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, February 20, 2025
10 Captivating Contemporary Novels Set in the British Isles
These works of fiction will leave you dreaming of the wonderful and diverse lands of the British Isles.
Why Is There an R in Mrs.?
There’s no r in missus, so what’s it doing in the abbreviation?
7 Everyday English Idioms and Where They Come From
How did the proof get in the pudding? Britannica spills the beans on some of the most common idioms!
Was there a feud between William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway?
Let the accusations of cowardice and drunkenness fly.
biography
Biography, form of literature, commonly considered nonfictional, the subject of which is the life of an individual. One of...
Belgian literature
Belgian literature, the body of written works produced by Belgians and written in Flemish, which is equivalent to the Standard...
African literature
African literature, the body of traditional oral and written literatures in Afro-Asiatic and African languages together with...
Turkish literature
Turkish literature, the body of written works in the Turkish language. The Orhon inscriptions represent some of the earliest...
Literature Quizzes
Name that Mark
What languages use the tilde? What is a "tittle"? Test your knowledge of marks and symbols with this quiz.
Literary Devices
Do you know synecdoche from metonymy? Test your knowledge of literary devices with this quiz.
Cross-gender Pseudonyms
Writers use pseudonyms for a variety of reasons—sometimes even to disguise their gender. Do you know who was actually...
Writers’ Retreats
Where did famous writers spend their time? Test your knowledge of writers’ retreats with this quiz.
Memorable Beginnings Vol. 1: Match the Opening Line to the Work
Consider yourself a great lover of literature? See if you can match these opening lines to their works.
Memorable Beginnings Vol. 2: Match the Opening Line to the Work
Consider yourself a great lover of literature? See if you can match these opening lines to their works.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Maybe this classic novel is your favorite, or maybe you read it once for high school English class. See how much you really...
Fifty Shades of Grey
Are you a true fan of Fifty Shades? See how much you really know.
Poetry: First Lines
Who wrote these famous words? Test your knowledge of the opening lines of famous poems and the poets who penned them.
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.
Articles
- oral literature
- folk literature
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Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson
Norwegian author
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.
Articles
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Superman
fictional character
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Black Panther
fictional character
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Doctor Strange
fictional character
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.
Articles
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Barbara Walters
American journalist
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Walter Cronkite
American journalist
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Dan Rather
American newscaster
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.
Articles
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Newberry Library
library, Chicago, Illinois, United States
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James D. Dana
American geologist and mineralogist
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Claude Bernard
French scientist
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.
Articles
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Samuel Johnson
English author
- textual criticism
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Virginia Woolf
British writer
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.
Articles
- 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.
Articles
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.
Articles
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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
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graphic novel
literature
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.
Articles
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Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet
French bishop
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Honoré-Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau
French politician and orator
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Daniel Webster
American politician
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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Our Town
play by Wilder
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The Seagull
play by Chekhov
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Oedipus Rex
play by Sophocles
Poetry
; sonnets, haikus, nursery rhymes, epics, and more are included.
Articles
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Leaves of Grass
work by Whitman
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The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
work by Coleridge
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Mahabharata
Hindu literature
