This image is the page of my entrance test on what is literature, during my M.A. admission.

I am also shocked when I have seen this image after 2 year, and think that this is really my view about literature? Because today my views about literature are totally change. There is waste difference between my old views about literature and my present views about literature. But it is only because of literature which gives me strength, knowledge and new ways to be open. This image shows that how I was so limited in thinking and how I am growing now under the light of literature. You can by my ePortfolio.

When someone asked us, that what is literature? We gave them simple and as usual definition of literature, that literature is the mirror of society, it is true there is no doubt but literature is also more than mirror of society which is also mirror ourselves.

It is very nice to observe how your thoughts change with time? My views about literature are very different before my M.A. study. But during these 2 years of M.A. literature is really changed my views. Here is my answer to the same question ‘what is literature’ and how it shaped me? There is huge difference between these two answers. I understood that whatever I have written in the paper was my shallow understanding of literature.

The word literature is came from the Latin word ‘Littera’. This word has many meanings like; knowledge of the books, written works on a particular subject or any single body of written works. Here I want to say that the meaning of literature is different for everyone. It is different for those who have not studied it, different for those who writes it, and different for those who are studying it.

As per Julian Barnes, he wrote in his novel ‘The Sense of an Ending’, Literature means it all about love, sex, morality, friendship, adultery, good and evil, heroes and villains, guilt and innocence, ambition, power, justice, revolution, war, father and sons, mother and daughters, the individual against society, success and failure, murder, suicide, death, God. Literature is all about psychological, emotional, and social truth.

To define literature in one word, it is not possible. Literature is a highly interdisciplinary category, most of about different types of –isms. But there is also deep importance and value of studying literature. Literature taught us everything in life; it makes us to think critically. It also taught the triviality of life and deep meaning of literature.

Students of Literature are quite different than other students. Students of literature have their different perspective to view the things. The study of literature introduce them with the reality of, truth and experience, we can learn and know the things which is very far from us. I think studying of literature is very beneficial in life.

Before I came for my M.A. study, I thought that literature means story and poems which we are studying in class. But then in M.A I got to know that literature is not only a piece of any poem or story, but it is something different from my thought. That time in my mine there is only one definition of literature that is, ‘Literature is the mirror of society’. But now I can say that literature is not only mirror of society, but literature is mirror of us. Literature shaped our mind and thoughts, it make us able to think on a critical way.

In my M.A study I have studied many books and many viewpoints taught by Dr. Dilip Barad Sir, related to literature which shaped my way of thinking show me new image of literature. We can say that literature is the, the mirror which shows us the bitter and harsh reality of the society which not everyone can accept easily. Literature taught me many –isms, approaches and the things like existentialism. The play ‘Hamlet’ helps me to understand different approaches like, Feminist approach and Psychological approach and many others. While the play ‘Waiting For Godot’ helps me to understand the meaninglessness of life and existentialism of life. The novel like ‘To the Light House’ taught me the vision of life and oneself. So, the many literary books taught me about literature and it shaped my mind and change my way of thinking and also change the definition of literature which is in my mind before I learn these all the things.

Here I have mentioned some major changes which I have felt because of literature.

v Literature changed my way of thinking and point of view:-

I was not a person who think a lot before doing the things, and I was not think much deeply about the whatever the things. But literature changed my way of thinking. It show me the another side of the coin. We know that there are two types of things that are fact and fiction. Whatever we see that is not truth, literature takes us beyond the things which are visible. Literature shows me the truth of another side of the coin.

v Literature makes me Critic:-

Before my M.A study I was not much interested in critical thinking. But in literature I have studied criticism, it make me critic. Now I am the person who seen everything with critical perspective. Before My M.A Study I saw movies only for entertainment. But Now I have habituated with the critical thinking also during watching the movies. I am able to develop my critical thinking only because of literature.

v It makes be able to connecting the dots:-

After two years of my M.A study now I am able to connecting the dots, means connect the things with another related things and able think out of the box. In presentation also I am able to connect my M.A topics with other books and movies which is not a part of my M.A syllabus. Dr. Dilip Barad sir taught me how to connect the dots with help of literature.

v Literature Helps me to face the Failure:-

I have studied many play, novels and poems which is about love, death, Emotion and failure. These types of literature also show the way of solution. The literature like self help book gives the solution of problems of the common people. It shows the path of solution. So, I can say that literature is being very helpful in my life.

So, many changes I felt and the list can be very lengthy. But here I have discussed the most important changes, which I have felt because of literature.