Pursuing from the Shore

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"Dulce et utile. Stated by Horace. Dulce means sweet. Utile means useful."

Our professor's voice filled the whole room with a certain authority that only those who truly breathe literature can possess. I leaned forward, pen already poised against my notebook, carefully writing down the phrase. At panibagong araw na naman at one of my favorite classes—Introduction to Literary Theory.

"If a novel has no utile, it's shallow. And if a novel has no dulce, it's propaganda," dagdag niya, at nakatapos na agad ng isang topic.

Ako naman ay tahimik lang na naghihintay sa oras. Kahit sa totoo lang, I could sit and listen for a few more hours here para lang makinig prof na alam kong alam niya palagi ang sasabihin. I always admire those kinds of people, to be honest

"Fiction is designed to make us respond as if, but not to deceive us. That's what separates imagination from manipulation. In literary criticism, it is not a summary or a paraphrase of the work; it cannot be reduced to mere history or biography. Remember the two functions of literature: pleasure and purpose. Literature can be an escape, or it can be an engagement."

I nodded slightly, pretending to look calm, but my mind was a whirlpool of thoughts. I've always known I love literature, but moments like this remind me just how much I'm still learning. The way he speaks makes me realize that literature isn't just about reading or writing stories but about understanding life through them.

People outside this field often think literature is just about reading random books or interpreting metaphors. "Basa-basa lang 'yan." They couldn't be more wrong. Literature is study, analysis, and empathy all tangled together. It's dissecting words that have carried emotions, revolutions, and histories.

And maybe that's why I keep coming back to writing, even when I'm not confident with my own work. Sometimes I reread my drafts and cringe at how shallow they sound compared to the theories we discuss. I've caught myself thinking, what's the point of writing something if it doesn't teach or move anyone? But then again, that's what this subject keeps reminding me that learning doesn't end where your self-doubt begins.

"Kung sa poetry you can't question the poet. That's the unspoken rule—the less you say, the more you mean. But in the novel, it's different. The novelist is questioned—not to accuse, but to uncover. The poet hides behind brevity; the novelist stands before a mirror."

Tanging pagbuga lang ng airconditioner ang naririnig sa loob ng classroom. No one dared to interrupt the discussion.

"You see, literature is not merely a form of art because it's a conversation between the text and the human condition. Every novel you read, every story you write, speaks of survival, of longing, of the thousand ways people try to make sense of being alive."

The way he said alive made something stir in me.

"Criticism," he continued, walking across the room, "isn't meant to kill the beauty of literature. It's meant to deepen it. To peel back the layers that words alone cannot hold. When we read, we must ask: What does this say about us? About the world that made us?"

Tumalikod siya at sumulat sa board gamit ang isang marker: Literature is not an escape from reality; it is a way to face it.

Nang humarap na siyang muli, tila naging interesado na ang karamihan na kanina'y mukhang inaantok na.

"That's why stories matter. They're not just for love triangles or heartbreaks or fantasy realms. Every line, every conflict, every character—these are reflections of real pain, real choices, real hopes. The dulce draws you in; the utile keeps you there. Together, they create something that outlives its author."