Literature
With the development of language, the human imagination has found a way to create and communicate through the written word. A literary work can transport us into a fictional, fantastic new world, describe a fleeting feeling, or simply give us a picture of the past through novels, poems, tragedies, epic works, and other genres. Through literature, communication becomes an art, and it can bridge and bond people and cultures of different languages and backgrounds.
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Featured content, March 08, 2025
10 Failed Doomsday Predictions
Predictions for the end of the world that (obviously) didn’t come true.
What Did Shakespeare Sound Like?
“Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.”
What jobs did Sir Walter Scott have?
What jobs did Sir Walter Scott have?
Why Do We Say “A Pair of Pants”?
Well, there are more than a pair of answers.
folk literature
Folk literature, the lore (traditional knowledge and beliefs) of cultures having no written language. It is transmitted by...
Western literature
Western literature, history of literatures in the languages of the Indo-European family, along with a small number of other...
novel
Novel, an invented prose narrative of considerable length and a certain complexity that deals imaginatively with human experience,...
Arabic literature
Arabic literature, the body of written works produced in the Arabic language. The tradition of Arabic literature stretches...
Literature Quizzes
The Literary World
Hey, bookworm! In between reads, try this novel idea: a quiz on all things literature.
Word Nerd: Fact or Fiction?
You love words. You adore alliteration. And you chortle at the thought of nailing this quiz.
Literary Favorites: Fact or Fiction?
Love literature? This quiz sorts out the truth about beloved authors and stories, old and new.
Parlez-Vous Français? And Other Languages
What language is spoken in Mexico? Which South American nation speaks Portuguese? Test your knowledge of languages around...
Foreign Language Club
What is the official language of China? What is the prinicipal language of Bangladesh? Test your comprehension of languages...
Official Languages: Fact or Fiction?
Is Spanish the official language of Andorra? Is Portugese the official language of Brazil? Sort fact from fiction, and test...
William Shakespeare: The Prose and the Playwright
Where is Shakespeare buried? Who says "Alas, poor Yorick"? See if your answers are "to be" or "not to be" in this quiz about...
Gods, Goddesses, and Greek Mythology
Do you know which hero took a dip in the River Styx? Or what mysteries lurk inside the Labyrinth?
An Odyssey of Grecian Literature
Who was Odysseus’s wife? What author wrote The Republic? From famous philosophers to epic journeys, embark upon...
A Study of William Shakespeare
How many sonnets did William Shakespeare publish? Where is Romeo and Juliet set? From couplets and quatrains to...
Literature Videos
Literature Subcategories
Step into the world of folklore, fables, legends, tall tales, and epics, in which heroes are known to undertake arduous journeys and dragons, fairies, and giants abound. Stories such as these circulated long before systems of writing were developed; ballads, folktales, poems, and the like were transmitted exclusively by word of mouth before written languages took over, and they continue to captivate listeners and readers to this day.
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proverb
folk literature
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guslar
Balkan singers
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praise song
African literature
Here you'll find some of your favorite fictional characters from literature, film, television, and the like, whether it's the analytical mastermind Sherlock Holmes and his endearing associate Dr. Watson or the menacing and helmeted Darth Vader, the ill-tempered Donald Duck, or the teenage sleuth Nancy Drew.
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Richard III
fictional character
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Hamlet
fictional character
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Thor
fictional character
Extra, extra! Although the content and style of journalism and the medium through which it is delivered have varied significantly over the years, journalism has always given us a way to keep up with current events, so that we always have our fingers on the pulse.
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Edward R. Murrow
American journalist
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I. F. Stone
American journalist
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Hunter S. Thompson
American journalist
Looking to impress your friends with your expansive knowledge of historical events, philosophical concepts, obscure words, and more? We may be biased, but it seems fair enough to say that reference works such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, and textbooks have provided such a service for years (in some cases, hundreds or even thousands of years). You can look for them at your local public library, which likely stores books, manuscripts, journals, CDs, movies, and other sources of information and entertainment.
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John James Audubon
American artist
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Athanasius Kircher
German Jesuit priest and scholar
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al-Bīrūnī
Persian scholar and scientist
Literature knows no geographical bounds; authors can be found in nearly all corners of the globe. Find out more about regional literary styles and forms.
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- Irish literature
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New Journalism
American literary movement
- Latin American literature
Everyone's a critic. But not all literary criticism involves judging the quality of a text; it can also focus on interpreting the meaning of a work or evaluating an author's place in literary history.
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Edward Said
American professor and literary critic
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Harold Bloom
American literary critic and author
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Charles Baudelaire
French author
Want to be able to distinguish your limericks from your haikus and your paeans from your panegyrics? Dive deep into literary terms and forms.
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novel
literature
- nonfictional prose
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tragedy
literature
The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth! Or that's the idea, at least. Nonfiction works center on facts and real events. Although there is some debate about which kinds of literature qualify as nonfiction, the genre typically includes books in the categories of biography, memoir, science, history, self-help, cooking, health and fitness, business, and more.
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Silent Spring
work by Carson
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Federalist papers
American political essays
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epitaph
poetic form
novels and short stories have been enchanting and transporting readers for a great many years. There's a little something for everyone: within these two genres of literature, a wealth of types and styles can be found, including historical, epistolary, romantic, Gothic, and realist works, along with many more.
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novel
literature
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short story
literature
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The Hunchback of Notre Dame
novel by Hugo
speech and Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, quoted above, are two iconic examples of successful oratory, as are Elizabeth I's speech to the troops at Tilbury and Winston Churchill's first speech as prime minister to the House of Commons.
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St. Augustine
Christian bishop and theologian
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St. Ambrose
bishop of Milan
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Isocrates
Greek orator and rhetorician
; and the stage is where you'll find performances of works by such famed playwrights as Anton Chekhov, Eugene O'Neill, and the Bard himself, among many others.
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Oedipus Rex
play by Sophocles
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Waiting for Godot
play by Beckett
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Macbeth
work by Shakespeare
; sonnets, haikus, nursery rhymes, epics, and more are included.
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metre
prosody
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sonnet
poetic form
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The Waste Land
poem by Eliot