Discovering Literary Context All of this reading should enable you to write a 1-2 page section on the historical, cultural, and literary background of your passage. The literary context comprises evidence from within the epistle of James itself. Context in literature. We are taught to find symbols, make connections, find themes, learn about characters. Literary theorists all over the world propounded many theories that either divorced the two or made their bond stronger. Once again, historical contex t of the song clarifies the meaning and the message. The form of literature is its genre: short story, poem, novel, play or fable. II. Many meanings are possible when we don’t read something in context. First and foremost, literature opens our eyes and makes us … The literary context is also important because it’s clarifying. Literary & Historical Context of The Importance of Being Earnest Chapter Exam Instructions Choose your answers to the questions and click 'Next' to see the next set of questions. Some people believe that you do not need background information in order to understand the meaning of novels and poems. Each of these volumes focuses on an individual writer, offering lively, accessible and relatively short essays, by leading scholars, on the many contexts - literary, political, intellectual, social and cultural - that have a bearing on his or her work. The Importance of Literary Context in understanding the Bible. In the previous article, we looked at the importance of understanding what had been going on that prompted the writing of the letter. The idea of context in literature can imply a number of things. 3. Knowing the author's point. THe Importance of Context. Throughout the chapter, they once again identify the key aspects we should consider related to the literary context when we engage the Bible. Critics have reviewed and debated the value of literary works since before the Italian Renaissance. Can a book or poem be read with no understanding of its context? It’s very hard to see the meaning of a text if we don’t understand what the author says before and after that given piece of text. This article stresses the need to interpret any passage in light of the overall message of the letter. This alone should prove that context is imperative in determining the meaning of a literary text. There is no guarantee that a specific passage will have important elements in each of these categories, but there will definitely be at least general historical, cultural, or literary aspects to your passage. We are dealing with writing that is certainly more didactic than narrative, but we can qualify this classification in two respects. In another genre, you could think of Bob Marley whose reggae songs also tell a story - if you know the context! Let me just mention briefly in closing a few examples of how sensitivity to literary context can help us. The Importance of Examining the Literary Context A. Graduate students need literary history in a cultural context. When the text was written and when it was set may also have an important part to play in what is written. The enjoyment found in reading and studying literature comes when students consider the importance of these two elements, with each clarifying the other. The content of the piece is its story, what it's about. 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. The context hinted at by the examination question. Each of these volumes focuses on an individual writer, offering lively, accessible and relatively short essays, by leading scholars, on the many contexts - literary, political, intellectual, social and cultural - that have a bearing on his or her work. So let’s talk a little bit about literary context. Reading expands these skills, and we begin to look at a sentence with a larger sense of detail and depth and realize the importance of hidden meanings so that we may come to a conclusion. But again, it would have dampened the story a bit if I had. When we take passages out of their literary context, we can make many passages say some strange things. To me, however, literature serves as a gateway to learning of the past and expanding my knowledge and understanding of the world. A short Oscar Wilde biography describes Oscar Wilde's life, times, and work. I think discourses, letters, speeches, these things are put together by an author in … IV. This article stresses the need to interpret any passage in light of the overall message of the letter. “The Bible’s words are written in the form of minimally three different kinds of texts: discourse, narrative, and poetry” (46): “Discourse texts are simply words spoken or written from one person to another” (46) My point is not that literary history is not taught or considered at all now in graduate courses—that would be an exaggeration.