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, July 11, 2025
author
Author, one who is the source of some form of intellectual or creative work; especially, one who composes a book, article,...
Southeast Asian arts
Southeast Asian arts, the literary, performing, and visual arts of Southeast Asia. Although the cultural development of the...
Latin literature
Latin literature, the body of writings in Latin, primarily produced during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, when...
dramatic literature
Dramatic literature, the texts of plays that can be read, as distinct from being seen and heard in performance. The term...
Russian literature
Russian literature, the body of written works produced in the Russian language, beginning with the Christianization of Kievan...
Korean literature
Korean literature, the body of works written by Koreans, at first in Classical Chinese, later in various transcription systems...
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...
Literature Quizzes
B Major: A Look at Beethoven
From his home country to his internationally-renowned symphonies, discover more about the life and work of Ludwig van Beethoven.
Bacteria, Mold, and Lichen: Fact or Fiction?
Is penicillin made of mold? Can fungi photosynthesize? Sort fact from fiction in this science quiz.
Baking and Baked Goods Quiz
You may have a sweet tooth, but how much do you know about baking and baked goods? Test your knowledge with this quiz.
Ballet: Fact or Fiction?
What is a pirouette? Where does ballet terminology come from? Test your knowledge with this quiz.
Baroque Art and Architecture: Fact or Fiction?
What does "Baroque" mean, anyway? What happened during the Baroque period? Test your knowledge with this quiz.
Baseball
Do you think you know about baseball? Test your knowledge with this quiz.
Basketball Player Nicknames
Think you know the nicknames of these famous ballers (cagers, netters, hoopsters)? Test yourself with this quiz.
Basketball Quiz
The only major sport invented in the United States, basketball has become a global phenomenon. Dribble through history with...
Bats: True or False?
Are bats really blind? How many species of bats are there, anyway? See if you can tell fact from fiction in this quiz all...
Bats: What Vampires Don’t Want You To Know
Do you know what bats use to control their wings? Learn about the natural habitats and characteristics of these flying mammals...
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
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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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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Nellie Bly
American journalist
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Katie Couric
American broadcaster
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Joseph Moses Levy
British 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.
Articles
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Noah Webster
American lexicographer
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John Ray
English naturalist
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Paracelsus
German-Swiss physician
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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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
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
- metaphor
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epic
literary genre
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epistolary novel
literature
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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The Diary of a Young Girl
work by Frank
- nonfictional prose
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blog
Internet
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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Around the World in Eighty Days
novel by Verne
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Ulysses
novel by Joyce
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The Sound and the Fury
novel by Faulkner
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
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.
Articles
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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.
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poetry
literature
- utopian poetry
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metre
prosody
