The Fourfold Functions of Literature (Paperback)
Language: English
Published by Independently Published, 2026
- Softcover
- New
Seller: CitiRetail, Stevenage, United KingdomCitiRetail
AbeBooks seller since June 29, 2022
Condition: New
£ 11.99
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Paperback. Since I first encountered poetry and fiction, there has been one question constantly with me, like a silent muse, what is literature? It was more than the interest of scholars, it was a self-imposed need, a desire to know why words have the power to touch hearts, start revolutions, and redefine the way we view ourselves and the world.Being an English literature and linguistics student, and later a teacher and a writer, I traveled across the expansive terrain of the literary thought, including the classical ideals of harmony and beauty and postmodern heroics of fragmentation and skepticism. Each of the critical frameworks presented a piece of the solution, yet none of them could hold the entirety. I understood that literature is not a sculpture of absolute meaning; it is a living being: breathing, developing, contemplating, building and in some cases destroying itself to be reborn.The more I passed through languages and traditions the more I was fascinated: the calm imagination of Wordsworth, the mystic vision of Coleridge, the revolutionary spirit of Shelley and the philosophical melancholy of Eliot. With them there were the sublime voices of Urdu poetry, introspective of Ghalib and remonstrative of the national awakening in Iqbal. These voices helped me to realize that literature is not only one of its functions or definitions, but a multi-dimensional power that acts at various levels of human life. Out of this discovery was formed what I now term as the Fourfold Literary Theory.This theory suggests that literature goes through four stages which are all interrelated namely: Appreciation, Reflection, Construction and Deconstruction. It commences with pure aesthetic pleasure that awakens the imagination and lights up the soul to the beauty. It then reflects the surrounding world, and this reflects human thought, morality, and strife. Within the creative force, literature transcends being reflective and creates societies, creating identities, ideologies and shared dreams. In its most critical form, it swings back on itself deconstructing lies, power relations and illusionary beliefs in favor of underlying truths behind the words.The book is never the product of an objective tower of theory but rather the hymn of a personal experience of reading, teaching, and writing literature. It is trying to bind the aesthetic, moral, philosophical, and critical fibers of literary experience in one and the same and consistent tapestry. It is addressed to people who think that literature is not only a subject to be learned but a life to be lived, in a never-ending conversation between imagination and reality between the beauty of art and the truth of existence.If this work can help readers perceive literature not merely as a collection of texts but as a living process, one that begins with beauty and culminates in truth, then it will have fulfilled its deepest purpose. For literature, at its finest, does not just describe the world; it transforms it. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.…
Seller Inventory # 9798181335547
- Title
- The Fourfold Functions of Literature (Paperback)
- Author
- Malik Umer Ajmal
- Publisher
- Independently Published
- Publication year
- 2026
- Condition
- new
- Binding
- Paperback
- Language
- English
- ISBN 13
- 9798181335547
Being an English literature and linguistics student, and later a teacher and a writer, I traveled across the expansive terrain of the literary thought, including the classical ideals of harmony and beauty and postmodern heroics of fragmentation and skepticism. Each of the critical frameworks presented a piece of the solution, yet none of them could hold the entirety. I understood that literature is not a sculpture of absolute meaning; it is a living being: breathing, developing, contemplating, building and in some cases destroying itself to be reborn.
The more I passed through languages and traditions the more I was fascinated: the calm imagination of Wordsworth, the mystic vision of Coleridge, the revolutionary spirit of Shelley and the philosophical melancholy of Eliot. With them there were the sublime voices of Urdu poetry, introspective of Ghalib and remonstrative of the national awakening in Iqbal. These voices helped me to realize that literature is not only one of its functions or definitions, but a multi-dimensional power that acts at various levels of human life. Out of this discovery was formed what I now term as the Fourfold Literary Theory.
This theory suggests that literature goes through four stages which are all interrelated namely: Appreciation, Reflection, Construction and Deconstruction. It commences with pure aesthetic pleasure that awakens the imagination and lights up the soul to the beauty. It then reflects the surrounding world, and this reflects human thought, morality, and strife. Within the creative force, literature transcends being reflective and creates societies, creating identities, ideologies and shared dreams. In its most critical form, it swings back on itself deconstructing lies, power relations and illusionary beliefs in favor of underlying truths behind the words.
The book is never the product of an objective tower of theory but rather the hymn of a personal experience of reading, teaching, and writing literature. It is trying to bind the aesthetic, moral, philosophical, and critical fibers of literary experience in one and the same and consistent tapestry. It is addressed to people who think that literature is not only a subject to be learned but a life to be lived, in a never-ending conversation between imagination and reality between the beauty of art and the truth of existence.
If this work can help readers perceive literature not merely as a collection of texts but as a living process, one that begins with beauty and culminates in truth, then it will have fulfilled its deepest purpose. For literature, at its finest, does not just describe the world; it transforms it.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
CitiRetail
Stevenage, United Kingdom
AbeBooks seller since June 29, 2022
Shipping rates from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
| Item | 7 to 14 business days | 7 to 60 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 37.00 | £ 37.00 |
Payment methods
Store description
Online business
Seller's business information
ABC BOOKS LIMITED
10 John Street
London, United Kingdom WC1N 2EB
Terms of sale
Orders can be returned within 30 days of receipt.
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to CitiRetail, Stevenage, United Kingdom, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.
Shipping terms
Please note that titles are dispatched from our US, Canadian or Australian warehouses. Delivery times specified in shipping terms. Orders ship within 2 business days. Delivery to your door then takes 7-14 days.