the Muse of Literature Welcomes You—Page 2

Literature ain't what it used to be

By now you've explored traditional and conventional definitions for the term literature. You're up to date on the difference between literature spelled with a capital "L" and literature spelled with a lowercase "l?" Next explore how literature has changed.

• New ideas—how Literature has changed: tap or click here

the nexus of literature and writing technique

Despite the focus on reading, in this feature The Muse includes an exploration of writing technique, albeit from the reader's perspective. There are several reasons that explain why this is so.

Sometimes an author's literary technique is so good, so striking, a reader is compelled to stop and marvel at it. But most of the time most readers read a work without consciously considering how it's written. That is all to the good; dissecting the writing process is not the chief reason people read and it can spoil the experience. Both writers and readers understand this.

• If fiction, the reader seeks to immerse himself in the tale that is spun and the world of characters, places, and events created by the work; his goal is to feel things and to learn about the world; he justifiably shuts out anything else. The writer writes to envelop the reader in this world.
• If expository prose, the reader and the writer both want the reader to absorb as much of the relevant information content as possible, as easily First, and quickly as possible, without misunderstanding or error, and without the words getting in the way.

However, experience has demonstrated that a reader who understands how words are put together gets far more out of reading than one who does not.

Knowledge of literary techniques does not deprive a reader of the emotional pleasures of reading; on the contrary, it enriches the affective reading experience. A reader who understands writing is not denied the joys of immersing himself in the tale that is spun or in the world of characters, places, and events created by the author. The savvy reader acquires as much information as possible in as short a period as possible while getting as much or more pleasure from the experience. He feels more, thinks more, learns more.

Reading and learning how to read better form an endless loop. The more astutely one reads, the more one learns; the more one learns, the more astutely one reads; and so on.

Because of this loop, in this feature The Muse includes an exploration of the theory and practice of the art of writing literature as a means to facilitate reading enjoyment. That is, The Muse explores literary technique. The Muse hopes that you will return to these pages time and time again to explore and then read some more.

Anyone who likes to read will profit from this kind of exploration. But if you are a reader with a literary bent, you will find features here that are likely to be

begin your exploration here

The Muse invites you to explore literature from the point of view described in the About This feature section on the previous page.

The Muse suggests that you begin by clicking links in the To Do box and the To Do More boxes at the right side of this page, links in The Muse Of Literature's Muse Menu at the top, left of this page, links on the menu at the top of this page, links in the Related Pages box or the See Also box in the column at the right, or links to features cited below on this page. You also will find links to other Muse Of Literature features at The Muse Of Literature Muse Index page.

Literature is a vast subject to explore, one deserving respectful treatment. The Muse hopes to be up to the challenge.

tops & flops

At the Electricka's feature called Tops & Flops In The Arts, see lists of literary favorites and lists of other top-10s that have been submitted by visitors to Electricka's web site, including lists of their favorite writers and works of literature. There, visitors can also submit their own lists of favorites for other visitors to see at Electricka's web site.

• Get ideas for works or authors to read. See lists of literary periods and lots more that's of interest to readers like you. Visit the feature called Tops & Flops In The Arts now: click here.

reader's world

At Reader's World, reading is the name of the game and readers are king and queen. You'll find guidance and information about all sorts of subjects related to reading. Everything here is designed to make your reading experience richer, deeper, broader, and more enjoyable.

• Visit The Muse Of Literature's feature called Reader's World now: click here.

Why read?

Silly question? Read the essay, Why Read?: click here.

about writing

If you are interesting in reading literature, you may be interested in writing it. If you want to explore what it's like to cross over the fence, put on your creative artist's hat or expository writer's hat and produce written fiction or non-fiction materials yourself—see what The Muse Of Language Arts has to say at the feature called World of Writing.

• Explore writing now. Visit The Muse Of Language Arts page called the World of Writing page: click here.

Speculative Fiction Blog

The Muse of Literature is pleased to offer a blog about Speculative Fiction. The blog concentrates on Fantasy Fiction and Science Fiction, both of which are subgenres of Speculative Fiction.

The Muse Of Literature's Speculative Fiction blog explores the fantasy genre and the science fiction genre. It covers the literature itself—the stories, books, and authors—it even covers the fans and the many conventions that demonstrate the popularity of these genres in today’s world.

• Visit The Muse Of Literature's Speculative Fiction blog now: click here.

The Speculative Fiction blog is only one of the blogs at Electricka's web site. The Muse suggests that you see an overview of all of them, including Speculative Fiction, before you visit the Speculative Fiction blog.

• Orient yourself to all of Electricka's blogs at the page called About Electricka's Blogs. Then visit The Muse Of Literature's Speculative Fiction blog: click here.

explore further

—tip— other literary resources When exploring literature, take advantage of these additional resources for the arts at this web site: Explore with the help of Electricka's Resource Shelf. It contains a searchable list of references, off-site links, and entries about arts sponsored by the muses, including The Muse Of Literature: click the picture of the library cart in the Menu Box titled Resource Shelf in the column at the right side of this page. Visit The Muse Of Literature Forum at Electricka's Forums, where you can discuss literature with other Forums visitors: click the picture of the Forum in the Menu Box called the Forum in the column at the right side of this page.

ETAF Recommends

There are many introductions to literature, but only a few can be listed here.

...Coming.

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This feature spans two pages; it begins on Page 1.

To see Page 1, click the page number below or click in the Feature Pages box near the top of the column at the right.

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