Section Five Why to Study Literature and Life
“文学与人生”这个话题，听来非常大众化，却是个从未降温的热门话题，因为每个人都在经历和体验着各自的人生，每个受过教育（包括义务教育）的人都定会在不同的年龄段通过不同的途径受到文学的熏陶、吸引和影响，每个人对文学和人生的关系都有或多或少的体会，都想说说。很多人有兴趣学习《文学与人生》，至少有下列目的。
“Literature and life”， this subject of a talk， sounds very popular and is really a never-cooling hottopic of conversation， for everyone is undergoing the process of his or her life and observing and learning fromthe real life. Everyone who has ever received some education (including compulsory education) has surelybeen brought up and nurtured， attracted or tempted and influenced by literature at different ages in differentways. Everyone has learned more or less from his or her experience about the relation between literature andlife and wants to have a say. Many people are interested in learning Literature and Life. There are at least thefollowing aims.
1．为了获得世界知识和人类智慧
文学是文化遗产，是获得社会知识和人类智慧的秘诀。通过学习文学，我们能学到新鲜思想和新的观念。文学让读者看透现实的本质。通过文学，我们知道更多的传统、习俗、信念、看法、民间传说和所写时代的社会准则。文学总是给我们读者提供一些新信息，拓展我们的世界知识。文学能以一种高贵、典雅的质地服务于人和社会。无数仁人志士在文学的熏陶和影响下，常把他们所读文学作品中的人物作为他们人生的偶像，为社会和人类文明作出了贡献。
1．To acquire world knowledge and human wisdom
Literature is a cultural heritage and a key to acquire social knowledge and human wisdom. By learningliterature， we learn fresh ideas and new concepts. Literature brings readers insight about the nature of reality.
Through literature， we know more about traditions， customs， beliefs， attitudes， folklore， and the values of theera in which it is written. Literature always furnishes us readers with some new information that broadens ourknowledge of the world. Literature can serve people and society with a noble and elegant quality. Countlesspeople with lofty ideals， having been brought up and nurtured and influenced by literature， often take thecharacters in the literary works they read as their images in their lives， consequently， they’ve made somecontributions to society and human civilization.
2．为了加深对人生的理解
文学对我们有吸引力也由于它与人类的生活有着密切的关联。它阐明人类经验的复杂性，拓宽我们自己对人生理解的察觉范围。在观察文学作品中人物的私生活时，我们的大脑也开始思考，我们的心与人物的心一起跳动。对其他人如何感觉的觉察力是丰富一个人自己人格的一种很有用的办法。在这个意义上，文学不仅给了我们一个参与其他人的经历的机会，而且也成功地影响了我们对要发生的事情的态度和期望。
2．To improve understanding about life
Literature is appealing to us also because of its intimate relationship and relevant association withhuman existence. It sheds light on the complexity of human experiences and thus broadens the awarenessof our own understanding about life. While observing the private lives of characters， our minds also beginworking and our hearts beating along with the characters’. An awareness of how other people feel can bea very useful way to enrich one’s own personality. In this sense， literature not only gives us a chance toparticipate in the experience of others， but also succeeds in affecting our attitudes to and expectations aboutthings to happen.
3．为了培养文学艺术欣赏能力
用美学的术语来说，由于文学的表达美、技艺好，能作为艺术欣赏去研究。一部文学作品有其独特的结构，本身就是一件艺术品，可根据文学理论来分析。当我们能这样做的时候，我们就开始向文学批评的方向移去。然而，文学批评决不是否定或拈过拿错，而是从美学的观点对文学作品努力去说明、解释和评价。实际上，我们对如何从艺术的观点来分析文学作品学习得越多，对文学作品的理解就越深，对文学作品的鉴赏力就越好，从文学作品中得到的愉快和享受就越大。
3．To cultivate capacity of artistic appreciation
Because of its good craftsmanship and the beauty of expression in terms of aesthetics， literature canbe studied for artistic appreciation. A literary work， with its unique texture， is a self-contained piece of art，which can be analyzed in accord with literary theories. When we are able to do this， we begin to move in thedirection of literary criticism. However， literary criticism is by no means negative or fault-finding； it is anattempt to clarify， explain and evaluate literature from an aesthetic point of view. In fact， the more we learnabout how to analyze literature from an artistic point of view， the deeper our understanding and better ourappreciation of a literary work can be obtained， and greater still the pleasure and enjoyment can be drawnfrom it.
4．为了愉快而阅读
正如有时我们为了放松就听听音乐，为了娱乐去看看电影，有时我们只为愉快而读读文学作品。文学能给那些自愿关照它的人带去愉快。一般说来，文学给读者讲述的是一种与他们自己不同的令人激动的经历或世事。有人可能会说有其他形形色色的给人愉快或娱乐的方法，但当我们最终被带回到人类各种问题、感情和关系中的种种令人头脑冷静的现实时，是文学能使人们找到最大的愉快和满足。其原因在于文学不是我们肉眼明显地看到的一切东西的简单复制，实际上，文学给我们提供的是对人类生活和社会现实特殊看法的一种想象的用以解释的深思。
4．To read for pleasure
Sometimes we read for pleasure only， just as sometimes we listen to music for relaxation or go to a moviefor entertainment. Literature can bring pleasure by entertaining those who voluntarily attend to it. Generallyspeaking， literature offers readers narratives with an exciting world of experiences that is different from theirown. One may argue that there are a variety of other ways of giving pleasure or entertainment to people， yetwe discover that literature enables people to find the greatest pleasure and satisfaction when we are ultimatelybrought back to some sober-minded realities of human problems， feelings， and relationships. The reasonlies in the fact that literature is not simply a copy of what is obviously seen by our bare eyes； we are， in fact，furnished with an imaginative and interpretative reflection upon special views of human existence and socialreality.
5．为了提高素质和扩大通识
“文学与人生”是个非常大众化又非常重要的话题。它与日常人生的联系极为紧密，因而很多人一直在研究它。有的文学家和理论家写出了《文学与人生》的文章或书籍，为社会公民教育提供了学习材料。一些教授作过《文学与人生》的讲座，引起了学生们的极大兴趣。有的教授也写出了《文学与人生》的论文或着作；若干大专院校将《文学与人生》列为大学生素质教育必修课或选修课；教育部已将《文学与人生》作为大学生素质教育的通识课列入课程规划之中。许多学生都以很大的热情和兴趣参加讲座或听课。为什么呢？他们说他们能从讲座和课程中学到更多的东西。他们通过学习《文学与人生》能提高素质，扩大通识。
5．To enhance quality and broaden general knowledge
“Literature and life”is a very popular and very important topic of conversation. It’s very closelyrelated with life. Therefore， many people have been studying it. Some writers and theorists have written afew treatises or books on literature and life， which may serve social citizen education as learning materials.
Some professors have delivered lectures on Literature and Life， which have aroused great interest of thestudents. Some professors have also written quite a few monographs or works on Literature and Life. Anumber of colleges and universities have listed Literature and Life in their curriculums as a required courseor elective course for the students’ quality education.“Literature and life”has already been listed as ageneral knowledge course for college students’ quality education in the national curriculum programme bythe Ministry of Education. Many students attend the lectures or classes with much enthusiasm and interest.
Why？ They say they can learn a lot from the lectures or classes. They can enhance their quality and broadentheir general knowledge by learning literature and life.