Journal of Culture, Society and Development www.iiste.org ISSN 2422-8400 An International Peer-reviewed Journal Vol.7, 2015 1 The Role of English Literature in Re-Construction Society Dr.Karnik, Baharti Sheikh, Showkat Ahmad Jiwaji University, Gwalior M.P Abstract: Literature is the mirror of society and a form of art. The study of English literature allows people to develop new ideas and new way of thinking about the world. It can help individual to present themselves as educated members of society, it involves the contemplation of the essence of society and how individuals work within the confines of society’s structure. Understanding how literature motivates the individual and how it is reflexive of the individual’s society is something that ought to be given more attention and consideration. It is capable of bringing about different emotions and a general sense of “Spiritual” well-being. Literature is also crucial to learn stylistic and artistic conventions for communication and writing. Studying literature is an enriching, eye-opening experience and helps in construction of valuable society. Keywords: Literature, Society, Contemplation, Essence, Spiritual Well-being, Stylistic, Artistic, Communication, Convention, Enriching. Introduction: Literature is a topic that can is interesting and has an overwhelming approach in this 21 st century era. It is the only means to connect the world literature with each other. Studying literature allows us to understand the philosophical movements and ideas that permeated a particular culture at particular time. Literature has had a major impact on the development of society. It has shaped civilizations, changed political systems and exposed injustice. Literature gives us a detailed preview of human experiences, allowing us to connect on basic levels of desire and emotion. What is literature and its constructive role in the lives of individuals and society? The quest to discover a definition for “literature” is a road that is much travelled, though the point of arrival, if ever reached, is seldom satisfactory. Most attempted definitions are broad and vague, and they inevitably change over time. In fact, the only thing that is certain about defining literature is that the definition will change. Concepts of what is literature change over time as well. What may be considered ordinary and not worthy of comment in one time period may be considered literary genius in another. Initial reviews of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights in 1847 were less than spectacular, however, Wuthering Heights is now considered one of the greatest literary achievements of all time. The same can be said for Herman Melville's Moby-Dick (1851). What is Literature? Generally, most people have their own ideas of what literature is. When enrolling in a literary course at university, you expect that everything on the reading list will be “literature”. Similarly, you might expect everything by a known author to be literature, even though the quality of that author's work may vary from publication to publication. Perhaps you get an idea just from looking at the cover design on a book whether it is “literary” or “pulp”. Literature then, is a form of demarcation, however fuzzy, based on the premise that all texts are not created equal. Some have or are given more value than others. Most forays into the question of “what is literature” go into how literature works with the reader, rather than how the author set about writing it. It is the reception, rather than the writing, which is the object of enquiry. Largely, what we call “literature” is often a subjective value judgment, and naturally, value judgments, like literary tastes, will change. Etymologically, literature has to do with letters, the written as opposed to the spoken word, though not everything that is written down is literature. As a classification, it doesn't really have any firm boundary lines. The poet Shelley wanted to include some legislative statutes of parliaments under poetry because they created order and harmony out of disorder. There is recurring agreement amongst theorists though that for a work to be called literature must display excellence in form and style. Something may also be literary by association – that is, because V.S. Naipaul is a literary figure through his novels, his private letters are passed as literature as well. There is also general agreement that literature foregrounds language, and uses it in artistic ways. Terry Eagleton goes some way towards a definition of literature and its relationship to language: “Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech”. Just as architecture is the art form that arises out of the human ability to create buildings, literature is the art form that arises out of the human ability to create language. The common definition of literature, particularly for university courses, is that it covers the major genres of poetry, drama, and novel/fiction. The term also implies literary quality and distinction. This is a fairly basic view of literature because, as mentioned in the introduction, the meaning of the term has undergone