What is literature? :
What is literature? Recall from Lesson 1 that literature is:
“works of the creative imagination” –Webster’s Dictionary
This includes poetry, drama, fiction and nonfiction
Literature Type 1: poetry :
Literature Type 1: poetry What is poetry?
Poetry is a “lofty thought or impassioned feeling expressed in imaginative words” usually written in verse (from www.dictionary.com)
Literature Type 1: poetry continued :
Literature Type 1: poetry continued What is verse?
Verse is the term used to describe any group of words that follows a rhythmic pattern
Poetry is all about sound and how it interplays with words and meaning
Literature Type 2: drama :
Literature Type 2: drama What is drama?
Drama is another word for play
It involves characters as actors on stage for performance
Written in the play’s pages are dialogue for the actors as well as directions for staging and scenery
Literature Type 3: fiction :
Literature Type 3: fiction What is fiction?
A type of literature that includes novels, novellas and short stories
Usually, fiction is not true, although the events in a piece of fiction can be based on actual facts
Literature Type 4: nonfiction :
Literature Type 4: nonfiction What is nonfiction?
A type of literature that includes biographies, autobiographies, speeches and sermons
Usually, nonfiction is factual, although there are types of nonfiction like biographies and autobiographies that read very much like novels