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 24, 2025
What jobs did Sir Walter Scott have?
What jobs did Sir Walter Scott have?
Where Does the Concept of a “Grim Reaper” Come From?
Harvester of souls since when?
All the World’s a Stage: 6 Places in Shakespeare, Then and Now
Tour with the Bard from Denmark to Egypt.
11 Banned Books Through Time
Some books have been banned for reasons that may surprise you.
Persian literature
Persian literature, body of writings in New Persian (also called Modern Persian), the form of the Persian language written...
Japanese literature
Japanese literature, the body of written works produced by Japanese authors in Japanese or, in its earliest beginnings, at...
African American literature
African American literature, body of literature written by Americans of African descent. Beginning in the pre-Revolutionary...
American literature
American literature, the body of written works produced in the English language in the United States. Like other national...
Literature Quizzes
Words with Negative Connotations Quiz
How well do you know the definitions of words with negative connotations? Take this quiz to find out. All definitions and...
How Well Do You Know 9th-Grade Vocabulary?
Can you correctly match 9th-grade–level vocabulary words to their definitions? Take this quiz to find out. Definitions and...
10th-Grade Verbs Quiz
How good are you at identifying a verb’s definition? Take this quiz to find out. All definitions and usage examples are from...
10th-Grade Vocabulary Quiz
Can you correctly match 10th-grade–level vocabulary words to their definitions? Take this quiz to find out. Definitions and...
11th-Grade Vocabulary Quiz
Can you accurately match each definition to its word? Take this quiz to find out. Words in this quiz are at an 11th-grade...
How Well Do You Know 11th-Grade Vocabulary?
Can you correctly match 11th-grade–level vocabulary words to their definitions? Take this quiz to find out. Definitions and...
12th-Grade Vocabulary Quiz
Can you accurately match definitions to their words? Take this quiz to find out. Words in this quiz are at a 12th-grade level....
Match the Definition to the Word: 12th-Grade Vocabulary Quiz
Can you correctly match 12th-grade–level vocabulary words to their definitions? Take this quiz to find out. Definitions and...
Spanish Idioms in English
Put your knowledge of Spanish to the test. See whether you know these phrases common among native speakers. Be careful of...
Challenging Words You Should Know Vocabulary Quiz
This is not a quiz for the pusillanimous.
Literature Videos
Literature Subcategories
Folk Literature & Fable
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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Jean de La Fontaine
French poet
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vampire
legendary creature
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fable
literature
Fictional Characters
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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Robin
fictional character
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Hercule Poirot
fictional character
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Iron Man
Marvel superhero
Journalism
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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Amy Goodman
American journalist, columnist, and author
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Barbara Walters
American journalist
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Walter Cronkite
American journalist
Libraries & Reference Works
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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James D. Dana
American geologist and mineralogist
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Claude Bernard
French scientist
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Noah Webster
American lexicographer
Literatures of the World
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.
Articles
Literary Criticism
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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Samuel Taylor Coleridge
British poet and critic
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Northrop Frye
Canadian literary critic
- literary criticism
Literary Terms
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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- nonfictional prose
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tragedy
literature
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sonnet
poetic form
Nonfiction
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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- journalism
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The Feminine Mystique
work by Friedan
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The Diary of a Young Girl
work by Frank
Novels & Short Stories
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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The War of the Worlds
novel by Wells
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The Fall of the House of Usher
story by Poe
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The Catcher in the Rye
novel by Salinger
Oratory
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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Honoré-Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau
French politician and orator
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Daniel Webster
American politician
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Cicero
Roman statesman, scholar, and writer
Plays
; 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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Henry IV, Part 1
work by Shakespeare
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Pygmalion
play by Shaw
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A Raisin in the Sun
play by Hansberry
Poetry
; sonnets, haikus, nursery rhymes, epics, and more are included.
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ballade
poetry and song
- light verse
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Beowulf
Old English poem
