Great literary works do not fade with time. Shakespeare’s plays, for example, have been read again and again by generation after generation; they have also been adapted for the big screen and shown at places other than the theater. Great literature also knows no language boundaries. For example, Chinese classical novels like The Dream of the Red Chamber and Journey of the Monkey have been widely read not only by Chinese but also by sinologists, people who study Chinese culture, from many language backgrounds.
People read literature to enjoy great writers’ ways with words and their humor. In the English language world, William Somerest Maugham is a novelist who is good at irony, i.e., saying the opposite of what is meant, to create humor. Another reason why Maugham’s novels are well-loved is that he never fails to provide a surprise ending to amuse his readers.
When readers become involved with what they are reading, they may behave as if they have traveled through time to live with the characters in the story. Readers of Maugham’s short story, The Luncheon, may often stop and wonder about how the main character is so easily fooled when hehas lunch with a woman he met once in Paris. They may also grow to love or hate this woman in the course of their reading.
Literary works often provide room for different interpretations. For example, poetry, because of its succinct use of words, can often be interpreted in a number of different ways. Short plays, on the other hand, contain more elaborate descriptions of the setting and the moods of the characters, not to mention the stage directions. However, almost all literary works make use of symbols to suggest ideas indirectly. Because symbols can carry different meanings in different cultures, one person’s interpretation of a symbol can be very different from another person’s.
Great literature is not bound by time or language barriers. It will continue to speak to generations of people.
小题1:In Paragraph 3, whom does “he” refer to?
A．The author.
B．The reader.
C．The main character.
D．Somerest Maugham.小题2:What would be the best title for this article?
A．The Many Languages of Literature
B．Great Literature Has No Barriers
C．Great Literature Has Time
D．The Irony of Literature小题3:According to the passage, all the following things may draw readers’ attention EXCEPT______
A．language backgrounds
B．humorous words
C．surprising endings
D．the use of symbols
