Notes towards a sociology of literature.

I've had this conversation before. The problem with my proposal is that it contains a two-part dilemma. First, there isn't much going on with literary discourse in sociology. Discourse analysis is prevalent, and it's a favourite topic of mine, but this type of analysis focuses on the utterance rather than the text; although, the analyst must rely on the textualized version of the utterance. Second, literary analysis and discourses on position and context can be self-referential, like the snake eating its own tail. The problem of presenting tautological arguments is subtle, yet real.

So, how does a text express the social processes one experiences in a society? Can a text reveal social inequalities in society? Although literary scholars are more than capable of addressing this question, the vocabulary available to scholars in this field is lacking, and it does not have the same texture and strength inherent in sociological discourse. However, sociology lacks the textual analysis critics take for granted, and has little to say in regards to literature.

Is literature a social process? Do writers, readers (or consumers), publishers and merchants participate in a social institution, a literary institution? Should we apply use-value and exchange-value to these processes?

Some texts are accepted into a canon (or the canon) and some are not. Hence, there are cultural "gate-keepers" at work, allowing some texts to be allowed entrance while other texts are neglected. I realize this is a very crude statement, but it's only the skeleton of a larger study. I was fortunate enough to hear a lecture on this topic at Simon Fraser University for an English grad student conference, meaning I'm not totally alone in this territory.