Who creates literature?

Arts & Culture Culture, Arts, Literature & Linguistics
1

Upper class? Middle class? or lower class?

I mean is it necessary to have in-depth knowledge about particular classes to write about that class?

2

Re: Who creates literature?

I don't think there is one particular class that creates literature, although historically it has often been the wealthy.

Personally, I think it is necessary to have in-depth knowledge about a particular class to write about that class if the author intends to do so in a realistic manner. Also, if the writer intends to write in a style that is detail oriented or heavily draws on the context and background in which the plot is set, I think some knowledge of the class he is writing about is necessary. Otherwise, it tends to come across as contrived and rather artificial in my opinion.

I have a recent example of this. Lately, I've developed an interest in colonial Africa and have been reading quite a bit about that period, particularly about the experience of white farmers in Zimbabwe dating from the 1940s to the present time, and I've found that the books that have been the most interesting and the most thought provoking have been the ones that were written by people of that particular class (white Zimbabwean farmers, in this case) during that era. Conversely, I've also read a couple that were written by journalists (who were not of that particular class or that time period) writing about that era in retrospect and they seem to come across as rather dry, rather like an elaborate scholarly article, and a bit hollow for some reason. Interestingly, I've noticed the same pattern with writers writing about the subcontinent.

3

Re: Who creates literature?

In unequal and divided societies, it's usually the privileged and middle class writers that dominate the literary world. This is simply because of two main reasons: they have access to good education and they can afford to take writing as a hobby and profession. Usually the writers write about their lives, their own world, and since vast majority of literary figures and contemporary writers belong to privileged and middle class, the literature, as a result is heavily dominated by elitist and middle class culture.

I don't necessary believe that you need to have 'in depth' knowledge to write about particular class or group. Good fiction writers by default are exceptional observers, most upper class writers had managed to create perfectly accurate and believable working class characters and settings by just critically observing the real life people around them and by practicing meticulous adherence to details. As a fiction writer, you don't have to have scholarly knowledge about certain subject in order to write about it, what you really need to have is some degree of authority on the subject and that comes best in form of life experience in the related subject. My personal preference is that whenever you write about a group of people so different from your own, you must employ healthy levels of humanity, empathy and realism.

4

Re: Who creates literature?

In depth knowledge, yes of course. Hands-on experience, not necessarily.