate to her depiction of loneliness, struggle, and the fear of dying.
Take a look at Henry David Thoreau’s “Resistance to
Civil Government”.
He describes a society where, to be successful, the
government should govern less.
I believe that, in any government situation in any
time period, society would be able to agree with this.
It is timeless works like these that can be passed
down from generations and still have a resounding impact on whoever reads them.
They are classic because they can pertain to anyone
at anytime and have significant importance to them while evoking critical
thinking.
Popular literature seems to
have a bad reputation with scholars and academic professionals.
I see this very often in class discussion when
someone brings up books like The Hunger Games,
Twilight, or
50 Shades of Grey.
The topic of conversation surrounding these books
are that they don’t have significant meaning, they are only going to be popular
until the next book like it comes out on shelves, or its just a fad that will
soon end.
These comments fall directly into the category of popular
literature.
This category is defined by literature that is only meant
to be enjoyed in the time period for which it was written.
It is not meant to be read over again and has a
very short shelf life; like mentioned above, they are considered fads.
They are easy to process and do not usually leave
the reader with some moral understanding or further thinking.
These are the works that I cannot wait to dive into
during semester breaks, not to be rude, but works that do not require hard
thinking and analysis are a good break for a literature major!
Moving forward in this category, it is easy to see
that the works we have read do not fall one hundred percent into this
classification. This is where we get a little blurry.
Take for example Edgar Allan Poe.
He is considered to be a popular author but his
work is so relatable to its audience and is still widely studied today.
He writes on subjects and love and longing,
subjects that any time period would be able to understand.
His works are easy to find things to think and
discuss about as well.
We have had many tantalizing conversations in class
regarding Poe’s works, including trying to classify them into the terms of
Romanticism.
It is authors like these that how that these work of
literature are not mutually exclusive and can fall into several different
categories.
Representative literature is
a more specialized type of category focusing on those that speak to a specific
audience.
This category also contains works and authors that belong
to one or both of the other categories.
This section describes works that strive to have
their voices heard, a desire for acceptance, and may be relevant to the
mainstream audience.
They usually appeal to ethnic groups with different
languages and reading styles or abilities.
They are considered to be evangelical, may give
their reader knowledge of “new” traditions, and can be read more than once.
For example, Sojourner Truth wrote to promote the
idea of gender and race equality and helped the emergence of the feminist
movement.
Her works were very representative in that she was
relatable to a specific audience of black women who were striving towards the
same goal as her.
She is also a perfect example of works that cross
boundaries through the blurred lines of these categories.
Although her works are considered to be
Representative, they are also considered to be Classic as well.
She is a name that will forever live on and
continue to be read and studied by students everywhere.
Although her works speak to a specific audience,
they can be understood, and should be read, by all.
Her works pertain to a significant period of time
that had an impact on the growing women’s movement and is important to be
studied.
After looking at all these
categories it is noticeable that they are all easily crossed.
Not one work can easily fall into a cookie cutter
category.
I believe that this is the beauty of the literary world
and is one of the reasons I enjoy it so.
The fact that most are up for your own
interpretation and understanding and that they can fall into several different
categories is a beautiful thing.
If all works were only put into one singular
category and we only allowed ourselves to read out of one of those categories,
we would be limiting ourselves and not expanding our knowledge.
With categories that cross each other, we are
broadening our options of literary works, for works that we may have passed up
otherwise.
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