What is Literature? Literature is written work that has been considered “great”. Literature is the imaginative or creative writing of “recognized” authors.

Who decides what is “great” literature? Many of the works in this collection have been studied in universities for centuries. These works belong to what scholars called the canon, a much-debated, contentious, and ever-evolving list of the most highly and widely esteemed works.

The Canon Canon: a range of works that a consensus of scholars, teachers, and readers of a particular time and culture consider “great” or “major”.

Think about it… Historically, scholars have been well-educated, prominent, and heterosexual white males. Therefore, the majority of the canon represents writers of that demographic. Consider how that affects women, minorities, LGTBQ, and other non-represented communities.

So, why is Literature important? Literature teaches us about ourselves—about our nature, our histories, our experiences, and our world. Literature gives us voice. It helps us tell our stories. Literature, though now read on the decline, is still the most promising form of learning and education.

How does Literature work? Literature works by presenting writing in a range of different genres and subgenres. These genres include: (prose) fiction/nonfiction, poetry, and drama.

Genre and Subgenre Genre: a type or category of works sharing particular formal or textual features and conventions; especially used to refer to the largest categories of literature: fiction, poetry, drama, and nonfiction. Subgenre: a smaller division of genre, such as science- fiction or gothic poetry.

Prose Prose is the regular form of spoken and written language, measured in sentences rather than lines, as in poetry.

Fiction and Nonfiction Any narrative, especially in prose, about invented or imagined characters and action. Fiction is divided into three major subgenres, which are: short story, novella, and novel. A work or genre of prose that describes actual events, people, and places, as opposed to imaginary or fictional. Nonfiction is divided into three major subgenres, which are: biography, memoir, and essay.

Poetry Poetry: poetry is one of the three major genres of literature, which origins in music and oral performance. Poetry is characterized by controlled patterns of rhythm and syntax (often using meter and rhyme), as well as, use and effects of words and words order, especially figurative language.

Drama Drama: a literary genre consisting of works (plays) in which action is performed and all words are spoken before an audience by an actor or actors impersonating the characters.