Anthropology sociology Essay

Culture as defined by anthropologist Tylor; â€Å"is that complex whole which includes the knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society. † Greenblatt recognizes this definition as vague and more of a gesture towards other more specific cultures such as : â€Å"youth culture† or â€Å"human culture†. He makes his most definitive statement about culture when defining what it does not refer to- materials. Panegyric and satirical writing are both involved with the â€Å"praise and blame† of literature. Panegyric takes on the â€Å"praise† by positively reinforcing societal structures. Whereas, satire plays the â€Å"blame† card working towards pointing out the faux pas of society. Cultivation is â€Å"the internalization and practice of a code of manners†. â€Å"Exchange† is the means in which mobility is achieved. It is the borrowing of plots and adaptations from other literary works; that aren’t necessarily a part of the writers culture. Exchange is the transmission of other cultures. Exchange reaches beyond the social â€Å"constraints† of society. Culture is created through this â€Å"praise and blame† system that takes place both inside the text and also in society. Which works of literature are glorified and held up by a society? And which works of literature are looked down upon by society? Great artists are agents of mobility. Riding this in between zone of â€Å"praise and blame† — they represent the â€Å"and† the possibility of improvisations amongst a particular society. Literature in this sense is both a byproduct of culture but also literature aids in creating the social restraints of a culture. These two concepts constantly reinforce each other in a circular way– making both the mobility and the constraints of culture a possibility. This idea of mobility and constraints also bring to mind the author’s intention. It seems to me that the author will inherently represent culture in his/her writing because that is what is known– that would be the part that wasn’t intended, the constraints of society. However, I think cultural exchange and mobility would have to of been intended by the author–the ideal vision of what they think the world should be like.