In two to three sentences, articulate your working definition of literature based on those materials.
In a broad basis, literature is a term relating to any written material and works regarded as for forms of art, such as plays, poetry and prose fiction. Literature may have a psychological, spiritual, social, or political function in addition to recording, preserving, and transmitting information and entertainment (Kent,2017). Additionally, it is a “creative work” that shows human existence in the society in a manner that may be enjoyed, understood, and used by society. The author will express their creativity via literary works. Biographies, diaries, memoirs, letters, and essays are all nonfiction genres that might be regarded literature as an art form. Poetry, prose, and theater are the three types of literature. Works are also divided into categories based on historical eras, aesthetic characteristics, and genre.
Apply your definition to the story you have chosen. Show the ways the story adheres to your working definition of literature.
Different themes emerge from David’s plot in Giovanni’s Room: sexual identity, remorse, and loneliness. David’s sexuality perplexes and embarrasses him, perhaps the novel’s most overt topic. Although race is present throughout the book, not least in this horrifying picture, which is radioactive with American racist imagery, Baldwin remarked in interviews that he didn’t believe he could tackle the twin agonies of racism and hate of gay people at the same time. It may be represented in the concept of literature, which is based on social and genre considerations.
Giovanni’s Room also takes on the physical form of the term (Baldwin,2016). We imply that the Space’s symbolic value is connected to the fact that it is a whole room where several experiences occur. As a consequence, David naturally associates Giovanni’s Room with childhood memories. The Room takes on the shape of a box; which David uses to store all of his memories of Giovanni. The recollections, on the other hand, are quite dynamic. They are tenacious about not being easily filed away. The character’s psychological influence and visual features are described in this section of the narrative.
Are there any elements of the story that do not seem “literary” to you?
Despite his engagement in the “American civil rights movement”, Baldwin doesn’t consider African American topics in Giovanni’s Room to concentrate on personal identification, which seems unliterary. While avoiding overt criticism of black-white racial relations, he effectively illustrates how ideas of equality and identity are interwoven (Van Peer,2020). The two are intertwined because, as Baldwin often emphasizes, understanding and embracing who you are necessary before practicing or fighting for your human rights. His representation of equality and identity is quite useful even today; particularly, the texts used in repose to the fight for “racial equality”, 50 years ago, elicit anger and optimism that are still relevant in the contemporary movement for LGBT equality. Race and homosexuality, on the other hand, are features that cannot be altered and must be embraced to succeed in life.
Discuss why you think the story is worth reading in one to two sentences.
What is the point of reading Giovanni’s Room? On the surface, you could think that class differences no longer exist, particularly if you’re an American. The United States, unlike Paris in the twentieth century, has a homosexual aristocracy. Sorry for the bad news, but we have it, and they’re the ones pushing the “gay agenda” and LGBTQ+ movement forward today. They’re the residents with abnormally loud voices in the area. Giovanni’s Room serves as a painful reminder that we frequently avoid making the most crucial relationships for fear of being criticized, wounded, or even homophobic (Baldwin,2016). We must be courageous and take the less-traveled path because love can conquer any barrier if we are willing to fight for it.
References
Baldwin, J. (2016). Giovanni’s room (No. 372). Everyman’s Library.
Kent, J. (2017). Baldwin’s Hemingway: The Sun Also Rises in Giovanni’s Room, with a Twist. Twentieth Century Literature, 63(1), 75-93.
Van Peer, W. (2020). But what is literature? Toward a descriptive definition of literature. In The language and literature reader (pp. 118-126). Routledge.
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