Why Literature?

Sidney Rogers 3^rd

Why Literature?  By: Mario Vargas Llosa

               

                The general point made by Mario Vargas Llosa in his work “Why Literature?” is that people are too busy with their lives to care about literature. More specifically, Llosa argues that all over the world women are reading more than men. He writes, “The explanation traditionally given is that middle class women read more because they work fewer hours than men, and so many of them feel that they can justify more easily than man the time that they devote to fantasy and illusion.” (Page 39) In this passage, Llosa is suggesting that what we have learned about ourselves and others comes from good literature. In conclusion, it is Llosa’s belief that a society without literature a society can’t grow or become truly free.

                In my view, Llosa is right because you can really learn a lot about yourself and others. Not only does the content of the literature influence you, but the way you interpret the writing can also tell a lot about you. For example, when I read a book about criminal investigations, not only did I find out a lot about it, I also discovered I was very interested in it. However, someone else would read it just for a good story. Although Llosa might object that some literature causes misunderstandings, I maintain that while literature can cause understandings between people, it can also cause misunderstandings. Therefore, I conclude that although literature may not be as important to some, it is what you get out of it that matters.