INTENSIVE STUDIES IN AMERICAN LITERATURE PART I RHETORICAL INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I INTRODUCTORY—WHAT LITERATURE IS If some one should ask us, "What are the text-books you study in school good for?" we should not hesitate to reply, "They teach us things we have not known before about language, about the earth and the life upon it, about men of past ages, about mathematical quantities." And it is true that a great many of the books we study are written to increase our knowledge. But there are other books from which we may derive quite as much benefit as from scientific books, and perhaps even more pleasure, if we learn to use them properly; these are books of literature. They are not intended primarily to teach us facts, though in studying a book of literature we may incidentally learn a great many facts. They are intended through harmonious language to present beautiful images to the imagination, to suggest noble thoughts, and so to lead us to broader and higher views of life. It is this purpose of elevating us through our emotions or sympathies that distinguishes, fundamentally, books of literature from books addressed merely to the intellect, like our text-books and many other scientific works. |