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

Dorothy Noyes

Blurring Boundaries: The Separation of the Classical, Popular, and Representative

          Classifying literature: picking and choosing, dissecting the works of authors and pigeon-holing them into a category where we, in our infinite wisdom, feel they belong. That has always been my biggest problem when it comes to being a Lit major; the apparent need to classify and assign merit to a piece of work only applicable to the classification it was given. When I read a piece of literature, whether it be traditionally categorized as classical, popular, or representative, I try to separate that classification from my reaction to it. It was both comforting and liberating to see the sub-heading over the three categories on the course website: “These categories are not mutually exclusive.” That simple phrase let loose a lot of frustration I had been holding inside about the classification and rating system I had seen previously put into action among Literature classes and class-mates alike.

          Classical literature is traditionally defined as the literature that has a long life-span, is accessed by more educated individuals, and really challenges previous schools of thought and ideas. While I find all of these characteristics accurate, I think the most prominent aspect of “classical” literature is what makes it ultimately popular as well: its applicability to the lives and feelings of those who read them. When you read a piece of work that is characterized as classical, you’re usually reading about something that is meant to evoke deep emotions and change the way you feel about the world and yourself. Classical literature, as it is defined, becomes personal literature as one tends to apply it to themselves.  Emily Dickinson’s poetry, when found and read became popular because of the aspects of the classical that it presented. Who couldn’t, on some level, relate to the questions of loneliness and the struggles with identity and fear of death that Dickinson expresses in her poetry? Her work created larger questions and examined deeper meanings to common emotions, but at the same appealed to the general public because it was relatable.

          Popular literature tends to get a pretty bad reputation in the classrooms and conversations of literature students and, as an avid reader of any type, this has always offended me a little bit. As a rule, I feel that for any book to have ever become a classic, it had to have been popular enough for people to read again and again, taking the time to infer the deeper themes and meanings of the works. If those books had never been popular literature in their own right, they would not exist to be read and re-read on the shelves and in the many anthologies they are a part of today. In my opinion, it is in the ability of a piece of popular literature to withstand the test of time and shifting frames of reference that allows it to ever become a classic.

The implications of calling a book “popular” are that a reader will infer automatically a shallowness to the text and perhaps not deem it worthy of reading. By definition, popular books are passing fads, only relevant to the time in which it was written and a reflection of current public situations. It is considered easy to process and will typically leave you with nothing of true worth to reflect upon. Basically what my mom would call “cotton candy for the brain.” This categorization, however, is not only demeaning to possible great pieces of literature, it simply can’t be one-hundred percent true of any one work. Take for example, Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle. While considered a wildly popular work at the time of its publication, it is not simply a shallow story. It is a tale that concerns the preservation of identity and tradition in a rapidly changing society, which is a theme that is relevant and important as well as being entertaining within a story. Irving, like many authors of the American Renaissance, is just another example of the lines between categories blurring and losing distinction.

          Representative literature crosses the boundaries of what defines both classical and popular literature as well. While it is the emergence of a new voice and population in the literary community, it is not only relevant to the culture it was originally aimed towards. By reading representative literature by authors like Frederic Douglass or Sojourner Truth we are not only reading the words of influential minorities, but are reading a reflection of the human condition, and a journey involving struggles and pain, but ultimate fulfillment.  Taking a more recent example, Toni Morrison is a favorite author of mine who is represented by every one of the categories. Her works such as Song of Solomon, Beloved, and Paradise were books with classic themes and revelations, books that examined not only gender differences and racial tension of the South, but the constant struggle for understanding of one’s self, and did it beautifully. However, her induction to Oprah’s Book Club caused her timeless books to be deemed “popular,” thus belittling her epic and moving works of fiction.

          Taking all of the works this semester, and looking at them in light of recent revelations, I think it is fair to say that none of the literature we have read can fit snugly and solely into one particular category. Personal interpretations among individuals and the passing of time and relativism simply won’t allow it. With a willingness to blur the boundaries that separate these categories from each other and instead feature their similarities and what binds them together, not only literature students, but the general public can benefit by reading and experiencing works they might not have previously. By building walls we limit ourselves, but by breaking them down we set ourselves free.