Literature

Not to be confused with Literature (card game).

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Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, plays, and poems.[1] It includes both print and digital writing.[2] In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include oral literature, much of which has been transcribed.[3][4] Literature is a method of recording, preserving, and transmitting knowledge and entertainment. It can also have a social, psychological, spiritual, or political role.

Literary criticism is one of the oldest academic disciplines, and is concerned with the literary merit or intellectual significance of specific texts. The study of books and other texts as artifacts or traditions is instead encompassed by textual criticism or the history of the book. "Literature", as an art form, is sometimes used synonymously with literary fiction, fiction written with the goal of artistic merit,[5][6] but can also include works in various non-fiction genres, such as biography, diaries, memoirs, letters, and essays. Within this broader definition, literature includes non-fictional books, articles, or other written information on a particular subject.[7][8]

Developments in print technology have allowed an ever-growing distribution and proliferation of written works, while the digital era had blurred the lines between online electronic literature and other forms of modern media.

  1. ^ "Literature: definition". Oxford Learner's Dictionaries. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  2. ^ Rettberg, Scott (2019). Electronic literature. Cambridge, UK Medford, MA: Polity press. ISBN 978-1-5095-1677-3.
  3. ^ Goody 1987.
  4. ^ Goody, Jack. "Oral literature". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2020.; see also Homer.
  5. ^ A Beginner's Guide to Literary Fiction" | NY Book Editors.
  6. ^ Girolimon, Mars. "Types of Genres: A Literary Guide", Southern New Hampshire University, 11 December 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  7. ^ Rexroth, Kenneth. "literature | Definition, Characteristics, Genres, Types, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  8. ^ OED[full citation needed]