This week in class we focused mainly on finding the differences between a work
of literature and a work of commercial fiction. I found this topic to be
interesting and fun, but at the same time quite challenging. In the past I did
not exactly think about what classified a book as being literature and what I
was reading just for pure pleasure.
I would rate my
understanding of all the ideas from class this week a 7/10. I like that we
focused on what specific aspects make a piece of literature different from other
writing. I understood that finding a deeper meaning behind my writing and
looking for symbolism were sure signs of a work of literature. I also learned
that much of commercial fiction is made solely for the purpose of entertainment
and money. Once Mr. Schoenborn had us read a chapter entitled "Reading the
Story" I started to figure out that I had a lot more feelings about commercial
fiction than I thought I did. I felt that the author was bashing commercial
fiction and I noticed that my comments in the sidebars started to get really
defensive.
I did not give myself a 10/10 rating for
understanding this week's lessons for two reasons. The first is that I believe
you can never fully understand the difference between commercial fiction and
literature. There is not a bold, solid line that classifies every book on the
earth as literature or commercial fiction. There are aspects that create what is
considered literary genius. I also think I could have comprehended the T-Chart
assignment better. I read the short story, "Lunch with Debbie" and immediately
thought the story was commercial fiction. When checking my comparisons with
other students I realized there were some literary moments that I missed out on.
I take that as more of a learning experience and believe you can learn from your
peers as well as your teacher.
By focusing more on what I
am reading and looking for signs of literature versus commercial fiction I
believe I will begin to form a better understanding of the differences between
the two genres. Learning is never ending for many topics and I believe this to
be one of them.
http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/shakespeare-wrote-commercial-fiction-the-battle-between-literary-commercial-fiction/
Above I included a link to a website arguing that not all commercial fiction can be classified as "not literature". I found the article very interesting. It connected to what we learned this week because we talked about there being a fine line between what the definition of literature is and what the definition of commercial fiction is. This article talks about breaking those definitions and how authors of literature may have also written their works to be commercial fiction.
of literature and a work of commercial fiction. I found this topic to be
interesting and fun, but at the same time quite challenging. In the past I did
not exactly think about what classified a book as being literature and what I
was reading just for pure pleasure.
I would rate my
understanding of all the ideas from class this week a 7/10. I like that we
focused on what specific aspects make a piece of literature different from other
writing. I understood that finding a deeper meaning behind my writing and
looking for symbolism were sure signs of a work of literature. I also learned
that much of commercial fiction is made solely for the purpose of entertainment
and money. Once Mr. Schoenborn had us read a chapter entitled "Reading the
Story" I started to figure out that I had a lot more feelings about commercial
fiction than I thought I did. I felt that the author was bashing commercial
fiction and I noticed that my comments in the sidebars started to get really
defensive.
I did not give myself a 10/10 rating for
understanding this week's lessons for two reasons. The first is that I believe
you can never fully understand the difference between commercial fiction and
literature. There is not a bold, solid line that classifies every book on the
earth as literature or commercial fiction. There are aspects that create what is
considered literary genius. I also think I could have comprehended the T-Chart
assignment better. I read the short story, "Lunch with Debbie" and immediately
thought the story was commercial fiction. When checking my comparisons with
other students I realized there were some literary moments that I missed out on.
I take that as more of a learning experience and believe you can learn from your
peers as well as your teacher.
By focusing more on what I
am reading and looking for signs of literature versus commercial fiction I
believe I will begin to form a better understanding of the differences between
the two genres. Learning is never ending for many topics and I believe this to
be one of them.
http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/shakespeare-wrote-commercial-fiction-the-battle-between-literary-commercial-fiction/
Above I included a link to a website arguing that not all commercial fiction can be classified as "not literature". I found the article very interesting. It connected to what we learned this week because we talked about there being a fine line between what the definition of literature is and what the definition of commercial fiction is. This article talks about breaking those definitions and how authors of literature may have also written their works to be commercial fiction.