uinimmiiitumiimanmu - Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Basic Concepts
differenL levels of processing. The former, which has Lo do
wiÉh Lhe idea of LexÉ as a dynamic process raLher Chan a sLaLic
producÉ, allows for an accounL of literariness where LexC
undersCanding can be seen Lo change Chroughout Che reading.
This can help us identify interesting changes in works of
ficLion which are difficulC Lo explain when considering Che
CexC as a static entity.”
1.5. Literature as a fonn of conflictive communication: the
paradoxical nature of literature
As menLioned in section 1.4. aboye, Che noLion of
differenÉ processing levels in reading is extremely imporLanÉ,
because iL allows Che reader Co inLerpreC as meaningful aL a
higher processing level phenomena which are apparenÉly
conLradicCory, illogical and meaningless aL lower processing
leveis. In Chis secCion, 1 would like Lo discuss briefly Che
noLion LhaL liLeraCure, like other forms of arÉ, is inherenLly
paradoxical (see Bateson 1972 and Breuer 1980) . This discussion
is significanÉly relaLed Lo Lhe following secÉions below: 1.7.
on Lhe feaCures of 20th century literature as reflecÉing a
spliL selt, 1.8. on literature and ideology, and 1.9. on the
characLerisLics ob Catch-22 as a paradoxical novel.
The view of liLerature as paradoxical is presenÉ in
differenL theories and has been the object of discussion of
philosophers, linguists and liCerary theorists alike. The
paradoxical naCure of literature is relaLed Lo Che ambiguous
relaCion ChaL holds between ficLion and realiCy.’
2 To some
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