CEBU INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – UNIVERSITY

N. Bacalso St., Cebu City

COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT, BUSSINESS AND ACCOUNTANCY

Dept. of Business Administration

What is World Literature?

In Partial Fulfilment of the Course

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Course Number and Title

Submitted By:

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Submitted To:

MS. TAINA LOURDES M. RABAYA

Eteeap Adviser
 The World of Literature

Literature has been a huge part of human evolution. Even since the dawn of our
ancestors, the Neanderthals, language was already present and thus literature was
born. From the hand signals and gestures of the cave men, to the wall paintings and
writings on stone and caves, literature has evolved immensely with every passing era.

As different civilizations come to evolve and unite with one another, different
cultures and way of communication are shared within these civilizations. The proper
way of writing was spread and that every human being has come to adapt these forms
of communications and word/lyrical art. Thus, different form of literature was created.
From the myths, legends and folk tales of the eastern countries, to the poetry and
novels of the western countries. The literature of the human kind is slowly evolving and
creating more ways and forms of literature as every part of the earth is using literature
as a means of communication, as an art, to document and express feelings and ideas,
and many more.

World Literature. Literature is the foundation of life. It places an emphasis on

many topics from human tragedies to tales of the ever-popular search for love. While it
is physically written in words, these words come alive in the imagination of the mind,
and its ability to comprehend the complexity or simplicity of the text. Through literature,
it helps us see through the eyes of others, sometimes even inanimate objects as
literature serves as a looking glass into the different views of the world.

But what is World Literature? It is the totality of all national literatures. The
formation of literature in different countries happened not at the same time, which is
connected with the emergence of writing and artistic creativity.

Each nation`s literature has its own artistic and national features. World literature
is very important for the studying, still the literature of one country develops together
with other national literatures. They enrich each other borrowing certain literary
elements. There are a lot of scientific works on world literature, which explain the
peculiarities of this phenomenon. As a concept, world literature emerged only in the
19th century when the literary connections of different countries had spread and
strengthened.

World literature is the cultural heritage of all humanity. It is essential to study

world literature as it helps us understand the life of different people from all over the
world, forms our world-outlook and acquaints us with the masterpieces of literature.

With the ability to see the world with a pair of fresh eyes, it triggers the reader to
reflect upon their own lives. Reading a material that is relatable to the reader may teach
them morals and encourage them to practice good judgement. This can be proven
through public school systems, where the books that are emphasized the most tend to
have a moral-teaching purpose behind the story. An example would be William
Shakespeare’s stories, where each one is meant to be reflective of human nature – both
the good and bad. Consequently, this can promote better judgement of situations, so
the reader does not find themselves in the same circumstances as perhaps those in the
fiction world. Henceforth, literature is proven to not only be reflective of life, but it can
also be used as a guide for the reader to follow and practice good judgement from.
When we study literature, our horizons are broadened, because we can learn about and
come to understand people who are different from us. Conversely, we might discover
characters or poems that we really identify with—it can be really exciting and validating
to discover that your exact thoughts and feelings have also been experienced by
someone else. Because of these effects, literature encourages us to be sensitive to the
whole spectrum of human experience and to consider this when making decisions in our
day-to-day lives. Academically, studying literature also helps us to refine our own writing
skills and expand our vocabularies.

The world today is ever-changing. Never before has life been so chaotic and
challenging for all. Life before literature was practical and predictable, but in present
day, literature has expanded into countless libraries and into the minds of many as the
gateway for comprehension and curiosity of the human mind and the world around
them. Literature is of great importance and is studied upon as it provides the ability to
connect human relationships, and define what is right and what is wrong. Therefore,
words are alive more than ever before.
References
Ozzz (2019) “What is World Literature?” https://ozzz.org/world-literature/. Accessed 28
Aug. 2019.
eNotes Editorial, (14 Oct. 2012), "Importance Of Studying Literature”
https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/why-study-literature-important-what-
skills-do-408329. Accessed 28 Aug. 2019.
Schoolworkhelper Editorial Team, (2018). “Importance of Literature”
https://schoolworkhelper.net/importance-of-literature-essay/. Accessed 28 Aug.
2019