Many people say that literature is outdated. Nowadays we have so many sources of entertainment. For example, it goes about TV shows, online videos, and even video games. It is evident that the popularity of books is rapidly declining. However, there are still millions of people who can identify themselves as avid readers. Why do they like books and what makes literature relevant even nowadays? We will research this question in this material. Read this article to know about the main things that make literature relevant even nowadays.
Literature is about values
Literature becomes a source of life values for the readers. This is especially relevant to children as those readers that may need guidelines and inspiration. If a child’s first book is The Lord of the Rings, he or she can be easily inspired by the nobility, courage, and curiosity peculiar to its characters. These values may become fundamental for such a reader. However, this applies only to some books. Mind that there may be novels with rather ambiguous characters that can make a child accept ambiguous values.
Books are essential for education
Various literature reviews are very common as written assignments in universities and colleges. An online search can easily give an example of some quality academic writing dedicated to famous books written by the most notable authors. Whether it goes about essays about Macbeth, analysis of Tom Sawyer, or the story of Jane Eyre, written assignments dedicated to these books are rather common and popular. They prove to be essential parts of academic curricula in different facilities all around the world.
What is the purpose of such essay tasks? First of all, they increase students’ literacy. The point is in getting used to reading various novels even while being a school learner. This helps a student develop a special approach to literature, as well as a better understanding of this topic. Improved awareness of various literary styles, topics, and trends can make a person more thoughtful and even self-aware. Besides, literary works serve as a perfect tool for developing the learners’ analytical skills. Finally, students improve their self-expression skills as they write texts on the most notable literary works.
Literature helps us understand what is wrong
Apart from teaching us positive traits, books also show us what traits are completely adverse and what consequences they can bring. We can mention Othello jealousy as an example of a completely destructive personal trait exposed in literature. Shakespeare’s drama Othello makes it clear to readers that distrust and jealousy can kill. Surely, this drama is strongly recommended to all those people who tend to express this adverse trait. After all, reading one of Shakespeare’s greatest works or even essays on this topic may provoke some thoughts on the value of trust and self-control.
Surely, the question of negative traits exposed in literature should not be limited to Othello. Almost all books include negative characters who symbolize various negative traits. In many cases, you may even find negative traits in the main characters of your favorite narratives. Even when it comes to stories that seem to be mere fairy tales, there’s a great opportunity to watch some negative personal issues in an objective light. For example, we can mention Peter Pan from the book named after this character. Even though Peter is a positive and generous person, he shows too much recklessness, which is sometimes emphasized by the author. As a result, you will see criticism of reckless approach to life if you read book attentively.
Books help us understand modern problems
Our society is overloaded with various problems and issues. It goes about a broad range of topics, including poverty, hostility, crime, racism, addictions, lack of ecological awareness, and so on. An interesting fact is that there are always hundreds or even thousands of books dedicated to such topics. If you want to understand the modern world better, we highly recommend you focus on literature. In many cases, the authors understand them well and are ready to explore these issues in detail.
Surely, don’t expect a detailed exploration of modern problems in books written 30, 50, or even 200 years ago. If you’re into something relevant, search for a popular book that explores current events and issues. Also, make sure to read various reviews. In most cases, you can easily find the lists of the most relevant books dedicated to social issues on the Internet. It is just like watching the most popular modern films. The key difference is that books help you explore the problem in more detail.
In conclusion
So, as you see, literature still has much value in the modern world. Even though there are more popular sources of entertainment, we can’t deny the importance of books. After all, they tend to bring more meaning into our entertainment. For example, they teach us the right values. They also help students develop some of their basic skills because literature reviews are often included as assignments in college or university curricula. Besides, books expose some negative traits and tell us about the problems of modern society and, thus, raise global awareness of such issues. Surely, there are many more things that make books so important. The key point is that, due to many reasons, literature will never die.
