Section Five Why to Study Literature and Life
“文學與人生”這個話題，聽來非常大眾化，卻是個從未降溫的熱門話題，因為每個人都在經曆和體驗著各自的人生，每個受過教育（包括義務教育）的人都定會在不同的年齡段通過不同的途徑受到文學的熏陶、吸引和影響，每個人對文學和人生的關係都有或多或少的體會，都想說說。很多人有興趣學習《文學與人生》，至少有下列目的。
“Literature and life”， this subject of a talk， sounds very popular and is really a never-cooling hottopic of conversation， for everyone is undergoing the process of his or her life and observing and learning fromthe real life. Everyone who has ever received some education (including compulsory education) has surelybeen brought up and nurtured， attracted or tempted and influenced by literature at different ages in differentways. Everyone has learned more or less from his or her experience about the relation between literature andlife and wants to have a say. Many people are interested in learning Literature and Life. There are at least thefollowing aims.
1．為了獲得世界知識和人類智慧
文學是文化遺產，是獲得社會知識和人類智慧的秘訣。通過學習文學，我們能學到新鮮思想和新的觀念。文學讓讀者看透現實的本質。通過文學，我們知道更多的傳統、習俗、信念、看法、民間傳說和所寫時代的社會準則。文學總是給我們讀者提供一些新信息，拓展我們的世界知識。文學能以一種高貴、典雅的質地服務於人和社會。無數仁人誌士在文學的熏陶和影響下，常把他們所讀文學作品中的人物作為他們人生的偶像，為社會和人類文明作出了貢獻。
1．To acquire world knowledge and human wisdom
Literature is a cultural heritage and a key to acquire social knowledge and human wisdom. By learningliterature， we learn fresh ideas and new concepts. Literature brings readers insight about the nature of reality.
Through literature， we know more about traditions， customs， beliefs， attitudes， folklore， and the values of theera in which it is written. Literature always furnishes us readers with some new information that broadens ourknowledge of the world. Literature can serve people and society with a noble and elegant quality. Countlesspeople with lofty ideals， having been brought up and nurtured and influenced by literature， often take thecharacters in the literary works they read as their images in their lives， consequently， they’ve made somecontributions to society and human civilization.
2．為了加深對人生的理解
文學對我們有吸引力也由於它與人類的生活有著密切的關聯。它闡明人類經驗的複雜性，拓寬我們自己對人生理解的察覺範圍。在觀察文學作品中人物的私生活時，我們的大腦也開始思考，我們的心與人物的心一起跳動。對其他人如何感覺的覺察力是豐富一個人自己人格的一種很有用的辦法。在這個意義上，文學不僅給了我們一個參與其他人的經曆的機會，而且也成功地影響了我們對要發生的事情的態度和期望。
2．To improve understanding about life