LITR 4232 American Renaissance 2010 final exam—Answers to Question B4

Matt Chavez

Divisions of Appeal

          Throughout the history of literature, divisions of style have been made to suit divisions of taste and need exhibited by the populace.  Separate groups have separate needs—some desire elevation of the spirit and the mind, others simple entertainment so one might smile throughout the day.  Others still are desperate for elevation so that they may smile at all.  And through the separate needs of man, separate forms of literature have been crafted and broadly categorized to meet them.  This holds true through the course of literature, so naturally these divisions are seen in the American Renaissance period of writing as well, especially considering the struggling and combatant forces which were moving the people.  Generally, these divisions are categorized as Classic, Popular, and Representative forms, crafted by and tailored to the needs of the elite, the common, and the fringe group, respectively.

Classic literature bears intellectual concerns, seeking an understanding of timeless ideas, reinvention or revamp of outdated concepts, and an innovative but reverent approach to tradition.  Prime examples of Classic works are those formed of Transcendental thought, such as Nature by Emerson and Resistance to Civil Government by Thoreau.  Both authors are affluent in the works and thought which came before them, but develop Transcendentalism as a much needed alternative theory concerning the relationship between man, God, and nature.  The language of their works reflects a certain degree of learning, and the structure of each essay reveals the progressive and elevated mode of their thoughts.  Popular literature on the other hand, seeks not to elevate or enlighten its target audience, but to provoke sensibility and sentiment, not by enticing thought but by offending common emotion.  Popular literature provides stereotypes which people can deal with, creating a zone of comfort when one cannot be found in reality, and it does so in a language that is familiar, forgoing classical allusions and superfluous language for common, colloquial speech.  Washington Irving aptly fulfills this duty, giving the populace legends that could be identified with and characters which could be easily placed.  Rip Van Winkle offers the reader a past they are meant to long for, a lead they are meant to stand behind, and a conflict that is manageable.  This is indirectly opposite of the third classification, Representative literature, which challenges the comfort zones of popular literature to achieve so cause, usually social or political.  Representative literature gives a voice to minority groups, the underdog, and those on the fringe of society.  The language of representative literature changes from group to group and cause to cause, and is hardly cohesive in terms of classification.  However, representative literature all shares the desire to make one’s place in society.  In the American Renaissance, the abolitionist cause made its mark in literature with authors like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs, both former slaves who act as a voice for the rising African-American population, first as an oppressed people and then as an oppressed citizenry.

          Classic, popular, and representative literature each have something to offer to any person of a given society, but without a doubt, each is geared towards a particular audience.  This is most evident with representative literature, since representative works are meant to achieve a particular goal.  A work like the narrative of Frederick Douglass is meant to gain the sympathies or favors of those in power and those who can help to change the slave situation in America.  The abolitionist cause developed plenty of momentum on its own, but with evidence of intellect developed within the African-American community, the justification for abolition is only strengthened.  Proof of intellectual worth provides leverage to the slaves who were formerly thought to be worth less than the Anglo-Saxon population.  Appealing to this crowd aids the cause in moving the fringe group into a proper standing in American society.  But representative literature could not appeal to everyone at face value because many people only sought comfort and an escape from concerns of the day.  Popular literature provided this outlet, and appealed to the majority of the population.  Whereas classic literature appealed to the elite, the upper-crust with formal educations and knowledge of ancient texts, popular literature was accessible to the middle-class and the people with a basic level of literacy.  Dominated by texts which evoke an emotion response, rather than intellectual response, the general populace could enjoy the works without having to be concerned with progressive thought or contemporary issues.  This is where classic literature held its appeal, and was geared towards those with the educational background to comprehend the ideas, as well as the time to contemplate the innovations.

          In contemporary times, looking back on these texts provides an idea of how dominate issues were confronted.  Each category is challenged by the issue of relevancy, especially popular and representative literature.  Classic literature still has appeal and relevance because the issues of classic literature are more timeless than the common period piece, but it still faces the issue of whether its innovations have been rejected or further improved upon in the following decades. This is true for Transcendentalism, which holds its literary appeal, but little theological value in a contemporary view of monotheism.  As for representative, the groups these pieces worked as voices for have dissipated either through integration of obliteration—slavery and women’s rights are simply no longer an issue.  And popular literature could not wish to endure the ages; its appeal is for the particular decade, until the next popular trend takes over.  The major benefit each category offers though is its value as a historical text.  Whether it is classic, popular, or representative, each text offers a window through which the mindset of that generation, the mindset of antebellum America, can be explored.

          Exploration of the American Renaissance texts from a historical perspective is the most appropriate mode of approaching the categories.  In a contemporary American Renaissance course, the popular and representative works have a definite value.  Exploring the classic pieces is always valuable considering that the classic pieces have longstanding intellectual value.  But American Renaissance literature is the study of particular, very isolated period of time, meaning that the works unique to that time, such as the popular literature of Washington Irving or the representative works of Frederick Douglass, should hold equal esteem from a literary perspective as the pieces which cross the bounds of literary movements.  In literature classes which explore broader movements or select crafts, such as a course over General Romanticism or a course on Masterpieces of the 19^th century, the notable and critically acclaimed works should hold favor over works which were simply popular at the time.  But for a course which explores a time period, a broader scope of work, from the timeless to the period piece, should be given its due examination.

          Because this balance of classic, popular, and representative works was allowed in the American Renaissance course this past fall, I now hold esteem for works beyond the canon, giving way to a historical approach to my future literary studies in general.  Although some filter needs to be applied to whatever movement is currently being examined (such as first looking towards the Spanish-canonical writers, Borges and Neruda to name a few, before tackling Spanish literature as a whole), the importance of looking at what developments were taking place in literature as a whole has been imbued in me.