Prompt #2
There is no such thing as an original thought. Everything
conceivable by the human mind exists as a combination of items from the
collective human existence. Foster approaches this concept in literature with
the assertion that there is only “one big story” explaining how “stories grow
out of other stories”. Each work that is
created is or was inspired by a work that came before it, leaving traceable
remnants in its wake. These created works will go on to inspire other works,
and the pool of inspiration which can be drawn from will increase ad infinitum.
Understanding this concept creates a dilemma for the reader.
A book is no longer just a book. It is a collection of works with a new spin on
them. This idea adds depth to the reading experience. It leaves the reader
constantly trying to draw parallels between works in an attempt to peel back at
the deeper meaning and layers of the story.
Enslaved Africans who would work in the fields of the South
often cried out in song as they worked to express their grief. Work songs were
used by Black American railroad workers to keep a steady pace as they laid
tracks across the country. What do these have in common? The wailing voice of
field cries and the steady pause beat of work songs merge to create the genre
known as Blues music. As time progressed, Blues grew into R&B, R&B grew
into Rock & Roll and Soul, Soul into Funk, and so on. From one genre of music another is born each
leaving distinct markers of their predecessor, the case is the same for works
of literature.
I think that your description of the never ending cycle of literature perfectly illustrates Fosters point that all of literature is part of one big story. Moreover your description of how a book can be more than just a book is spot on and is often the subject of debate since readers can see different sources of inspiration within the same piece. Your example of how music evolves just like literature is great because it shows this phenomenon is not unique to literature.
ReplyDeleteJeffrey, I really enjoyed your analogy of music and connecting these two parallels together. It's interesting to read how you interpreted the evolution of music and how they can also tie into the literature world. I'm sure that the blues and gospel music are some of the oldest genres in the musical history. Every reader interprets books differently and writers are always inspired by previous authors and therefore their writing entails a glimpse of past literature.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with your take on the never-ending progression of literature; perhaps even comparing it to a tree, and how it continues to grow and branch out while all originating from the same roots, would be a perfect embodiment of your ideas. Your analogy comparing this growth of literature to that of music was also fantastic, and a perfect example to illustrate your point.
ReplyDeleteIt is weird to think that every text created isn't truly an original thought, rather it is an evolution off of another piece, which is also an evolution, etc. This explains why it is so stressed in literature studies to look for the similarities from piece to piece, not only to better understand the presented story but also understand the author's experiences that led to the creation of the piece. I love the analogy to the evolution of African American music because it is similar to the evolution of literature, but easier to visualize in music genres compared to the slow, complicated changes in literature.
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