Introduction

to Literature

What is literature?
 What is literature?
• General definition:
~ from a Latin word litterae which means letter.
~ literature is all written material.

• Specific definition:
 Informative literature
Imaginative literature
 Informative literature
~ it tells about facts, history, real great figure’s life, etc.
~ its main purpose is to offer knowledge
The example of informative literature:
• Biography
~A history of someone’s life, or part of someone’s life. This is a true
story about a real person.
• Autobiography
~A biography written by a person about his/her own life and
history.
• Essay
~A short composition, usually written from the author’s point of
view.
~Essays can be persuasive, comparative, literary criticism, political
manifestos, arguments, observations, recollections, or reflections.
  Imaginative literature

~it tells about writing that deals with thoughts and

feelings in imaginative literature
~it aims to arouse thoughts and feelings.

Thus, when we use the term literature in this subject,

we will talk about written material that deals with
thoughts and feelings in imaginative literature.
 • Literature is generally divided into three groups,
which is called as genres of literature:

1. Prose
“prosa” which means straightforward. It consists written
works within the common flow of conversation presented in
a straightforward manner.
2. Poetry
is an imaginative awareness of experience expressed through
meaning, sound, and rhythmic language choices as to evoke
emotional response.
3. Drama
is play with its act(s) and its scenes in dialogues,
conversations, etc.
According to R.J. Rees:
(English Literature: An Introduction for Foreign Readers, Macmilan Education Limited: London, 1973)

* Literature may be good, bad or indifferent; but good

literature will have same, if not all, of the following
qualities:
– Psychological truth or holding the mirror up to nature
(reflecting some thought or feeling which we
immediately recognize as being ‘true to life’)
– Originality (show the characters, stories and situations
in a new and fascinating light with the author’s own
words and with his own ways)
– Craftsmanship (the art of ‘the right word in the right
place’)
– A consciousness of moral values (good and evil are real,
and we cannot be neutral towards them)
 Why study literature?

• By studying good literature we learn more about

human problems and difficulties
• Universality of such problems and ways to overcome
them
• Make ourselves better human beings
• Humanity and compassion
• International understanding and world peace.