Descriptive vs. prescriptive aspects of the concept of literature: The example of the polyvalence convention

Abstract

In the following paper we will argue that even within an empirical study of literature, the concept of literariness continues to carry certain prescriptive implications. We demonstrate this by spelling out such prescriptive implications for the concept of polyvalence. We then argue, referring back to the discussion of the postulate of value neutrality in the social sciences, in favour of accepting that it is impossible to eliminate all prescriptive implications from concepts such as ‘literariness’ and ‘polyvalence’. On this basis we offer a definition of literariness as a concept with a core of normative defining characteristics which does, however, also allow for a broader, descriptive use. We further suggest that functions as they have been traditionally attributed to literature (such as an anticipatory function) can serve to justify such prescriptive implications within the framework of goals-means-analysis.