Critical approaches to humanities - Essay Example

Human evolution of thought has redefined most of what has been written as each contemporary period interprets work from a different perspective. In order to understand meanings and interpret the writing for the intended meanings, culture must be studied and examined to give the language context. Burke (1993: 56) begins his discussion of the context of culture as it relates to the written novel by stating that “Literature explores and makes sense of the mystery of the human condition in all its varied and twisted configurations”.

When literature is looked at through this perspective, it is clear that beyond the idea of the story, the revelations of plot, setting, and theme, is the underlying creation of a reflection of how human beings relate to one another and to their world within a specific cultural context. This does not discount universality or the idea that human beings are at the core, human, but it does take into consideration the idea of meaning. The meaning of a concept will be very different in one time and space than it is in another.

As an example, a modern reading of Macbeth creates a sense of the fantastical, belief suspended to accept the idea of witches that give over prophesy and ghosts (although often this is considered Macbeth’s hallucination) that torment those who have acted against them in life. From a contemporary perspective, however, the idea of witches and ghosts was very real to the audience. The three witches would not require the suspension of disbelief, but would be a reflection of the contemporary beliefs of Jacobean England.

This could be compared to the reception of the film The Passion of Christ during a world a thousand years from now where the religions of today have transformed or been eliminated. The belief with which viewers watch this film will not have the same context as it would in a thousand years. The study of English began with the