Defining Literature and Civilization

Defining Literature and Civilization

What is literature? What is civilization? At first, I thought it would be easy to define these terms, but after a few moments of contemplation, I realized that they are extremely subjective. So, in an effort to gain a few opinions on the matter, I asked each  of my roommates to define these two ambiguous terms. Their responses are as follows:

Luke

Literature: "Anything someone creates to send a message to someone else."

Civilization: "A threshold in which beings can reach where they can govern themselves and provides for themselves in order to proliferate."

J.P.

Literature: "A collection of historical writings that displays advancements, writing techniques, and styles."

Civilization: "A culture that is defined by infrastructure and society."

Harrison

Literature: "A variety of writings that are able to be taught and communicated to students."

Civilization: "The social development of economic and infrastructural advances."

I admit that it is difficult to define literature and civilization. After all, my middle name is not Webster. However, I think it is vital to make something clear before diving head first into the texts of the course. Otherwise, we could potentially misinterpret and misunderstand important messages. I look forward to the class discussion, but in the meantime, let me attempt to define literature and civilization. I think literature consists of the history and collection of writings, stories, myths, novels, poetry, etc. Despite my short definition, I believe the influence of literature is complex and immeasurable. Literature directly impacts civilization, which i think is a broader term for society and culture. Civilization may include people, government, geography, technology, economy, politics, religion, social norms, etc. Literature can advocate for or protest against these aspects of civilization. But to what extent? Does literature always have to convey a message?

I think that literature is more subjective than we originally believe it to be. In other words, literature is subject to the opinion of the individual. One person may find a piece of writing, or even drawing for the matter, and think nothing of it. On the other hand, someone else may find meaning in the same writings or drawings. That is the essence of the subjective nature of literature. The same logic applies to the term "civilization." Who is to decide what is civilized vs. what is uncivilized? White European settlers deemed Native Americans "savage" and "uncivilized," but we know that could not be further from the truth. Native Americans had religious, political, and economic institutions in place. They were not as advanced as the Europeans, but hat was due to their isolation not their lack "civilization." It is for these reasons why I am now hesitant to define literature and civilization, as my definitions would differ from every other interpretation.