Understanding Context in Literary Texts

Importance of Context

• Literary texts do not exist in isolation; they are influenced by larger contexts.
• Contexts affect the meaning and interpretation of texts and include cultural, historical, political, social, and economic circumstances.

Types of Contexts

1. Biographical Context (Writer's Context):
   • Involves the author's life, values, assumptions, gender, race, political, and economic orientation.
2. Cultural Context:
   • Includes societal attitudes, such as changing gender roles.
3. Literary Historical Context:
   • Considers the conventions of a literary genre.

Components of Context

• Subject:
  • Main topic of the work, e.g., culture, history, politics, etc.
• Purpose:
  • Author’s reason for writing, e.g., to narrate, compare, explain, argue, or persuade.
• Audience:
  • Determines the tone, style, diction, organization, and content.
• Occasion/Situation:
  • Writer’s personal motivation influenced by significance or relevance.

Questions to Examine Context

1. When was the text written? What was society like?
2. Where was the text written? How did the place influence the writing?
3. What political, social, cultural, economic, or religious influences are reflected?
4. What influences did the genre and contemporaries have on the work?

Influence of Context on Writing

• Context shapes how writers construct sentences and organize their texts.
• Context is foundational for researching and organizing the text.

Techniques in Developing Context

1. Hypertexts:
   • Digital, non-linear reading using links (hyperlinks) to access additional information.
2. Enter Texts:

Linear vs Non-linear Reading

• Linear Reading:
  • Traditional reading from beginning to end, usually in printed formats like books and articles.
• Non-linear Reading (Hypertext):
  • Digital reading allowing dynamic information organization through hyperlinks (e.g., World Wide Web).

Hypertext and Digital Reading

• Hypertext involves interconnected documents via hyperlinks, facilitating dynamic reading experiences.
• Coined by Ted Nelson in 1963, hypertext underpins the World Wide Web.

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