General entertainment like sports, television shows, movies, video games, etc. maybe more popular among people across the world than classic literature, but literature affects society in a much different way. Great literature has longevity and lasts hundreds and even thousands of years. Not because of it’s entertainment factor, but because of it’s effect on society. Literature provides the foundation of man’s morals and what is right and wrong. It holds messages that resonate through many generations that affect the common philosophy of societies.
The television show and the series of books Game of Thrones is one of the most popular series in the world. It is very entertaining to watch and read, but it won’t be a piece of literature that will be commonly known in hundreds of years. It lacks a message to the audience that great literature provides. The Holy Bible has lasted thousands of years as the basis of one the most popular religions in the world. It has a code of morals that have been followed by a huge proportion of the world for hundreds of years that not only Christians follow, but also many non religious people. By reading The Bible it embeds morals into a person that makes them a better human being.
Reading great literature creates a better and more productive human to society. If one is able to appreciate the meanings and messages that the author is expressing in his text, it will change how they think and what kind of person they are. Literature is the basis of morals and philosophy that mold the world into a better place.
Julian, you brought up some great points on how literature differs from other forms of entertainment. Although there a number of popular movies and shows, it is difficult for them last to nearly as long books. This is mainly because literature is so socially and politically charged and is capable of representing an era's culture and ideals, whereas most movies just serve as a form of entertainment. Foster even encourages his readers to consider literature as political work by pointing out that the world is heavily influenced by our society and politics, as is literature. These complex themes are more suitable to literature and are often too difficult to capture in other forms of entertainment.
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