Books occupy a very important place in the life of modern man. Educational, scientific, entertaining, specialized - they are all equally needed. And it doesn’t matter in what form they are presented: traditional print, electronic or audio. Anyway, any book is a source of information of one kind or another, accessible to anyone who takes it.
Of course, the value of books cannot be overestimated. The same can be said about the science of their study - literature. Its basics are taught back in school, and anyone can continue to study it. This article is intended to contribute to this.
The theory of literature is one of the most important components of literary criticism. This concept is very closely connected with philosophy and aesthetics, which contribute to its understanding and explanation. It is based on the history and criticism of literature, but at the same time it justifies them, forming with them a single and indivisible whole. But what does the theory of literature study?
It will not be possible to answer this question in a monosyllabic, since this branch of science has three types: socialist, formalist and historical.
In the first, all forces are thrown into the study of the reflection of reality (figurative). In the foreground are such concepts as artistry, classiness, nationality, worldview, partisanship, method.
The formalist theory of literature studies the structure and methods of constructing various works (both poetic and prose). In it, most attention is paid to the idea, style, theme, versification, plot and so on.
But the historical theory of literature, as the name implies, studies directly the literary process and its changes associated with the passage of time. In it, genres and kinds are of importance.
After summarizing all three types, we can conclude that this section of science devotes all its efforts to studying various works and determining their genre, style, historical significance, classiness, as well as finding a plot line, theme and idea.
From this we can conclude that the foundations of the theory of literature are familiar to many ordinary people - most book lovers use them to one degree or another.
This branch of science deals with many problems. Among them are those related to poetics and methodology. Of course, we must not forget about the function of literature, the problems of which are also studied by theory.
In other words, it can be called the meaning, the role of various works.
So, for example, the function of the educational literature is to provide useful information in a suitable form. Artistic works should give pleasure to the reader, fulfill political, communicative, aesthetic, cognitive and other roles. And children's literature should educate, educate (have instructive motives), contribute to the development of a small reader. It should be able to attract the attention of the child and fully comply with the normal level of development of the age category for which it is intended. In addition, children's literature should perform aesthetic, moral, cognitive, cultural and other functions.