The study in this part of the course focuses on the connections between and among diverse literary texts, traditions, creators and ideas. You will explore further aspects of meaning, literary form, approach and chronological development. This section focuses on the comparative study of literary texts to gain a deeper understanding of unique characteristics of individual texts and interesting connections between different texts.
Connections between literary texts can be established in a variety of ways, such as through the study of a group of texts from the same literary form—for example, fiction, the sonnet, a tragedy; an exploration of a topic or concept as represented across literary texts—for example, power, heroism, gender; or an investigation into one of the seven concepts in studies in language and literature, such as representation or perspective.
Consider the six guiding conceptual questions in this part of the course:
How do literary texts adhere to and deviate from conventions associated with literary forms?
How do conventions and systems of reference evolve over time?
In what ways can diverse literary texts share points of similarity?
How valid is the notion of a classic literary text?
How can literary texts offer multiple perspectives of a single issue, topic or theme?
In what ways can comparison and interpretation be transformative?
From working with various literary forms you will become strong close readers and interpreters of texts. That will also help you to develop skills in analysing and criticizing literary texts and provide you with profound knowledge and appreciation of literature.
Unpacking the six guiding questions
How do literary texts adhere to and deviate from conventions associated with literary forms?
Consider why a writer has chosen a particular literary form to communicate their message. For example, an author may choose a novel to portray how an individual grows up because this form may be more appropriate to show the development of the character and reflect the process of acquiring maturity. However, another author may deviate from these conventions and choose to write a novel that starts when the character is already grown up and the reader slowly discovers how the process of maturity took place. In a novel the expectation is that the information provided by the narrator is true, but there are texts where this is not the case and the narrator is unreliable. In such cases you must, as a reader, be tolerant of uncertainty. You must consider why the author has included an unreliable narrator to tell the story.
How do conventions and systems of reference evolve over time?
Think of ways that clothes, music, and art come into and out of fashion from one generation to another. The same thing happens with different literary forms as they shift and shape their form to suit the changing tastes of the time. For example, you could compare the ways that elegies were written 1,000 years ago and the ways they have been written since. You can use this comparison to understand how different literary forms have changed over time and consider how these evolutions reflect, for example, social change. To what extent do the literary texts in this course show an evolution of conventions over time in relation to other texts of the same literary form?
In what ways can diverse literary texts share points of similarity?
Texts from different times, places and literary forms can have a lot more in common than might be expected. Points of connection might include adherence to literary form conventions. More importantly, they might share perspectives on issues such as love, death, migration, and identity. For example, a 19th century Vietnamese poem expressing the author’s feelings through natural imagery, an English Modernist short story expressing a character’s thoughts through the medium of everyday objects, and an ancient Greek tragedy that uses evocative dialogue to provoke exaggerated emotions among the audience may nevertheless all achieve a common purpose to endorse or question patriotic ideals. Alternatively, two texts might share similar points of contact based on the use of literary techniques, for example, two different texts might both use symbolism as a driving force to create meaning. Try to think of similar points of connection among the diverse literary texts you are reading.
How valid is the notion of a classic literary text?
Over time, different literary traditions might develop a sense of what makes some texts stand out as having more status or value than others. This suggests an inquiry into what the term classic means and how far its definition may vary between cultures. There may be many reasons why a book is considered a classic, some of which might come from ideological and cultural factors. There are issues of power and privilege at play when certain groups or authors are included and excluded when determining which texts are deemed classic. What are the criteria for evaluating what makes a literary text classic and who decides these criteria in different world cultures? When reading a book, you need to explore these questions as well as find out how the book makes sense to you as a classic text. How do these considerations apply to the choices you made in your own booklist?
How can literary texts offer multiple perspectives of a single issue, topic or theme?
Literary texts will often explore larger ideas related to human experience. Have a look at your booklist. To what extent does it include a variety of perspectives on an issue arising from differences in age, gender, race and identity? Can different or even opposing perspectives on a single issue be equally valid? You should consider whether it is possible to gain a deep understanding of an issue without taking into account multiple perspectives.
In what ways can comparison and interpretation be transformative?
Reading and writing enables you to find connections between the world represented by the writer in a literary text and your own—which you may be able to understand better by interpreting what was written. When you compare and contrast texts, your interpretation can transform your understanding of them. Through interpreting and comparing literary texts, you are transforming the way you see the world.
Transformation can be understood from four perspectives:
1. when a reader reads a text, and in the act of reading and interpreting, transforms it
2. when a writer reads a text, and being inspired by it, alludes to or even recreates it
3. when readers and writers transform texts, their view of the world and their place within it can change
4. when a text is read and re-read over time, the reader creates new meanings and as a reader, you are inevitably part of this process.
In the DP, you are expected to use what you have learned and apply it to your creativity, activity, service (CAS) experiences and projects. There are many ways that the study of literature, knowledge of language A and development of reading, writing, speaking and listening skills can be used in the context of CAS.
Through reading about characters or situations you are developing a better understanding of yourself and others. In addition, while reading about other people, places and situations, you are developing the capacity for empathy, which will help you respond to the needs of people in meaningful ways. As you analyse, interpret and reflect on what you are reading, your skills as a critical thinker are growing and this will help you plan and execute CAS projects.
Another aim of the course is to think about and comment upon global issues in your textual analysis. You will be looking at issues on a global scale and may be able to see these reflected locally. You could consider different courses of action to manifest your raised awareness in the form of CAS experiences and projects. In turn, embarking on a CAS experience or project focused on global issues arising from the texts can enrich your literary studies as you will have experienced correlated situations in real life. The combined effect of this interaction is an appreciation that the texts that you write or read are not created or experienced in a vacuum but are relevant to your life and the community in which you live.
Here are some suggestions to help you start thinking about CAS in relation to the language A course:
Development of first or best language
The language of your study as an SSST student may be a minority language in your school. How many speakers of your language are in your school or community? Think about ways in which you can help these fellow speakers. Do you want to gather these people together for activities that you can lead? Is there a need to translate publications into your language A to help these speakers? Perhaps you can think about those who do not speak your language A. Is there a need to teach or promote your language? If you are dealing with language you will probably be dealing with creativity and if you are helping people you are dealing with service.
Literature
Think about the works that you have chosen to read. What have you learned about literature through the study of these works? How could you use this in a CAS project? Do you want to promote the reading of these works? Are these works, which were written in your language A, available in the library for other speakers of your language to access or are these texts available in other languages in the library at your school? Do you feel it would be important to have these works or others by the same author highlighted at your school to create an awareness of the literature of your language A? Are there speakers of your language outside of the school who would benefit from gaining access to the literature of your language A? Can you transform the text into a public performance? Would you want to use this performance to raise awareness of a global issue? Is there any instance of injustice in the text that makes you want to form an advocacy group to take action?
When dealing with literature in these ways, you could also be dealing with creativity and service.
The following questions could be used to reflect on the connections between this area of exploration and TOK:
Is it possible for a literary text to create new knowledge?
How does one make judgments about the literary merit of a literary text? Are some texts more “literary” than others?
How are literary texts categorized? Does categorizing literary texts impact on what is known about them?
Does knowledge of literary form conventions aid or hinder the readers’ understanding of a literary text?
What knowledge and understanding can be gained by comparing a literary text in its original language and its translation, or two translations of one same text?
Can reading an adaptation, an interpretation or a transformation of a literary text help to gain a better understanding of the original text?
How do others’ reactions to a literary text influence how it is understood?
What new knowledge can be gained by reading multiple literary texts by the same author?
How important is the understanding of an intertextual allusion to the understanding of a literary text?
What knowledge can be gained by reading two literary texts on a same topic or theme?