The Role Of Emotion In Literature

The world is undoubtedly extremely complex, and in order to understand it, we must use the arsenal of ways of knowing available to us to create knowledge. Ways of knowing - methods in which knowledge can be acquired, are often required to work with each other to create the knowledge we need. Within certain areas of knowledge, we would most likely employ a network of ways of knowing that we have used with success in the past. For example, I would apply a very different network of ways of knowing when reading a novel compared to when I am attempting to figure out a scientific phenomenon. However, does this mean that each area of knowledge will always have the same network of ways of knowing interacting to gain knowledge? I will compare the arts

Many artists try to convey ideas through their artwork and Literature is a type of art that can certainly instill vicarious knowledge within readers. Based on my personal reading and what I have been taught in IB Literature, I know that interpreting literature requires sense perception, reasoning, memory and emotion. Firstly, the reader uses their sense perception to read the language created by the author. Reason is then applied to create a denotative meaning of the words chosen by the author. Emotion is potentially a way of knowing used if the words are particularly meaningful to the reader. The reader uses reasoning again in conjunction with relevant memory knowledge to conclude what the author is attempting to convey. I have applied this network before in my English Literature class whilst reading ‘The Crucible’ by Arthur Miller. Reading the scene in which John Proctor is pressured into signing a confession falsely declaring that he practiced witchcraft was particularly frustrating for me. I had prior knowledge that the ‘Salem Witch Trials’ depicted in the play was a metaphor for the prosecution of accused communists in America during the 1950s, and that Miller himself was an accused communist. As such, I was able to apply my network of ways of knowing to conclude what Miller’s intention was and find a deeper meaning within the play - Miller tries to convey frustration so that the reader can empathize with him and the other accused. This is subjective as not everyone would necessarily feel the same way when reading the same scene. This network of ways of knowing can also be applied to other pieces of art in addition to literature. For example, films, drawings and music. In each case, I would first perceive the piece of art, understand it on a superficial level and form an emotional response to then attempt to