Literature is defined as a body of written works and consists of all imaginative works, such as prose and poetry. It can be classified according to the national origin, gene, historical period and time. Literature is a term that is used to refer to some written as well as spoken materials. It refers to the creative imagination, where the author is the one who decides on the theme to discuss.
Literature can be seen as a simple aspect, but it is preferably a big one since it represents the traditions as well as the culture of people in a particular group. The concept is defined merely, and its meaning is constantly changing as well as evolving. Anything that grows for a specified period will have to change. Most individuals believe that literature represents a higher form of art and that putting words, for instance, on a piece of paper does not mean writing (Wellek, 1956).
Literature works at its best to provide a type of blueprint of human civilization. The works of literature bring people of the whole universe together since when one reads, the writing of a particular culture helps them understand their lifestyle and they can easily interact, more so it gives an insight as well as the context to all the societies in the world.
There is a need to consider that literature changes from one generation to the other. There are some literary works that can be regarded as a failure, but in another generation, the piece of art is a masterpiece. For instance, Herman Melville’s novel (Wellek, 1956).
In conclusion, we can say that literature can be defined from two perspectives: the broader and the narrower. The more general definition of research is anything that is written down in any form, but this definition is contradictory since it does not facilitate communication. Narrow definitions have many diverse approaches that one can hardly talk about and demarcate the non-literature as well as literary texts.
References
Wellek, R., & Warren, A. (1956). Theory of literature (p. 78). New York: Harcourt, Brace & World.
