Professor Robert Eaglestone on Literature: Why it Matters
Key Points
1. What is Literature? Metaphorically it is like a conversation: it doesn't just convey information but a world; it can be about anything, but it makes things matter; it is creative, not just in the writing but in the understanding and responding; it exists in time, and time changes its meaning; and it is free.
2. What should studying Literature be like? Ideally it should not be like stuffing information into your head, but like a dialogue, a conversation.
3. What can Literature do? Because it's about anything it can do all sorts of things. Literature is about us, helping us think through what it is to be a human being
4. What can Literature do for you? English literature isn't about technical know-how, but provides profoundly human skills that helps you succeed in life
5. How English is constantly changing, and how creative writing is constantly changing and inspiring even more writing. Computer games are just one sort of narrative innovation
