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, May 04, 2024
8 Creepy Critters in the Work of Edgar Allan Poe
Behold the menagerie of the master of horror.
What did Sir Walter Scott write?
What did Sir Walter Scott write?
11 Banned Books Through Time
Some books have been banned for reasons that may surprise you.
Why Do Languages Die?
How does someone become the last known speaker of a language?
Arabic literature
Arabic literature, the body of written works produced in the Arabic language. The tradition of Arabic literature stretches...
Central Asian arts
Central Asian arts, literary, performing, and visual arts of a large portion of Asia embracing the Turkic republics (Uzbekistan,...
Australian literature
Australian literature, the body of literatures, both oral and written, produced in Australia. Perhaps more so than in other...
Canadian literature
Canadian literature, the body of written works produced by Canadians. Reflecting the country’s dual origin and its official...
Literature Quizzes
Antonyms and Synonyms
You may know that opposites attract and likes repel, but how much do you know about synonyms and antonyms? Turn your knowledge...
English 101
What is the term for words that sound like themselves, such as "ding dong" and "purr"? From morphemes to homophones, see...
The Meanings of Words
From "paradise" to "substitute", test your knowledge of words and their meanings in this quiz.
Word Meanings and Origins
What is the word used in the American desert for a sun-dried brick? Test your knowledge of words and their international...
Grammar Quiz
In the sentence "John kicked the football across the yard," what is the verb? From modifiers to plural forms, see how well...
World Languages
You may be familiar with such words as "hamburger" and "pretzel", but do you know the formal pronoun in German? Test your...
Plain English
Does orthography refer to proper pronounciation? Can a colon be used to join two words into a single compound word? Dot your...
Word Play
Does "disquisition" mean "a formal inquiry"? Does "exemptive" mean "out of the ordinary"? From "tighten" to "strange," play...
Synonyms vs. Antonyms
Is "meager" an antonym for "abundant"? Is "meek" a synonym for "timid"? Test the "ins" and "outs" of your knowledge in this...
Name that Mark
What languages use the tilde? What is a "tittle"? Test your knowledge of marks and symbols with this quiz.
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
- heroic poetry
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Jean de La Fontaine
French poet
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vampire
legendary creature
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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Green Lantern
comic-book character
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Superman
fictional character
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Black Panther
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.
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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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Pliny the Elder
Roman scholar
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Carolus Linnaeus
Swedish botanist
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dictionary
reference work
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
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novel
literature
- nonfictional prose
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tragedy
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.
Articles
- 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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oratory
rhetoric
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Tecumseh
Shawnee chief
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Quintilian
Roman rhetorician
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.
Articles
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rondeau
poetry and music
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ballade
poetry and song
- light verse