Literature
Literature, most generically, is any body
of written
works. More restrictively, literature is writing considered to be an art form,
or any single writing deemed to have artistic or intellectual value, often due
to deploying language in ways that differ from ordinary usage.
Its Latin
root literatura/litteratura (derived itself from littera: letter or handwriting)
was used to refer to all written accounts, though contemporary definitions
extend the term to include texts that are spoken or sung (oral
literature). The concept has changed meaning over time: nowadays it can
broaden to have non-written verbal art forms, and thus it is difficult to agree
on its origin, which can be paired with that of language or writing
itself. Developments in print technology have
allowed an evergrowing distribution and proliferation of written works,
culminating in electronic literature.
Literature
can be classified according to whether it is fiction or non-fiction,
and whether it is poetry or prose. It can be
further distinguished according tso major forms such as the novel, short
story or drama; and works are often categorized according to historical
periods or their adherence to certain aesthetic features
or expectations (genre)