LITR 4232 American Renaissance 2012 final exam—Answers to Question B4 "Classic, Popular, & Representative Literature" final exam assignment

Joe Bernard

Reading for Category?

          Literature is unlike most disciplines in the sense that the abstract is so much more present, doing away with strict lines of definition and rigid categories before placing fluid concepts that evolve over time in front of those who dare study the slippery subject. However, not all of literature is coated in a veneer of “airiness”; there are certain boundaries that are in place for some sort of structure. Categories of literature are the boundaries coming into focus for the purpose of this essay; more specifically, the labels Classic, Popular and Representative. While the aforementioned categories of literature have concrete concepts that allow each to stand by itself, they do not always isolate themselves from each other; instead, they blend together, crossing lines and boundaries that were thought to be solid. In any period of literature, Romantic or otherwise, it is rare to find a well-regarded piece of literature that does not cross these boundaries. By examining four distinct pieces of literature, one can see how literature does not adhere to one strict category, instead blending elements of two or more labels to present pieces that both instruct and entertain.

          Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans blends classic and popular concepts together to connect to the audience and convey a valuable lesson about human nature. Elements of the popular category are rampant throughout the novel; take for instance the formulaic stereotypes given out by Cooper. Alice is a traditional white woman who is a faithful Christian and is faint-hearted at the sight of battle, while the Native Americans controlled by the French fulfill the savage and brutal behavior that the Native peoples were thought to possess. Another element of the popular formula is the theme of captivity and rescue, especially when it comes to the “damsel(s) in distress”, Alice and Cora fulfilling the aforementioned role quite well. However, Cooper does not just adhere to a formula, but instead chooses to tinker with it, which is one sign of a classic work. Alice is paired with Cora, a more practical and action-prone woman who helps spur the men in their party on instead of staying on the sidelines (best example? “Jump in the river, already!”). Also acting as a contrast to the formulaic “barbarous savage” is Uncas, a Native American hero who helps Alice and Cora throughout the novel. Cooper plays with these contrasts in order to illustrate how human nature is simply human nature; stereotypes cannot define the human spirit. Uncas helps those in need even though he is a Native and Cora stays brave in the face of danger and refuses to be just an observer even though she is a woman. So then, Cooper blends facets of the popular and classic to present a traditional formula to connect to his audience, but also toys with said formula to convey a classic lesson about human nature.

          Another example of synthesizing two or more categories of literature to create a piece that instructs and entertains is Poe’s fabled poem The Raven. The poem creates a dark and heavy atmosphere that invokes a kind of suspense that puts the reader on edge. Not only do the suspense and the heavy tone fit a kind of gothic formula that engages the reader, the supernatural elements referenced and the Raven’s eerie prophetic tone makes the hair on the back of the reader’s neck stand up. Poe obviously complies with the “sensation” novel, giving readers a kind of eerie pleasure that appeals to the general populace. However, the audience is treated to the themes of loss and desire through thick diction and the slippery symbol of the Raven. Thousands of essays have been written on what the meaning of the raven is, how the animal connects to other traditions, etc. The symbol of the Raven is timeless and unique; popular literature would have furnished a kind of mentor figure to guide the narrator of the poem through his grief or allow the narrator to dwell fondly on memories; instead, the narrator is forced to confront his grief by way of interacting with an animal.

          Susan B. Warner’s The Wide, Wide World illustrate how the popular and classic come together to form a unique picture of the plight of women, albeit through popular mechanisms. Take for instance the “warm and fuzzy” sentimental stereotypes that are all throughout the novel: the loving mother who wants to give her a child a better life, a caring old man who helps out a struggling child and an elderly woman who cleans the child up and acts as a stable figure for said child. These stereotypes are placed quite cleverly in the novel to give the audience a way to connect and invest emotionally before hitting the audience with heavy thematic elements. Warner’s book is concerned with the “journey” of woman and how that journey can produce multiple results instead of just “marriage or old hag”. The novel does not end with a happy marriage and children running about a domestic sphere; instead, it leaves the main character in a situation where she has the chance to blaze her own path instead of getting linked into the common situation of marriage. In essence then, Warner wanted to convey that women had the opportunity to choose their own path in the “wide world” they inhabit; she conveys this message by playing with the typical formula of bildungsromans and placing her character in a situation to become something new.

          Frederick Douglass’s slave narrative is a combination of both representative and classic literature, said combination furnishing audiences with an insightful look into the struggles of a minority people as well as give succeeding generations an example to follow in terms of presenting an autobiography. Douglass gives his reader an intimate look into his personal struggles, from his time as a child in Baltimore to his struggle for freedom, to convey just how difficult it was to attain freedom for those of his race. Two key facets of representative literature is that only one voice is speaking, said voice from that of a minority population; because of the two aforementioned elements, the message has the potential of being lost on those who do not belong to the minority. However, Douglass’ presentation truly captures the essence of classic literature, which is that of intellectualism, of allusions to historical figures and concepts that force heavy cogitation. He was not just a “slave boy” writing down his memoir; he was a refined intellectual who put to pen a story that served as a rallying point for abolitionists and African Americans.

          Literature, thankfully, has categories that allow some sort of boundary to be defined between pieces. However, those lines must be crossed in order for literature to have a lasting impact on its reader. The combination of the popular and the classic hook readers by furnishing certain elements of a common formula before toying with said formula to present ideas about human nature. Synthesizing the representative and the classic allow the story of a minority people or individual to continue throughout time due to its refinement and intellectual worth. So then, a reader does not examine literature for category; instead, he examines it for lessons that can be learned.