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The Educated Imagination (Cbc Massey Lectures Series)

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Northrop Frye is probably *the* most important English-language literary critic of the 20th century. "The Educated Imagination" is a series of six short essays based on talks/lectures he gave on Canadian radio. His focus here is slightly different than many of his other works (like the classic study "An Anatomy of Criticism". He begins by posing some very basic questions that tend to be taken for granted in more scholarly works-- questions like "What IS literature?", "How is literature different from other types of writing?" "What value is there in reading/studying literature?" "How should literature be taught in schools?" etc. In the course of answering these questions, Frye introduces the reader to his general theory of literature and literary criticism. Throughout the book, his style, tone, vocabulary, and approach are extremely accessible and "reader-friendly". All and all, this isn't as through, as rigorous, or a intelletually rich a book as some of Fryes more scholarly work (e.g. "An Anatomy of Criticism", "The Great Code", "Fearful Symmetry", etc.), but it's an excellent and accessible introduction to his view of literature in general-- and as to why humans create and value it.

On the recommendation of a friend, I picked up Northrop Frye's _The Educated Imagination_. As my colleague said, "I read this each fall to remind me what is important about teaching literature." I could not agree more.

Originally broadcast as a series of six lectures on literary criticism, Frye not only introduces what "literary criticism" is (the answer surprised me), but also addresses the question of "why is literature important?" An excellent question in an age of technology and science.

Among other things, Frye explains that reading fiction forces us to think about the unthinkable - to expand our imaginations - and therefore push the envelope of technology and science. Frye also points out that in thinking beyond the possible, we develop a tolerance for other ideas, which in turn breeds tolerance of other people and other opinions different from our own. I cannot think of a better reason to read.

Of course there is much more in this brief, little book. These are only the ideas that resonated most with me. It is an easy read, accessable and conversational in tone - but the ideas and arguments presented are deep and certainly worth attention. I disagree with the former reviewer - this is a must read for fans of fiction, as it gives deeper meaning to the tales and stories. But I also recommend for any reader, if only to show why the exercise of reading is so important.

I read this when I was 21. I became a writer. The book gave me inspiration and an appreciation of literature. It also helped me to develop an ideology/philosophy about life and the imagination. It should be mandatory in schools today.

This book centers around the question, "What good is the study of literature?" Every fan of literature sits up and takes notice when someone is about to defend our favorite art, and Northrop Frye makes an accessible and admirable case for literature's importance in the modern world.

In Chapter 1, he starts explaining language by imaginatively placing his readers on a deserted island. At first, the language you use is descriptive, highlighting the difference between you and the world around you: "Those are tall trees" or "that is a green snake." Next, if there are other people with you, you develop a practical language to help change your environment to something suitable for human life: "Collect the fruit from those tall trees for supper," and "Go kill that green snake." The third level of language involves the imagination: "If those trees grew any taller, they might touch the sky," and "what would life be like if these green snakes didn't want to bite us?" (Note: These are my examples, not Northrop Frye's. He makes it all sound much smarter.) Literature and poetry reside in this third stage of thinking, in the imagination.

Chapter 2 talks about the conventions of literature. The most primitive type of character that crops up in any budding society is the larger-than-life person who is associated with nature in some way, like the gods of Greek mythology who control things like weather and animals and elements. Literature evolves past these characters and changes into various forms (drama, poetry, novel) but even with all the developments and changes, every new thing we read is connected to the old things. Also, we readers can't help but compare every fresh character or story we read to others we're familiar with, and in this comparison we start to see patterns and cycles in literature. One of the big themes that overrides everything else is the longing we all have for something bigger, some place or state that we feel we have lost, and if we could only get back to it, life would be perfect.

Chapter 3 focuses on reality in literature. Maybe Prince Hamlet of Denmark wasn't real in a historical sense, but there must be something real or true about his situation, or else people would not be moved by it and remember it so well. Frye has a great quote about this phenomenon: "The poet's job is not to tell you what happened, but what happens: not what did take place, but the kind of thing that always does takes place" (pg 63). If there's any kind of universality to a work and if the characters present some emotion common to humanity, then some group of readers will always embrace it. But the question remains: why should we study this world of literature, if nothing in it precisely "true"? It helps us see an infinite number of possibilities for the future, provides us with some helpful distance for emotional issues, and most importantly, it's the vehicle of imagination, the means by which we process all of our experiences.

Chapter 4 shows that literature's conventions and archetypes don't look very much like real life. (For example, characters who speak in iambic pentameter or villains who are so superbly nuanced and complex, they couldn't possibly be real.) Literature doesn't have to look exactly like real life, and it shouldn't try to, Frye says. We turn to literature for something we aren't getting in the real world. This is absolutely true--I read poetry because I can't find language that beautiful naturally occurring anywhere else. Another one of the virtues of reading is seeing some of life's nastier elements in fictional form, not so we'll embrace them as good, but so we'll identify them as something horrible we want to prevent or avoid.

Chapter 5: Now that we've learned a bit of literary theory, we look toward teaching it to students. In order to really understand the movement of all literature, Frye says that students must thoroughly study the Bible. Although the Bible is more than literature, it definitely is literature, too, and it impacts so much much of Western writing, you can't have a complete literary training without a thorough knowledge of it. Next, we come to classical mythology, which you also have to read extensively to figure out the themes and patterns of of literature. But what all this reading and study is trying to do is "transfer...imaginative energy from literature to the student" (pg 129). It's not cold, lifeless learning for the sake of bragging rights--there's something vibrant and important here, which we need to perceive.

Chapter 6: Once we have an educated imagination, how do we apply it? We can use our well-trained imaginations to help shape the world we have into the world we want. We can recognize cliches, repetitions, and intentionally misleading language when we meet them in the real world, and we can sense cycles and patterns. By disciplining ourselves to understand language and literature, we have not simply accomplished something pleasant; we have improved our own ability to think and to communicate ideas.

The Educated Imagination is an absolutely tremendous work. It breaks down literary criticism and the reasons for studying literature into very simple language, and it has shaped the way I think about books: every book I come across gets measured against all the other books I've read, but it was only after reading Northrop Frye that I realized I was doing this. I hope many other readers continue to find his work as instructive as I have.

As a teacher of literature for nearly fifteen years, I have, of course, had to address the question, "Why do we have to read this?" Why do we read literature? This is a question that literary critics have been posing since before the time of Aristotle. There are many answers to this question, of course, but I have never come across an answer more lucid and inspired than Northrop Frye's book The Educated Imagination.

Frye has written much on the subject, of course, most of it so dense that one could ponder a single sentence of his for an entire semester without exhausting the meaning; but this book is so memorable because it is based on a series of lectures, giving the book a more conversational tone. It's like having Frye himself right next to you, sharing his thoughts on the subject. It is such a light, pleasant read that one can finish it in an afternoon and still remember every important point.

Again, many critics have answered the age-old question about literature. I have not read them all, but this is one book that has stuck with me.

As the title suggests Frye breezily discusses the preeminent role that imagination, and hence literature, does and should play in a person's life. Although sparsely written, each paragraph deceptively contains a great deal of insight and weight. This is more than a book for English majors; it is highly recommended for anyone who considers herself a true and active citizen of a liberal democracy.

Accessible justification for why we read literature; it is an excellent companion piece to Foster's 'How to Read...' working with students at a science/math magnet school means I often have reluctant readers who do not see the applications of reading in their prospective fields. Frye justifies the study. Recommended.

Very insightful. I know he meant to make this an informal style, but it's confusing. He keeps going back and forth, here and there, but he ultimately makes 1-2 good points in each essay. However, the one or two interesting point he makes in each essay really tickles your mind. Very philosophical....but..not recommended for those who thrive on fiction.