Literary Maxim as a Catalyst in Cultural Edification

Abstract

The role of literature in the formation of culture is an oft repeated and much discussed topic of interest in any civilized world. In spite of that, very seldom we realize the sanctity and validity of this discourse. It is a grim reality that the modern world looks at odds with its cultural concerns and subsequently it alienates itself from the framework of responsibility, which is an utter disregard for a developing culture. Being a preliminary branch of art, literature serves a dual role in the scheme of things for the cultural development. On the other hand, it is an outcome of cultural progression, because the literary treasure of any social group is a part of its culture. On the other hand literature provides all the necessary ingredients for the formation of a culture – complex, that is an aggregate of cultural ethos. Mathew Arnold described art as a “criticism of life”. This view was an extension of Aristotle’s belief that art depends upon the imitation of nature. There was however some other scholars like Oscar Wilde, who believed that life itself imitates art. Both these theories are interesting and vital in understanding the concerns of literature as a work of art in the construction and preservation of culture. At the same time we have to formulate a canon for delineating the cultural concerns of literature. The topic of this research paper is an attempt to draw our attention toward this fundamental issue, that relates the human society to a larger canvass of its designated ideals.