How Literature Can Change Your Life | Joseph Luzzi | TEDxAlbany

Summary

In this heartfelt talk, the speaker shares his personal journey of loss and healing through literature. Growing up in an immigrant family with a rich storytelling culture, he found solace and wisdom in Dante's Divine Comedy after his wife's tragic accident. He explores the transformative power of great writing, highlighting literature's ability to transport us to alternate worlds, reveal truths, forge universal connections, and the importance of stories in our lives. He concludes with the 'Rule of Four' for integrating literature into daily life, emphasizing its role in rebuilding and connecting us.

Takeaways

• 📚 The speaker grew up in an immigrant family with little formal education but a rich storytelling culture.
• 🏆 The speaker's career choice was influenced by a love for stories and Italian culture, leading him to become a professor of literature and Italian Studies.
• 🚨 A personal tragedy in 2007, the loss of his wife and unborn child, prompted a deep reflection on the role of literature in his life.
• 🎭 Literature provides alternate worlds and allows readers to travel through time and space, offering experiences beyond one's own life.
• 🌐 Great literature can turn fiction into a form of truth, showing us the universal aspects of human experience and emotions.
• 🔍 Literature connects us to the past, allowing us to understand and empathize with people from different eras, like St. Augustine's confessions.
• 📖 Reading is a ritual that can profoundly impact our lives, as each reader brings a book to life through their interpretation.
• 📖 The power of stories is fundamental to human nature, as seen in how narratives can break down societal prejudices and unite people.
• 📚 The speaker suggests the 'Rule of Four' for integrating literature into one's life: read a favorite book, contemporary works, nonfiction, and a classic.
• 👨‍👧 The speaker shares a personal story of bonding with his daughter through reading, highlighting the healing and unifying power of literature.
• 🌟 Literature has the ability to change lives, offering insights, comfort, and a sense of connection during difficult times.

Q & A

What was the speaker's cultural background and how did it influence his early life?

The speaker comes from an Italian immigrant family with limited formal education. His upbringing was devoid of many books, but rich in storytelling, which influenced his love for narratives and eventually led him to become a professor of literature and Italian Studies.

How did the speaker's family react to his academic pursuits?

The speaker's family, despite their lack of formal education, were supportive but did not fully understand the significance of his achievements. His mother, for instance, was not particularly impressed when he became a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

What significant event occurred in the speaker's life that prompted a deep reflection on literature?

The speaker's wife, Katherine, had a fatal car accident while eight and a half months pregnant. Their child was delivered but Katherine did not survive. This tragic event led the speaker to find solace and meaning in literature, particularly in Dante's Divine Comedy.

How did Dante's Divine Comedy help the speaker during his time of grief?

The speaker found resonance with Dante's experiences of exile and suffering. Dante's work taught him that it's not what lands you in the 'dark wood' of despair that defines you, but what you do to get out of it.

What is the 'Rule of Four' the speaker suggests for incorporating literature into one's life?

The 'Rule of Four' involves reading four different types of books: one's favorite genre, contemporary writers, nonfiction, and a classic. Reading for 45 minutes a day, four days a week, can enrich one's life with the 'greatest glories of reading'.

What role did storytelling play in the speaker's family and personal life?

Storytelling was a significant part of the speaker's family culture, with stories about his grandparents and parents' struggles. These narratives influenced his career choice and later helped him cope with personal tragedy.

How does the speaker describe the power of literature in creating alternate worlds?

The speaker describes literature as a passport to alternate worlds, allowing readers to travel through time and space, and experience different cultures and historical periods, as exemplified by his own experiences reading about Renaissance France.

What is the significance of the painting 'The School of Athens' in the speaker's discussion about literature?

The painting represents the philosophical debate between Plato and Aristotle on the nature of truth. The speaker uses it to illustrate how literature, like Aristotle's philosophy, is grounded in the earthly and particular, leading to a deeper understanding of truth.

How does the speaker define the 'universal connections' that literature provides?

The speaker defines 'universal connections' as the ability of literature to transcend time and culture, connecting readers to the shared human experiences and emotions, regardless of when or where they lived, as seen in the enduring relevance of St. Augustine's 'Confessions'.

What is the importance of reading as a ritual according to the speaker?

Reading as a ritual is important because it creates a profound personal experience where the reader actively engages with the text, bringing it to life and potentially experiencing a transformative effect on their life.

How does the speaker connect the power of stories to the human condition?

The speaker connects the power of stories to the human condition by highlighting our innate ability to tell and connect through narratives, which is a defining characteristic of our species and has played a crucial role in our social and cultural development.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Power of Literature and Personal Journey

The speaker begins by expressing gratitude for the opportunity to speak and humorously acknowledges his Italian heritage. He shares a personal anecdote about his family's lack of formal education and their storytelling culture, which influenced his career choice as a professor of literature and Italian Studies. The narrative takes a poignant turn when he recounts the tragic accident that led to the loss of his wife and the birth of his child, setting the stage for a profound exploration of how literature can impact and change one's life.

05:01

🌳 Dante's Divine Comedy: A Guide Through Darkness

The speaker delves into his experience with Dante's 'Divine Comedy,' a work he had studied for years but found new meaning in after his personal tragedy. He describes how the poem resonated with him during his time of grief, particularly Dante's depiction of exile and finding oneself in a 'dark wood.' The speaker reflects on the idea that it's not the hardships that define us, but how we overcome them. He also contemplates the transformative power of literature and how it can help one rebuild a new life after loss.

10:02

🎭 Literature as a Portal to Alternate Worlds

The speaker discusses the concept of literature as a means to explore alternate worlds and times, using 'The Great Gatsby' as an example. He shares his own experience of growing up in a family that couldn't afford travel, but through books, he was able to visit different places and eras. The speaker emphasizes the power of literature to connect us with the past and to provide a deeper understanding of historical contexts, cultures, and human experiences.

15:02

📖 The Intersection of Fiction and Truth

Here, the speaker explores the relationship between literature and truth, drawing on philosophical perspectives and examples from Shakespeare's 'Hamlet.' He argues that literature, while imaginative and fictional, can lead us to deeper truths about human nature and society. The speaker also highlights how literature can challenge us to question and interpret the world around us, distinguishing it from the manipulative nature of 'fake news.'

🌐 Universal Connections Through Literature

The speaker discusses the universality of human experience as portrayed in literature, using Botticelli's painting of St. Augustine and the latter's 'Confessions' as examples. He emphasizes the timeless relevance of certain themes and experiences, such as addiction and ambition, that transcend cultural and historical boundaries. The speaker also shares how literature provided him with a sense of connection and understanding after his wife's death.

📚 Ritual of Reading and the Power of Stories

In the final paragraph, the speaker reflects on the ritual of reading as a transformative experience, using Machiavelli's exile and his own experience of reading with his daughter as examples. He speaks to the power of stories to unite people and break down prejudices, as illustrated by Shakespeare's 'Othello.' The speaker concludes with a personal account of how reading with his daughter helped them rebuild their family and emphasizes the importance of incorporating literature into our lives.

Keywords

💡Immigrant

In the context of the video, 'immigrant' refers to a person who moves from their home country to another country to live permanently. The speaker's family were Italian immigrants, which is central to the theme of the video as it discusses the impact of cultural heritage and the lack of formal education in shaping one's life and career choices.

💡Storytelling

Storytelling is the act of conveying events in words, images, or other media, often involving narratives that are imaginative or fictional. In the video, the speaker grew up in a 'storytelling culture,' which influenced his decision to become a professor of literature and Italian Studies, highlighting the importance of narratives in shaping personal and professional identities.

💡Divine Comedy

The Divine Comedy is an epic poem by Dante Alighieri, which is mentioned in the script as a work that deeply resonated with the speaker during a personal crisis. It represents the idea that literature can provide solace and insight during times of hardship, and it also serves as a metaphor for the speaker's journey through grief and recovery.

💡Exile

Exile is the state of being deprived of one's native country, usually due to political reasons. Dante's experience of exile is mentioned as a parallel to the speaker's own feelings of displacement after a personal tragedy, illustrating how literature can mirror and help process real-life experiences.

💡Alternate Worlds

The concept of 'alternate worlds' in literature refers to the ability of books to transport readers to different times, places, and realities. The speaker uses this idea to explain how literature enabled him to travel and experience different cultures despite his humble background, emphasizing the power of books to broaden one's horizons.

💡Truth in Fiction

The term 'truth in fiction' refers to the idea that fictional narratives can reveal deeper truths about human nature and society. The speaker discusses how literature, like Dante's work, can be more 'truthful' than historical accounts because it captures the universal aspects of the human experience.

💡Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism is the coexistence of diverse cultures within a society, often celebrated for its richness and variety. The speaker mentions multiculturalism as a backdrop to the discussion on universal connections, suggesting that while we value our differences, literature can also reveal what unites us as humans.

💡Ritual

In the context of the video, 'ritual' refers to a repeated practice or series of actions having symbolic significance. The speaker describes reading as a ritual that can have profound effects on a person's life, suggesting that the act of reading is more than just a leisure activity; it's a deeply personal and transformative process.

💡Narrative

A narrative is a spoken or written account of connected events. The speaker discusses the power of narrative as a fundamental human ability that unites us, allowing us to empathize with others by understanding their stories, which is crucial for overcoming societal divisions.

💡Rule of Four

The 'Rule of Four' is a reading strategy proposed by the speaker to enrich one's literary experience. It involves reading four types of books: a favorite, contemporary works, nonfiction, and a classic. This rule is designed to expose readers to a diverse range of literary experiences, thereby enhancing their understanding and appreciation of literature.

💡Rebuilding Life

The concept of 'rebuilding life' in the video refers to the process of creating a new life after a significant loss or change. The speaker's personal story illustrates this concept, as he had to rebuild his life after the tragic loss of his wife, using literature as a tool for healing and personal growth.

Highlights

The speaker shares his background as an Italian immigrant who grew up in a house with no books, emphasizing the unexpectedness of his career as a literature professor.

The speaker recounts how his mother's discouragement of reading due to the belief it caused headaches, contrasts with his eventual academic success.

He explains that despite his family's lack of formal education, the rich storytelling culture he was raised in naturally led him to a career in literature and Italian Studies.

A personal tragedy changed the speaker's life: his wife had a fatal car accident while eight and a half months pregnant, leading to an emergency cesarean to save their child.

The speaker found solace in Dante's Divine Comedy after his wife's death, seeing it in a new light and connecting with Dante's experiences of exile and suffering.

The speaker emphasizes that it’s not what lands you in the dark wood of life that defines you, but how you get out of it.

He discusses how Dante's Divine Comedy helped him realize that one cannot reclaim a past life but must rebuild a new one.

The speaker poses the question of why great literature, like Dante’s work, has the power to change lives and what makes it enduringly relevant.

Literature, the speaker argues, serves as a passport to alternate worlds, allowing readers to experience different times and places through imagination.

He highlights how literature can reveal universal truths through imaginative storytelling, unlike history, which only records specific events.

The speaker underscores the importance of universal connections in literature, citing St. Augustine's Confessions as an example of a 1600-year-old work that still resonates with modern readers.

Reading, according to the speaker, is a ritual that brings books to life, requiring the active participation of the reader.

The speaker describes humans as a storytelling species, noting the power of narratives in building connections and understanding across different cultures and times.

He offers a practical reading strategy called the 'Rule of Four,' encouraging readers to engage with four types of books regularly: favorites, contemporary works, nonfiction, and classics.

The speaker closes with a personal anecdote about how reading the Harry Potter series with his daughter helped them bond and rebuild their family after his wife’s death.

Transcripts

thank you very much it's an honor and a

really a thrill to be here and thank you

Scott for that kind introduction and

correct pronunciation of my name I'm

very impressed as an Italian are there

any other Italians in here great the

rest of you can leave no no you can stay

you know speaking of Italian I'm

reminded as I give this talk in some

ways I'm it's kind of strange that

someone like me should give this talk

because I actually grew up in a house

with no books my family were immigrants

very smart hardworking people Italian

immigrants and yet you know they didn't

really have education that a grade

school education and so whenever I would

be sitting reading you know my mom would

come up behind me and saying her

Calabria and dialect jewsí that's a

celebrity Vimala la testa Jill put that

book down it's gonna give you a headache

so reading in my house you know brought

on migraines that was the theory I

listened to my parents and almost

everything except really for that with a

great thing about my family you know

they kept you humble I'm one of six kids

and when I got my first job after

graduate school I said to my mom you

know I got a teaching job I was a

visiting professor at Penn the

University of Pennsylvania and I said

mom you know finally I got a job a

university Tudela Pennsylvania I even

said it in Italian it was founded by

Benjamin Oh Franklin founded by Ben

Franklin I said you know it's IKEA do

you know who Ben Franklin is ma and she

said that's the meter philia know Tony

me know Keiko so up it Colette

she owned a leave me alone my son I

don't even know what I had for breakfast

this morning

that's how impressed she was that I

taught it and Franklin's universe

but you know yeah so it seemed very

natural in an organic in a way for me to

become a professor because I they they

didn't have a great you know there

wasn't a lot of books in our house but

there are a lot of stories I grew up

with a storytelling culture maybe many

of you have as well you know these great

stories about my my grandfather on my

mom's side who had come to America as a

gravedigger served in World War one and

enabled my mom to get citizenship and

she came alone to the United States

without the family without her four

children in Italy and established the

family in my dad who had worked two jobs

getting up at you know 3:30 in the

morning working 16-hour days these were

the stories I grew up with and so when

it came time to choose a career it

seemed real inorganic to pick something

that combined both stories and my love

for Italy and love for their culture so

I became a professor of literature and

also Italian Studies so I never really

questioned the path that made so much

sense and then something happened

exactly really 12 years ago in November

2007 that changed everything changed

everything for me personally but made me

ask this question about literature how

it can change your life you know what

what's the impact is and so I went to

teach a class at Bard College where I'm

a professor and the morning started out

like anything any other you know any

other class day and I walked into a

10:00 a.m. class I was joking with my

students and I saw a security guard at

the door and my immediate thought was

I've done nothing wrong

so I'm joking you know I said look

they're coming to arrest me and I'm

laughing and I noticed that the security

guard wasn't laughing and he said are

you Joseph Lutze and I said yes and I

knew in an instant something terrible

had happened so I raced out of the

building past the Vice you know vice

president of the college running up the

stairs to get me a van was waiting and I

heard the words which would change my

life Joe your wife's had a terrible

accident and my wife Katherine at the

time

had just had a fatal car accident and so

I had left the house that morning at

8:30 by noon I was a widower but also

something else

Catherine was eight and a half months

pregnant and she delivered the child

emergency cesarean and the baby was

healthy and made it 45 minutes before

she died so in one morning everything

changed and this is this talks not about

me it's not about you know this great

tragedy that I went through in the road

to recovery but something happened that

was really unexpected as part of the

road back I turn to something that had

really been part of my professional life

I turned to a book that I had spent

years studying Dante's Divine Comedy

Dante wrote 700 years ago

couldn't be more remote right from us

and yet for the first time even after

studying him for decades I heard his

voice the way I never heard before

I heard him describe exile dante spent

the last 20 years of his life in exile

roaming essentially you know the

medieval version of castle surfing from

one castle to then and looking for work

always on the run and I learned from

Dante these words in a dark wood in the

middle of our life's journey I found

myself in a dark wood in a meadow that

come in the nostra Vita Miri throw Viper

on a salvo scooter I felt that I was in

the dark wood

Dante's dark wood this book resonated

with me this universal space of human

suffering and what did Dante teach me I

used to think it was what lands you in

the dark wood is what defines you but in

truth I came to see that it's what you

do to get out of the dark wood that

defines you and I also learned something

else Dante wrote his great work after

his exile the Divine Comedy he was

rumored to have even perhaps

contemplated suicide we don't know we do

know that he was absolutely devastated

by the loss of

his hometown and I felt that I felt the

loss of my own former life and I wanted

my life back

and Dante taught me you can't get it

back you have to rebuild a new one so my

journey with this book became part of my

journey back to the living and it made

me ask a question that I want to ask you

today what is it about literature what

is it about great writing these books

that stand the test of time that can

change our lives why why did someone why

did I turn of all people to a poet who

wrote 700 years before I did and what

can you do in your own lives to make

literature great writing great books a

part of your own everyday life that's

the mystery that I want to explore to

you today and what I'd like to do is as

a almost my scientific I'm not a

scientist but you know I'm a literary

scholar so I want to give you my take as

a scholar as someone who spent his life

studying and reading what it means to be

what these books do I want to tell you

five things that I think of the magic of

these books okay the first one is this

idea of alternate worlds okay

I love f scott Fitzgerald's hair you

know you got to love the part down the

middle that's old 1920s hairstyle but f

scott Fitzgerald who read The Great

Gatsby many of you have it's a you know

I love it it's a it's a classic it's

accessible the story of Jay Gatsby the

bootlegger who's in love with Daisy and

tries to win the girl and eventually by

the end of the book loses his life it's

an extraordinary story why do I bring it

up and this passport to alternate worlds

that I think great literature gives us

because I want to tell you I grew up in

a working-class family an immigrant

family we couldn't travel we didn't have

money but my town had a library and in

books you can go anywhere I remember

reading about Renaissance France by this

French author Rob Lai I couldn't travel

to the real France but through this

writer I could go to France and I could

go back in time

literature brings you all throughout the

universe

and it connects you to worlds that

happen even before you when I think of

great got the Great Gatsby

I think of scenes like these parties

that Jay would throw at West Egg I'm

sorry in the in the you know in East Egg

in the the West Egg area where he would

have these mansions and he had gotten

everything in life materially he could

ever hope for

and yet the way that shell describes it

he says girls were putting there sure

women were putting their heads on men's

shoulders in a puppyish way you know but

no singing quartet formed around Gatsby

when I read passages like that I'm back

in America of the 1920s I'm in this

alternate world I'm in a world more

importantly of Jay Gatsby the man who

got everything he wanted materially and

as a friend once said to me don't wish

for something too much you just might

get it right he got it and he realized

his American dream wasn't what it was

caught up to be as I tell my students

literature's like this fossil of people

who lived in a different time you know

like a father an imprint of a fern in

Iraq literature gives you the way people

thought and felt a history book can tell

you about the 20s in America but can it

recreate the atmosphere like the Great

Gatsby do you see what I mean this idea

of creating an alternate world that

literature can do which leads to money

number two right if literature can

create alternate worlds right it can

also bring us into the area where

fiction almost becomes fact or truth

this is a painting by another nice

Italian boy like Dante Raphael the

school of athens right and you see Plato

the great philosopher pointing up into

the heavens

Plato saying truth is up in the heavens

there is everything we see in real life

is a simulacra beauty justice humans can

never know that we're too imperfect we

live in the land of the cave the shadows

on the wall we have to use philosophy to

try and arrive at some sort of notion of

extraterrestrial truth but on his right

I'm sorry on his

you see Aristotle pointing down to earth

the Greek philosopher saying no Plato we

only know what we see on earth I think

that Aristotle is a patron saint of

literature because literature tells us

what we see on earth describes it it

knows we're imperfect we don't have

access to perfect truths so Aristotle

wrote history tells us what happened it

gives us the specific the contingent the

one-off event literature poetry epic

gives us the universal it gives us the

code of the should of what you know that

it extrapolates you in the particular

inch of the universal so think as I tell

my students literature is the opposite

of fake news fake news pretends it's

true and tries to manipulate you into

believing it literature is imaginative

tells you that it is and then leads you

to the truth in this way that Aristotle

described think of Hamlet by Shakespeare

then one of his most famous plays you

know Hamlet sees a ghost who's gonna

believe a ghost maybe had too much to

eat the night before maybe it was

indigestion and his dad says Hamlet you

must avenge my death

Hamlet's doesn't he wants proof right

what does he get his proof do you

remember the scene when he has Claudius

stage he has a play performed for

Claudius the mousetrap and the murder of

the King Claudius who had killed

Hamlet's father his uncle Claudius says

his uncle sees the play and runs off the

plays the thing in which I'll catch the

conscience of the king right that's an

imaginative situation that leads to the

truth and that's what literature does

when I read of Dante's exile sure it's

autobiographical but it's a poem who

knows that we if everything happened the

way Dante exactly described it but it

was so real it was so truthful that I

can imagine myself into it in a way it's

the opposite

literature teaches you to ask the right

questions it won't provide all the

answers in books that do provide that

all the answers aren't being honest

because there's some things that there's

no answer to the

no rulebook for getting over the death

of a spouse or raising a child on your

own okay the third thing I want to talk

about is universal connections that come

with literature we live in beautifully

in an age of multiculturalism of we

celebrate ethnic identity and this is

all great I'm a hundred percent behind

this I also think we should think about

the things that connect us as people

what do all people share right this is a

painting by Botticelli of st. Augustine

who lived 16 over 1600 years ago he

wrote the confessions in 398 ad if you

went back to 398 ad that would be like

landing on Mars right you know the

average life expectancy was in the 30s

literacy was so low I think they had

only dial-up internet nah no just

kidding

you're talking about a totally different

world and yet Agustin wrote the memoir

that is still the template for today his

confessions Agustin was addicted to the

life of the flesh you could almost say

he was addicted to sex a little bit

right he was addicted to glory he could

almost say he was a workaholic these are

very familiar patterns right I mean you

know Keith Richards ain't got nothing on

Agustin for his autobiography so this

model for an autobiography you can trace

back 1600 years and it's still relevant

I find that miraculous I'm reminded of

that scene in LA story where Steve

Martin says you know see that building

over there it's over almost you know

it's over 20 years old Wow

this book is 1600 years old and it still

makes sense

it speaks to something that's universal

in us after the death of my wife I

needed to know that I wasn't alone other

people had been through it and I found

that universal connection the fourth

thing I think is reading as a ritual

this is Machiavelli a not so nice

Italian boy right you know he wrote the

prince he wrote this book about

political brinksmanship and gamesmanship

sure we know that but he also loved

literature and when he was exiled from

Florence he would describe reading like

four hours a day getting he says I put

on my best clothes and I go into a study

where I'm lovingly received

by ancient men in there it's that

product ritual of reading something

happens when we read if I gave you a

book right now some of you are carrying

them it's just symbolic notations on a

page you I always tell my students

you're the co-author you bring the book

to life each writer needs a reader

reading is that ritual with something

profound happens where it can literally

change your life and the last thing I'll

say is the power of stories what is it

about stories you've all Harare in his

book sapiens which some of you may have

read says that that's really what

distinguishes us from a lot of other

creatures our ability to tell stories to

bring people together through narrative

the power of narrative where we are a

storytelling species I think it's just

as important as the opposable thumb it's

what's made us what we are think of

Shakespeare the story of Othello the

famous story of Othello he's an outsider

in Venetian society he's you know

considered old probably in his 40s it

wasn't the new 20 back then right and

he's married the most eligible woman in

Venice Desdemona

right she'd have her own show

Bachelorette right and people are

accusing a fellow of bewitching her and

you know what a fellow says he says her

father oft invited me basically to tell

my life story to hear these things with

Desdemona seriously inclined she felt

compassion for them and I did love her

for it dis Damona falls in love with a

fellow because he's a storyteller and

Shakespeare destroys all the prejudice

surrounding Othello through the power of

story

once you hear someone's story you can

never think of them as a category or a

group you have to see them as a human

being for that reason we need stories

more than ever today in our society our

divided society how can you make these

five riches of literature your own I

think it's easy or practicable I've

created what I call the rule of four

okay and I always think of my father

when I do this cuz my father was not a

reader but boy could he use language he

would say things like you know Madeleine

over to Albany they made a new harm

befall you or you know you know these

crazy poetic

King Lear like curses de beaujeu pas de

la faccia knew gone and made a dog rip

your face off you know he was a real

poet in his own way it's a he wasn't a

reader how do you become readers very

simple my rule of force think of it like

working out or walking or getting good

night's sleep four days a week

45 minutes a day four different books

one your favorite kind of book let it be

romance Harry Potter and whatever

anything gardening whatever your second

category contemporary writers who were

the writers today the fiction writers

changing the conversation

the third group nonfiction doesn't have

to be make-believe to be literature and

the fourth group let one of those

categories be a classic your Wordsworth

your Nietzsche's your Virginia Woolf

your WB Dubois eases that mix of four

will bring you the greatest glories of

reading and it will bring you to what my

favorite writer Dante called that thing

that that connects all readers long

study and great love I want to close

with an image as I raised my daughter

after those years it took it was very

hard I needed a lot of help from my

family after my wife's death what really

brought us together more than anything I

look back as when we started reading

together and I went through all of Harry

Potter with this girl and I felt by the

end in that space of long studying great

love we were becoming a family again

thank you so much

[Applause]