I decided to respond to the following literary quote:
“What is wonderful about great literature is that it transforms the man who reads it towards the condition of the man who wrote.”- E. M. Forster
As I read this quote I was able to relate it to a lot of what we have been doing in class lately. In this quote E.M Forster describes “Great literature” as something that can basically change the reader into feeling like the author. I absolutely agree with this guy! To me, this quote means a reader can actually feel the same emotions as the author when reading his work. If you’re reading something happy your attitude will definitively be different than if you were reading something depressing. I think that when you write something, your ultimate goal is to connect with your audience. If you can achieve this than people understand what you are writing about and can actually see it from your point of view. Connecting to your audience is very important because it gives your writing a purpose. If you were to write something which no one could relate to then your purpose is lost. For example, say you were writing about an issue and how important this issue is etc. if you can’t make your audience see what you’re seeing then they’re not going to understand your point of view and possibly disagree with you on that issue.
I agree for the most part. Your mood doesn't always change when you read something with a good or bad mood. If you just tell yourself that it is only a story then your emotions don't really get effected by it. Also if you are arguing an issue and you don't get your point across, then yes i do agree that you will more than likely lose your audience all together.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read the quote I didn't know what it meant lol. So I'm glad you explained it via your point of view. I totally agree with you about connecting to an audience. I love reading books, I really am a book nerd. Maybe it's because I love reading pieces that appeal to me. Something that I can connect to and take with me for life. I love learning life lessons from words printed on a page, it's crazy. Sometimes you can skip the bad things in life if you previously read about someone else experiencing it.
ReplyDeleteI kind of agree with you. You need to make your points know to your audience. But you don't need to necessarily make the reader the author. In personal stories especially, I don't feel like I am the author per se. But I do understand what the author is saying. And who ever is hcs11f, I agree that I didn't get the quote at first. What Juan did to explained it, made it clearer.
ReplyDeleteI didn't understand the quote at first either but I totally understand how you explained it! I think that one of the most important things about writing is to connect with your audience. If you can't have that connection with them, then I feel like the whole story is lost and is point less. Connection is key and when writing my essays I try to do the best to think about if the reader could relate or understand where I'm coming from.
ReplyDeleteI think that a really good writer should be able to put himself into the audiences shoes. He needs to be able to evoke certain emotions within them. They do not necessarily need to be the same feelings as the author. People interpret work differently so the author could be saying one thing and the audience could see something else.
ReplyDeleteYes one main goal of authors is to connect with their audience, but they are not going to totally change their opinions or views towards something. The emotions of the reader can be affected by siding with or against the author. Most of the time the person reading the book would be siding with the author since their point of view is usually written to be the better one. But I can definitely relate to the whole book changing your attitude from maybe happy to mad or sad to happy because I have been affected by books this way before.
ReplyDeleteI mostly agree with this quote. The books i enjoy reading the most are the ones that I can relate to. I don't think we always need to feel the same emotion as the author did when writing, but it has to evoke some sort of emotion. I believe writing is really powerful when you can change a person's mood or attitude towards a topic.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this. I know that I personally can't read something unless I can connect to it. If I read something that I can't relate to then I lose interest in what I am reading. Connecting to your audience makes that much of a difference. I enjoy books that I choose over books that I have to read for school because I pick books that I relate to. If I'm not interested in a book there is a greater chance that I probably won't finish it. Also, if I can't see the point that the writer is trying to make then I become completely lost and confused.
ReplyDeleteI don't know that I completely agree with this. When you look at novels and fantasy stories such as Harry Potter, this quote seems to be stretched. Harry is an orphan, a social outcast, and an angsty teen. JK Rowling wrote this to help us understand the conditions of that point of view, not her own. Another hole can be found in JRR Tolkein's books. The Lord of the ring trilogy is based in Christian hierarchy and thought, and almost every main character can be copared to biblical text. But by reading the book, one does not necessarily become "more" Christian.
ReplyDeleteI think the author connecting with the audience is the most important thing. If there is no connection then what’s the point of reading the story. That’s the point of writing too, to connect with your audience. When I'm writing my essay I try to keep in mind that is going to read it. That way I can try to form a better connection and they will enjoy the writing more. If there is a connection then the reader gets more out of the story as well and as an author that is the best part. Shakespeare connected with lots of people which is why is work lasted so long and now we cant seem to get away from him. No offense to him though.
ReplyDeleteI really think the meaning of that quote is to prove that writing influences. It's not just about connecting with your audience. Even though connecting with your audience is usually key to gaining any form of influence over your readers, it is not the most important thing. If you read the writings of Adolf Hitler or some other horrible person, would there be a connection between you and him? I would hope not. Would you be influenced? I know that I would be more likely to become less hateful as an effect of reading that. That is still influence. Almost all authors have some degree of influence over their readers. It's one of the main purposes of writing in the first place. Does it demand a connection with the audience? NO.
ReplyDeleteI agree to a certain extent with the quote. I believe that one can only truly feel all the author's emotions if it is written in the right way and if you are part of the target audience. If a paper is about an experience that you have no relation to then you will not likely feel all the emotions opposed to a person who has experience similar situations. The person may be able to feel some emotions but definitely not all of the author's feelings.
ReplyDeleteI somewhat agree with this blog. Yes, when we write we are writing for a specific emotion thus giving our story a purpose. But just because the reader doesn't agree with your paper it doesn't mean you have lost your purpose. When we write, we write for a specific audience. If someone that is not in that 'audience' reads what you wrote they may not agree with you no matter how great of a writer you actually are. It is all based on our own opinions. There are a lot of books and essays that my teachers, family, and friends have told me are wonderful examples of great literature that I haven't agreed with. But that doesn't mean they aren't actually great examples of literature. It just means that I personally don't like them. What we all think is great literature is different. We all have different opinions.
ReplyDeleteThe affect that someones writing has on you is subject to the strength of the writing. So I agree with you to a certain degree. The connection that reader makes with a writer is also based on the personal emotion felt by the reader with respect to the topic. I could read a paper on trumpets and it may not necessarily have an affect on me simply because I share no personal connection with that topic. It's really subject to the way all three elements correlate.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very powerful quote. I agree completely with it. In a great piece of literature, the reader can feel where the writer is coming from by putting himself in the writers shoes. When I read a book I really look into to the purpose of the piece of literature. Asking myself What was their inspiration? What is the purpose? And What kind of emotions are they putting in to the piece of work? I feel as if I can get a better sense of the work, when I can relate myself to the author.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you almost completely. As you read something, your emotions do change, but only a certain extent. You can always tell yourself that something is not real so that your mood doesn't change. It has to be written in a way where it is brilliant so you can attach yourself to the authors emotions and feel how they did.
ReplyDelete