English literature can include many forms of creative expression including novels, poems, plays, letters, diaries, oral stories, documentaries, and movies. Originally, literature referred to works studied by elite men in ancient Greek and Latin, but the definition has expanded over time. Today, literature encompasses both written and oral forms and is defined by its imaginative and artistic qualities rather than just written works considered for their beauty. Literature provides understanding of human nature, forms for experiencing life's fragmentation, and insights into societal institutions and nature's influences. The key aspects of literature include the book itself, the author, characters, setting, and plot.
English literature can include many forms of creative expression including novels, poems, plays, letters, diaries, oral stories, documentaries, and movies. Originally, literature referred to works studied by elite men in ancient Greek and Latin, but the definition has expanded over time. Today, literature encompasses both written and oral forms and is defined by its imaginative and artistic qualities rather than just written works considered for their beauty. Literature provides understanding of human nature, forms for experiencing life's fragmentation, and insights into societal institutions and nature's influences. The key aspects of literature include the book itself, the author, characters, setting, and plot.
English literature can include many forms of creative expression including novels, poems, plays, letters, diaries, oral stories, documentaries, and movies. Originally, literature referred to works studied by elite men in ancient Greek and Latin, but the definition has expanded over time. Today, literature encompasses both written and oral forms and is defined by its imaginative and artistic qualities rather than just written works considered for their beauty. Literature provides understanding of human nature, forms for experiencing life's fragmentation, and insights into societal institutions and nature's influences. The key aspects of literature include the book itself, the author, characters, setting, and plot.
• A sermon delivered by a Scot in 1640. • A poem developed orally by an ancient culture. • Letters or diaries found in an attic • The archive of an online chatroom • Tape-recorded memories of sharecroppers • Video documentary • A horror movie • All of the above A definition…? • "any kind of organized human expression, from ballet to advertising which can be read“ • "Literature is creative writing.“ • writing which claims to be considered on the ground of beauty of form or emotional effect • Working definition: stories, poems and plays -- the literary genre as defined by academia. • key elements: writing (literature and letter), beauty and emotion. • how about the unwritten? documentaries, movies, oral storytelling or poetry. Facts • In the beginning (200 years ago), a small elite of men studied the ancient classics in Greek and Latin. • The invention of the word "literature" referring to the cultivation of reading or the practice of writing. • Later: narrowed into categories: "imaginative writings," in a "language" from a "nation" • Literature had become a walled-in flower garden filled with works of beauty, pleasure and imagination. • In some early and mid 20th century the walls of the garden have broken down. • Literature today generally encompasses oral and even visual forms (film and video being related to drama). What is it? • Literature is traditionally described as the body of writing that exists because of its inherent imaginative and artistic qualities. • writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays. Why Reading it? • To seek pleasure. If there is no enjoyment while reading a story, we will reject it completely or leave it unfinished. • For understanding: This understanding comes from the exploration of the human condition and the revelation of human nature. What does it provide
• Literature shows human motives for what
they are, inviting the reader to identify with or react to a character. • Literature also provides form for experience. Aside from birth and death, real life has no beginnings or endings but is instead a series of stories without order, each story merging with other stories. • Literature also may reveal life’s fragmentation. Life is fragmented, and our daily experience proves it. However, literature, while it may remind us of our own and society’s fragmentation, does not leave us there. • Literature can explore and suggest attitudes toward the institutions of society. A group of people organized for specific purposes may become accepted as an institution, something bigger than separate individuals. • Literature often reveals nature as a force with profound influence. Our natural environment constantly reminds us of its effects on our lives. The Aspects of Literature • The book (The novel itself) • The autor • The indiviual that wrote the story • The Characters A person, animal or imaginary creature in your story. • The setting This is where your story takes place • The Plot The plot of your story tells the actions and events that take place in your story.