ymbols and ymbolism

Literary Uses of Symbolism

  Literary symbolism   Literary uses of symbols go back into antiquity.  Indeed, some scholars especially in anthropology) refer to all words as symbols, because they point to something else.  (But, then, does the word, "word," have denotative meaning only--or is it symbolic of itself, a meaningless redundancy?) 

  One of the first difficulties is the overlap between this category and Chapter, 4, "Myth and Ritual."  Is the difference between myth, fable, legend, and fairy tale mainly semantic or is there formal differences?  Is there other differences, such as perspective, historicity, or intent?  Some of these may seem irrelevant to this bibliographic essay, but they do impact how one interprets literature.  While, for the purposes of this essay, I have tried to limit stories classified as "myth" to Chapter 4 and other forms, i.e., fairy tales, to this chapter on literature, to some extent the distinctions between such categories are artificial, or, at least, fine lines of distinction. 

  Is all art intentional or is there an unconscious aspect of creativity that raises some works of literature (and other arts) above the common and usual?  This question is raised by another field which overlaps this section, psychology.  Even while authors like Henry James and William Gibson write novels that heavily involve psychology and psychological concepts, many critics still limit interpretation to the conscious intent of the author, without considering the greater impact of the whole.  While many graphic artists seem to have no problem admitting that there is more in their work than they intend, rarely is this acknowledged by authors, the verbal artists.  While a literary critic may exlude him/herself from psychological interpretation, not having a degree in psychology, increasing numbers of psychologists are applying their knowledge to some forms of literature, especially the fairy tale.

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General:

•   Bercovitch, Sacvan, ed.  Typology and Early American Literature.  S.l.:  University of Massachusetts Press, 1972.  340pp.  BS478.B47. 
•   Brumm, Ursula.  American Thought and Religious Typology, trans. John Hooglund.  New Brunswick, NJ:  Rutgers University Press, 1970.  265pp., SBN: 8135-0621-2.  BS478.B7713. 
•   Cashdan, Sheldon.  The Witch Must Die:  How Fairy Tales Shape Our Lives.  New York:  Basic Books, 1999.  283pp., 0-465-09148-2.  GR550.C39 1999. 
•   Ciardi, John.  How Does a Poem Mean?  Boston:  Houghton Mifflin Co., 1959.  366pp., numbered 663-1028.  PS586.C53. 
•   Fabiny, Tibor.  The Lion and the Lamb:  Figuralism and Fulfilment in the Bible, Art and Literature.  New York:  St. Martin's Press, 1992.  164pp., 0-312-07544-8.  BS478.F28 1992. 
•   Ferber, Michael.  A Dictionary of Literary Symbols.  New York:  Cambridge University Press, 1999.  263 pp, 0-521-59128-7.  PN56.S9F47 1999.
•   Franz, Marie Louise von.  Individuation in Fairy Tales, rev. ed.  Boston:  Shambhala, 1990.  230pp., 0-87773-525-5.  GR550.F7 1990. 
•   Leeming, David Adams and Drowne, Kathleen Morgan.  Encyclopedia of Allegorical Literature.  Santa Barbara:  ABC-Clio, 1996.  326 pp., 0-87436-781-6.  PR56.A5L44 1996.
•   Murphy, Patrick D., ed.  Literature of Nature:  An International Sourcebook.  Chicago:  Fitzroy Dearborn, 1998.  490 pp., 1-57958-010-6.  PN48.L58 1998.
•   Zimbaro, Valerie P.  Encyclopedia of Apocalyptic Literature.  Santa Barabar, CA:  ABC-Clio, 1996.  400 pp., 0-87436-823-5.  PN56.A69Z56 1996.

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