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Literature is literally "an acquaintance with letters" (as in the first sense given in the Oxford English Dictionary), but has generally come to identify a collection of texts. Nations can have literatures, as can corporations, philosophical schools or historical periods. It is commonly held that a literature of a nation, for example, is the collection of texts which make it a whole nation. The Hebrew Bible, Beowulf, the Iliad and the Odyssey and the American constitution, all fall within this definition of a kind of literature. More generally, a literature is equated with a collection of stories, poems and plays that revolve around a particular topic. In this case, the stories, poems and plays may or may not have nationalistic implications. The Western Canon is one such literature.

Classifying a specific item as being part of a literature (be it American literature, advertising literature, gay and lesbian literature or Roman literature) is very difficult. To some people, "literature" can be broadly applied to any symbolic record which can include images, sculptures, as well as letters. To others, a literature must only include examples of text composed of letters, or other narrowly defined examples of symbolic written language (hieroglyphs, for example). Even more conservative interpreters of the concept would demand that the text have a physical form, usually on paper or some other portable form, to the exclusion of inscriptions or digital media.

Furthermore, there is a perceived difference between "literature" and some popular forms of written work. The terms "literary fiction" and "literary merit" are often used to distinguish between individual works. For example, the works of Charles Dickens are perceived by almost everyone as being "literature", whereas the works of Jeffrey Archer tend to be looked down on as unworthy of inclusion under the general heading of English literature. Works may be excluded if, for example, the standard of grammar and syntax is poor, the story unbelievable or disjointed, the characters inconsistent or unconvincing. Genre fiction (eg. romance, crime, science fiction) is sometimes excluded from consideration as "literature".

Frequently, these boundaries are crossed by the texts that make up literature. Illustrated stories, hypertexts, cave paintings and inscribed monuments have all at one time or another pressed the boundaries of what is and is not literature.

Forms of literature

A poem is a composition usually written in verse. Poems rely heavily on imagery, precise word choice, and metaphor, may be written in measures consisting of patterns of stresses (metric feet), and may be rhymed or unrhymed. Poems are generally considered non-prose, but a variant called the "prose poem" is often considered prose. Poetry is one of the oldest forms of literature, as Homer's Odyssey is an epic poem.

A play is another classical literary form that has continued to evolve over the years, comprised chiefly of dialog between characters, usually intended for dramatic / theatrical (see theatre) performance rather than reading.

An essay is a discussion of a topic from an author's personal point of view. A memoir is the story of an author's life from his personal point of view. An epistle is reserved for formal, didactic, or elegant letters.

A short story is prose writing of less than 20,000 words (and usually more than 500 words) which may or may not have a narrative arc. If a fiction story is more than 20,000 (appox.) words it is called a novella. Beyond that, say into the 50,000 (approx.) word range and above, a fiction text is called a novel. For an interesting discussion about short stories from their originating time, see Edgar Allan Poe's

A novel is a longer form of prose writing and is one of the most recent developments in literature. See Ian Watt's The Rise of the Novel. [This definition needs to be expanded]

Revision as of 03:50, 11 March 2003

Forms of literature

Somewhat Related Narrative Forms

Genres of literature

Literary techniques

Literary figures

Literature by country or language

Themes in literature

Other

External links