Literature
With the development of language, the human imagination has found a way to create and communicate through the written word. A literary work can transport us into a fictional, fantastic new world, describe a fleeting feeling, or simply give us a picture of the past through novels, poems, tragedies, epic works, and other genres. Through literature, communication becomes an art, and it can bridge and bond people and cultures of different languages and backgrounds.
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Featured content, April 24, 2024
5 Good Books That Inspired Bad Deeds
Words gone wild.
What did Sir Walter Scott write?
What did Sir Walter Scott write?
Why Is There an R in Mrs.?
There’s no r in missus, so what’s it doing in the abbreviation?
6 Fictional Languages You Can Really Learn
Pedich Edhellen? Do you speak Elvish?
dramatic literature
Dramatic literature, the texts of plays that can be read, as distinct from being seen and heard in performance. The term...
Russian literature
Russian literature, the body of written works produced in the Russian language, beginning with the Christianization of Kievan...
Korean literature
Korean literature, the body of works written by Koreans, at first in Classical Chinese, later in various transcription systems...
biography
Biography, form of literature, commonly considered nonfictional, the subject of which is the life of an individual. One of...
Literature Quizzes
49 Questions from Britannica’s Most Popular Literature Quizzes
Literature is a broad term that—among Britannica’s quizzes, at least—can include everything from American novels...
Ultimate Vocabulary Test: Part One
You may be smarter than a fifth grader…but what about an eleventh grader? Press “start” on this quiz to find out how many...
Can You Tell Which of These Things Were Named After People?
Which snack is named after a clergyman? Which nut is named after a politician? Find out if you can tell which words derive...
How We Write Quiz
Whether it’s Shakespeare or Stephen King, you probably know a lot about your favourite writer. But what about how writing...
Quiz: The Writing of John le Carré
Tinker, tailor, soldier…quiz? See how much you know about the prolific career of John le Carré right here.
How Quickly Can You Complete a 60-Question Vocab Quiz?
You’ll have to remember your high-school vocabulary lessons to ace this quiz.
Ancient Greek Underworld Quiz
What is the name of the monstrous three-headed watchdog of the underworld? Who is the queen of the underworld? Test your...
Ancient Greek Gods and Demigods Quiz
Who is the god of the orderly universe and time, who swallowed his children to prevent them from overthrowing him? Who is...
Ultimate Vocabulary Test: Part Two
You may have aced our first vocabulary test. But how will you stack up against round two?
Jason and the Argonauts Quiz
What are Jason and the Argonauts looking for on their voyage? In Jason’s youth, which wise centaur taught him in the forests...
Literature Videos
Literature Subcategories
Folk Literature & Fable
Step into the world of folklore, fables, legends, tall tales, and epics, in which heroes are known to undertake arduous journeys and dragons, fairies, and giants abound. Stories such as these circulated long before systems of writing were developed; ballads, folktales, poems, and the like were transmitted exclusively by word of mouth before written languages took over, and they continue to captivate listeners and readers to this day.
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Jean de La Fontaine
French poet
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vampire
legendary creature
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fable
literature
Fictional Characters
Here you'll find some of your favorite fictional characters from literature, film, television, and the like, whether it's the analytical mastermind Sherlock Holmes and his endearing associate Dr. Watson or the menacing and helmeted Darth Vader, the ill-tempered Donald Duck, or the teenage sleuth Nancy Drew.
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Wonder Woman
fictional character
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James Bond
fictional character
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Don Quixote
fictional character
Journalism
Extra, extra! Although the content and style of journalism and the medium through which it is delivered have varied significantly over the years, journalism has always given us a way to keep up with current events, so that we always have our fingers on the pulse.
Articles
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Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö
Swedish journalists and authors
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Dorothy Thompson
American journalist and writer
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Nellie Bly
American journalist
Libraries & Reference Works
Looking to impress your friends with your expansive knowledge of historical events, philosophical concepts, obscure words, and more? We may be biased, but it seems fair enough to say that reference works such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, and textbooks have provided such a service for years (in some cases, hundreds or even thousands of years). You can look for them at your local public library, which likely stores books, manuscripts, journals, CDs, movies, and other sources of information and entertainment.
Articles
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Georges-Louis Leclerc, count de Buffon
French naturalist
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Pliny the Elder
Roman scholar
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Carolus Linnaeus
Swedish botanist
Literatures of the World
Literature knows no geographical bounds; authors can be found in nearly all corners of the globe. Find out more about regional literary styles and forms.
Articles
Literary Criticism
Everyone's a critic. But not all literary criticism involves judging the quality of a text; it can also focus on interpreting the meaning of a work or evaluating an author's place in literary history.
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Roland Barthes
French critic
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Helen Archibald Clarke and Charlotte Endymion Porter
American writers
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Samuel Taylor Coleridge
British poet and critic
Literary Terms
Want to be able to distinguish your limericks from your haikus and your paeans from your panegyrics? Dive deep into literary terms and forms.
Articles
- nonfictional prose
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tragedy
literature
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sonnet
poetic form
Nonfiction
The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth! Or that's the idea, at least. Nonfiction works center on facts and real events. Although there is some debate about which kinds of literature qualify as nonfiction, the genre typically includes books in the categories of biography, memoir, science, history, self-help, cooking, health and fitness, business, and more.
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The Feminine Mystique
work by Friedan
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The Diary of a Young Girl
work by Frank
- nonfictional prose
Novels & Short Stories
novels and short stories have been enchanting and transporting readers for a great many years. There's a little something for everyone: within these two genres of literature, a wealth of types and styles can be found, including historical, epistolary, romantic, Gothic, and realist works, along with many more.
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A Farewell to Arms
novel by Hemingway
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Emma
novel by Austen
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Around the World in Eighty Days
novel by Verne
Oratory
speech and Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, quoted above, are two iconic examples of successful oratory, as are Elizabeth I's speech to the troops at Tilbury and Winston Churchill's first speech as prime minister to the House of Commons.
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Meister Eckhart
German theologian and mystic
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Winston Churchill
prime minister of United Kingdom
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Demosthenes
Greek statesman and orator
Plays
; and the stage is where you'll find performances of works by such famed playwrights as Anton Chekhov, Eugene O'Neill, and the Bard himself, among many others.
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Pygmalion
play by Shaw
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A Raisin in the Sun
play by Hansberry
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Our Town
play by Wilder
Poetry
; sonnets, haikus, nursery rhymes, epics, and more are included.
Articles
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ballade
poetry and song
- light verse
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Beowulf
Old English poem