Types of literature:

Written literature : It is the set of works that have been written by individual
authors, which have been transmitted mainly in written form, although sometimes
they are also transmitted orally. These works can be cult or popular.

Oral literature : This is the set of legends, traditions, songs and stories that are
transmitted orally, that is, from word to mouth. This is of a traditional nature, in
many cases it is anonymous, and if it belongs to an author it is forgotten, since
many times the story is re-elaborated.

Non-fiction literature: This is a set of texts that are completely real. These can tell
a story, however it must be true, although certain elements of the story can be
used when telling the facts.

This type of literature does not have stereotypes, it does not have prejudices and
the reader can follow and understand the entire story with great ease. Examples of
this type of literature are autobiographies and biographies, certain scientific
publications, etc.

Fantasy literature: In this type of literature the story that is told is very unreal, it is
fictitious, which is why it is classified as a type of fiction that can never resemble
the real world. These writings are generally not bound by and do not respond to the
natural or scientific laws of the earth. An example of fantasy literature is the Harry
Potter series, which was written by J.K. Rowling.

Realistic fiction literature: This is literature where a story is made known that is
not real, but which may have occurred or may occur somewhere in the world. In
this, all the characters involved are fictional, who have interests, face obstacles,
carry out certain pleasure activities and interact, representing any real person.

In general, realistic fiction literature when telling the story comes to a conflict that
can happen anywhere in the world, which makes readers much more interested in
reading. Example: The novel written by Nicholas Sparks under the name The
Notebook, where the story told is fictional but the story becomes familiar to many
people in the real world.

Poetry : This is a fictional type of literature where the written word is used in a
much more artistic and summarized way than prose, although sometimes the story
can be true.

In this, figurative language is used to make certain feelings known, which is based
on rhyming words and rhythmic patterns.

Chinese literature : This is classical literature, which gives importance to books

from ancient times, mainly religious books which reveal the principles of life.

Egyptian literature : These are the writings that were written during the four
dynasties of Egypt, which span from the 1st century to the 21st century. The first
writings date back to 3500 BC, which told about the ancient empire. This type of
literature is linked to beliefs about immortality and religious history.
Hebrew literature : These are all the texts included in the Old Testament. These
books were written in ancient Hebrew where four groups can be found:

 Prophetic books : these are writings that send a message to the world
through songs.

 Historical books : the books of the Judges, Ezra, Nehemiah, etc. stand out.

 Philosophical-moral books : these writings seek to contribute to the

virtuous conduct of human beings, where they propose norms and
teachings.

 Poetic books : parallelism is known from these, which is a poetic modality

that the Hebrews adopted, where ideas are placed in contrast or agreement.

Greek Literature : These are universal and highly original writings that were
written by the Greeks where they gave them a very beautiful, harmonious and
graceful form.
Roman literature : This literature was influenced by Greek literature, in it you can
find some epic poems that tell about the history of Rome.
Cultivated literature: Also known as non-canonical literature.

This is the type of literature best known institutionally, where it is based on the idea
of individual creation without influencing the mass public. This literature is original
and always comes with the author's seal, it presents a certain structural
organization and is stable, it is very innovative and leads to the imagination.

Contemporary literature: This is the literature made known in the 19th century,
and which is still being worked on. Its origin focuses on the French and industrial
revolution, specifically in the times of the Contemporary Age. This brings together
various literary styles such as romanticism, a cultural, literary and political
movement focused on concepts such as freedom, the rejection of reason and the
exaltation of feeling.

Youth literature : These are writings that only give information about adolescence
and youth.

Children's literature : In this type of literature, the writings are about children or
are aimed at a child audience. This can be written according to various literary
genres, where each genre will be identified according to the tone, technique, length
and content used.

This literature usually includes rhymes, poetry, narrative, riddles, theater, and
stories. ITS language is very simple and open, since it seeks perfect understanding
on the part of the children.

Types of literature according to their form of expression

oral literature

This literature is expressed orally and was the way in which literature initially
emerged due to the lack of written knowledge that existed. Today this type of
literature is still in force although the written one predominates.

written literature

This type of literature is expressed in the most common way known, in print. It
emerged with the development of writing, normally captured in books.

Differences between oral and written literature.

Types of literature according to their genre

Literature of the narrative genre

It is written in verse but lately you can also find writings in prose . This type of
genre is used when events are expressed that one or more main characters
narrated by the author go through. It has several subdivisions, among the best
known:
Tale

It is a short story with small characters and spaces, it contains simple plots and are
generally imaginative matters.

Novel

It is a longer narrative than the story, expressed in prose that contains a large
number of characters and a more complex development.

Legend

It is a type of fantasy story that is created based on a true story.

Literature of the lyrical genre

It is normally written in verse, although prose can also be found and is used to
express the author's own feelings. Among the most common subdivisions are:

Song

It is a poem generally with a love connotation, although it can have different

themes.

Ode

It is also a type of poem in which topics considered important and large-scale are
related.

Anthem
It is a type of composition in which feelings are expressed regarding patriotic,
religious or organizational themes.

Literature of the dramatic genre

It is a genre written with a representative purpose for a varied audience. They are
written in verse or prose. This type of genre is the one used in theater. The most
common of its subdivisions are:

Comedy

In this, relaxed stories are told, with the purpose of providing fun entertainment.

Tragedy

Here conflicts between characters are reflected that usually end in fatal outcomes.

Types of literature according to their origin

It covers the civilizations with the most impact on the literary world.
Greek Literature

This literature has its origins in Greek religious mythology. It is considered an

original literature and a basis of influence for literatures from different places.

Egyptian Literature
It is one of the oldest literatures. Hymns to gods were recorded, written on papyri
that were kept with the deceased, such as the texts of the pyramids and others
with medical texts. They used different types of languages, the best known being
hieroglyphics .
Roman Literature

He bases his writings on Greek literature, generally found reflected in these facts
from the history of his people.

Chinese Literature

It is the literature with the greatest continuity in history. It based its content on
social situations and the evolution of society itself. Topics discussed were, among
others, education, religion and government.
Hebrew Literature
This literature was written by Jews. Part of this literature is written in the Bible ,
mostly in the Old Testament.
Types of literature according to its time

Preclassical literature

This literature is characterized by being mystical, as it encompasses man's first

needs to find explanations and answers to the phenomena they saw happening.
Not having accurate knowledge, they made assumptions and recreated them
according to their way of understanding. Literature such as legends arose from this
time.

Classic literature
At this time we tried to continue looking for explanations, but this time in a more
formal and rational way, with more form and better content. At this time, the
considered masterpieces of Greek literature “ The Iliad ” and “ The Odyssey ”
were born.
Medieval literature

Here literary works based on Christianity emerge.

Renaissance literature

He was born with the end of the medieval period, and the broader discovery of
geographical development, basing his writings on this.

Baroque literature
It was the time when Spain emerged within the literary framework. In this period,
great changes occurred and literature was part of these. At this time one of the
most famous literary works known as “ Don Quixote de la Mancha ” was born,
considered the first modern novel.
Neoclassical literature

At this time literature was developed as a teaching method.

romantic literature

Literature at this time becomes a little more personal, from the author's own
perspective and what he felt.

modernist literature

At this time, a freer literature stands out, which, while maintaining its structure,
somewhat evaded reality to give way to the imagination.

avant-garde literature

It is the literature that has been produced to this day, with the development of new
technologies.