Literature in danger, the danger of literature

Abstract

Prestigious thinkers linked to Literary Studies, such as Tzvetan Todorov and Antoine Compagnon, realized at the beginning of this century that French high school students were not particularly interested in reading books or reading in general, both in and out of school. Tzvetan Todorov attributed this to the application to literary works of sophisticated theoretical concepts and methods disseminated by higher education, which consequently put their interpretation on the back burner. In Brazil, the situation has taken on its own shape, since, alongside the predominance of theory and methodology over interpretation, there has been a decline in interest in the professional training offered by faculties of Letters and Languages. In addition to the shrinking number of undergraduate and postgraduate university programs in Literature, there is a diminishing number of classes dedicated to literary works in secondary schools, reiterating Todorov's opinion that literature is threatened with disappearance. This risk is accompanied by another: the danger posed by literature itself, which represents themes and polemicizes issues that are unwanted by dominant groups, making it an object of harassment by repressive institutions such as censorship. The revolutionary nature of literature can make it seem threatening, restricting access. But interest in literature does not wane, as new paths are taken by authors, confirming the capacity for resistance that makes it find new audiences, both inside and outside school.