Literature is a body of written works.

The name has traditionally been applied to those imaginative

works of poetry and prose distinguished by the intentions of their authors and the perceived aesthetic
excellence of their execution. Literature may be classified according to a variety of systems, including
language, national origin, historical period, genre, and subject matter.

World literature is the totality of all national literatures. The formation of literature in different
countries happened not at the same time, which is connected with the emergence of writing and artistic
creativity.

Each nation`s literature has its own artistic and national features. World literature is very important for
the studying; still the literature of one country develops together with other national literatures. They
enrich each other borrowing certain literary elements. There are a lot of scientific works on world
literature, which explain the peculiarities of this phenomenon. As a concept, world literature emerged
only in the 19th century when the literary connections of different countries had spread and
strengthened.

The term “world literature” was introduced by Jogann Wolfgang von Goethe. He used the word
“Weltliteratur” in 1827. Goethe studied the characteristic features and interrelationships of different
national literatures, the tendencies of their development and their achievements. He studied the works
of famous writers which presented different literary phenomena of different historic periods.

He claimed that literature shouldn`t be restrained by national boundaries. In 1894 the world saw the
first book about world literature – “The history of world literature”. The world literature emerged
because of the development of global economic and cultural relations. This global literary process was
also caused by the rapid development of national literatures. In the history of world literature we define
several stages of its development such as the literature of Bronze Age, Classical literature, Early
Medieval literature, Medieval Literature, Early Modern and Modern literature.

World literature is the cultural heritage of all humanity. It is essential to study world literature as it helps
us understand the life of different people from all over the world, forms our world-outlook and
acquaints us with the masterpieces of literature.
Literature of the Global North and Global South

• Global North include the United States, Canada, Western Europe, and developed parts of Asia,
as well as Australia and New Zealand, which are not actually located in the geographical South but share
similar economic and cultural characteristics as other northern countries.

• The North mostly covers the West and the First World, along with much of the Second World.

• The Global South is made up of Africa, Latin America, and developing Asia including the Middle
East.

• The South largely corresponds with the Third World Countries.

Literature of Global North

European Literature

European literature refers to the literature of Europe.

European literature includes literature in many languages; among the most important of the
modern written works are those in English, Spanish, French, Dutch, Polish, German, Italian, Modern
Greek, Czech and Russian and works by the Scandinavians and Irish.

Important classical and medieval traditions are those in Latin, Ancient Greek, Old Norse,
Medieval French and the Italian Tuscan dialect of the renaissance.

In colloquial speech, European literature often is used as a synonym for Western literature.

European literature is a part of world literature.

Epics are part of the oral literature which, later, was written down. These are narrative in verse
full of warlike adventures.”

Four major Epics in Europe

German- Nibelungenlied

France- Song of Roland

Spain- El Cid

Italy- Divine Comedy

History Of English Literature

The Anglo-Saxon Period (449-1066 A.D.)

• “Anglo-Saxon” is the term applied to the English-speaking inhabitants of Britain from around the
middle of the fifth century until the time of the Norman Conquest, when the Anglo-Saxon line of English
kings came to an end.

• Old English literature, or Anglo-Saxon literature, encompasses literature written in Old English in
Anglo-Saxon England, in the period after the settlement of the Saxons and other Germanic tribes in
England after the withdrawal of the Romans and "ending soon after the Norman Conquest" in 1066.

• The Anglo-Saxon influenced English Literature when they brought with them a rich tradition of
oral literature steeped in their customs, pagan beliefs and rituals.

• The lyric and epic poetry they wrote told of the hardships of survival and the importance of
courage in performing heroic deeds. It dignified the difficulties and dangers faced by the warriors before
they succeeded in their heroic feats.

• Some significant literary work in this period:

1. Ecclesiastical History of the English People and Caedmon Hymn by Bede

2. Anglo-Saxon Chronicle by Alfred the Great

3. The Wonderer

4. Deor’s Lament

5. A Dream of the Rood

6. The Battle of Maldon

7. Beowulf (Lone Surviving Epic of English Literature)

Some significant literary works in this period came from ANONYMOUS WRITERS.

The Medieval Period (1066 A.D.-1485 A.D.)

• Some Significant literary Works of this period were:

1. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

2. Morte D’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory

3. The Vision of the Piers Plowman by William Langland

4. The Owl and the Nightingale

5. Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

• The Significant Literary Genres were:

1. Elegy

2. Religious Liturgy

3. Narrative Romance

4. Lay or Lais

5. Arthurian Romance

6. Fabliau

Geoffrey Chaucer- Father of English Literature

-Outstanding in English Poet before William Shakespeare whose Canterbury Tales ranks as one of the
greatest poetic works in English.

English Renaissance or The Elizabethan Period (1485-1625)

The most splendid in the history of English literature. Literary works were characterized by
immense vitality and richness.

The flowering of poetry and the golden age of drama. The most noted poet of the period was
William Shakespeare.

• Some significant literary works in this period were:

1. Faerie Queene, Shepher’s Calendar by Edmund Spenser

2. Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity by Richard Hooker

3. Book of Martyrs by John Foxe

4. Musophilus by Samuel Daniel

5. The Nymph’s Replied to the Shepherd by Sir Walter Raleigh

6. William Shakespeare Works

• Significant literary genre

1. Sonnet

2. Elizabethan Lyric

3. Elizabethan Drama

4. Historical Poems

5. Pastoral Romance

The 17th Century or the Puritan Period (1625-1700)

• Significant literary works during this period

1. Areopaitica by John Milton

2. Devotions by John Done

3. Religio Medici by Thomas Brown

4. History of Henry VII by Francis Bacon

5. Works by Ben Johnson

6. The garden by Andrew Marvell

• Significant literary genre:

1. Restoration Comedy and Tragedy

2. Metaphysical Poetry

3. False Pindaric or Irregular Ode

4. Light Prose

The 18th Century or the Period of Classism (1700-1800)

Dawning of the age of reason

The London become the the center of of the bustling city life.

Literary mastered have their crafts and have written with sophistication and finesse.

Prose writing become popular.

 The periodical and novel gained popularity and public acceptance.

The periodical became the origin of what we call now as clarity and public acceptance.

• Significant literary works during this period

1. The London Merchant by George Lillo

2. Conscious Lovers by Richard Steels

3. The Fair Penitent: The Tragedy of Jane Shore: The tragedy of Lady Grey by Nicholas Rowe

4. The Distressed Mother by Ambrose Philip

5. Cato by Joseph Addison

6. The West Indian by Richard Cumberland

7. The Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith

8. The Rivals: School for Scandals by Richard Brinsley Sheridan

• Significant literary genre:

Opera

Ballad Opera

Pantomime

Prose Tragedy

The Romantic Period (1800-1837)

The Golden age of the lyric poetry belongs to the youth.

A literature of vigor and courage, love and wisdom, despair and hope.

Romantic poets pointed to the wild, unfathomable beauties of nature, the elusive, supernatural
vision of mystics and the mysterious atmosphere of religion that had east such celestial light about the
middle ages.
 Significant literary genre:

Heroic Couplet

Historical Novel

The Victorian Period (1837-1900)

• Significant literary works during this period

1. The Pickwick Papers; Oliver Twist: David Copperfield: A Tale of Two Cities: Great Expectations by
Charles Dickens

2. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

3. Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

4. The Last Chronicle of Barset; Barchester Towers; the Warden by Anthony Trollope

5. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bront

• Significant literary genre:

Novels

Magazine Serial

Dramatic Dialogue

The 20th Century (1900 - 1999)

Literature of this periods exemplifies the improved crafts of masters. The novel has flourished
and writers have risen not only to popularity but to distinction as well.

The emerging values of the modern times are embodied in the works of authors who defy the
conventions of the old world.

Science and technology became the basis for advancement. While Orthodox beliefs are
considered standard criteria for excellence, the emerging needs for radical changes became the order of
the day.

• Significant literary genre:

Novel
 Blank Verse

Literature of Global South

Afro-Asian Literature

• Afro-Asian Literature is a term for writing; written by people from mixed African-Arab ethnicity,
or African-Asian ethnicity.

• In modern times, part of world literature, Afro-Asian literature is a separate segment of writing
of experiences in African and Asia for further cultural understanding and world peace.

• Afro-Asian Literature mirrors not only the customs and traditions of African and Asian countries
but also their philosophy of life which on the whole are deeply and predominantly contemplative and
hauntingly sweet.

• Afro-Asian Literature is the reflection of the storm and the stress of developing nations seeking
a place under the sun which every student must understand so he may know how this literature affects
the history and culture of a nation.

• The background of Afro-Asian literature dates to the very beginnings of when the first mixed
race individual began writing.

• An exact date is harder to come by given the wide topic this question asks to be answered. Like
most literature you can be assured that earlier written documents were based on stories passed by
word of mouth.

• Literature may have its roots from the pre-historic period.

• The hieroglyphs of Egypt, found around 3200 BC to about 400 AD for example, is a system of
writing which used symbols, have been used to record some things about what had transpired in
history. However, these are not considered literature.

• Considered to be the earliest records of literature is the Egyptian Book of the Dead written
down in a papyrus in 250 BC.

• Many of the literary works are handed down by oral tradition. In Africa, the lack of literacy did
not make it possible to write literature down.

• Histories, myths, legends, including stories, dramas, riddles, songs, proverbs and other literary
works were handed by mouth from generation to generation to entertain, educate and remind the
people about their past, heroic deeds of their people, ancestry and culture.
Genres

1. Poetry/Songs - about the history and culture of the Afro-Asian people were written and
performed, and then passed down.

o Today, Afro-Asians still express their creativity, and honour their culture, by crafting beautiful
poems, such as haikus, ballads, or sonnets.

o Freeform poems with specific structures or meters are also prevalent - these have a free-
spirited, stream of consciousness feeling...

2. Plays - Playwrights use dialogue and monologue to reinforce ideas, emotions and themes.

Many playwrights celebrate their own culture and ancestry by setting plays in the past, and referencing
historical events in their storylines.

Plays, when performed, will feature backdrops, costumes, and jargon that reflects the culture and
unique spirit of Afro-Asian people.

3. Prose has no particular meter - it flows naturally, and it is not poetry.

Prose can be found in essays, in novels, and in letters to other people. In many ways, prose is the purest
expression of human thought - in literature, prose is used to expose truth, to describe objects, places,
and people, and todraw a reader deeper into a story.

CHINA

THE FIVE CLASSICS

1. THE BOOK OF CHANGES

2. THE BOOK OF HISTORY

3. THE BOOK OF RITES

4. THE BOOK OF ODES

5. THE SPRING AND AUTUMN ANNALS

• Confucius- perhaps the greatest philosopher of the world has known. One of the truly great men
that China has produced.
• Li Po (701 – 761), or Li Tai Po, was one of the leading Chinese poets of the eighth century. His
writings deal with the good things of life and with the pathos of human destiny. With a striking vividness
they treat of love, friendship, wine, nature, and simple village living.

• Po – Chu – I (722 – 846) was a well-known Chinese poet who represented the classical tradition
in Chinese literature, politics and morality.

INDIAN LITERATURE

• The first characteristic we notice about Indian literature is that it is based on piety, a deeply
religious spirit.

• Sanskrit- literature of India. The word “sanskrit” means cultivated or perfected.

• Vedas – the bible of the Indians.

• Ramayana and Mahabharata are the most important epics of India.

• Ramayana – is about the reincarnation of the creator god Vishnu in the person of Rama, who is
the hero of the epic.

• Mahabharata – deals with the other reincarnation of Vishnu in the person of Krishna. It is
considered as the greatest epic of India.

• The Indians believe in reincarnation.

• The reincarnation of Vishnu are called Avatars, descending from the god.

INDIAN DRAMA

The first great name in Indian drama is Bhasa. (13 plays are attributed to him.)

Kalidasa – the greatest writer of plays. He is the author of Shakuntala.

Shakuntala – it is a story of a king who goes hunting in the woods and meets a beautiful maiden
named Shakuntala with whom he falls in love.

Panchatantra (Five headings) – a book that said to contain the first fables ever written. Fables are
stories of animals who behave like human beings.
Rabindranath Tagore – was a great Indian poet and dramatist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for
literature in 1913 and was knighted by the British government in 1915.

Japan

Also known as “The Land of the Rising Sun”.

The earliest writings from ancient Japan are:

1. The Records of Ancient Matters in Kojiko (A.D. 712)

2. The Chronicles of Japan or Nihongi (A.D. 720)

Japanese Literature

It is one of the major Oriental Literatures.

Katakana – basic alphabet in Japan which consists 47 characters.

Earliest Japanese Literary works:

1. Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters)

2. Nihongi (Chronicles of Japan)

Three Types of Japanese Drama:

1. Noh play

2. Joruri or puppet play

3. Kabuki play

Japanese Poetry

Haiku

Shortest form of Japanese poetry but most popular. It has seventeen-syllable poem in three
lines of five, seven, and five syllables.

Tanka
 A five-line poem. The first and third line lines have five syllables each and the others seven,
making a total of thirty-one syllables per poem.

Arabian literature

is the writing, of both prose and poetry, produced by writers in the Arabic Language.

The Arabic word used for literature is “Adab", which is derived from a meaning of etiquette, and
which implies politeness, culture and enrichment.

Arabic literature emerged in the 5th century with only fragments of the written language
appearing before then.

The Qur‘an, widely regarded by Muslims as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language,
would have the greatest lasting effect on Arabic culture and its literature.

One Thousand and One Nights, also known as Thousand and One Nights or Arabian Nights
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