LITERATURE
A review
WHAT IS LITERATURE?
• From the Latin litterātūra meaning letter, is the entire body of writings in a
specific language, period and with a particular subject.
• In short terms, is any written work.
Then, literature is…
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Novels
Poems
Dictionaries
Math book
Brochures
Notes from the notebook
FICTION AND NON-FICTION
Fiction
Literature of imaginative
narration
Non-fiction
Literature based on facts and
reality
FORMS OF LITERATURE
VERSE
A metrical line composed of one line
PROSE
Ordinary form of expression without
metrical structure
Types of prose work
Novels
Short Stories
Novellas
Novelettes
Essays
Biographies
Newspaper articles
HISTORY
ANCIENT EGYPT
• Writing in ancient Egypt—both hieroglyphic and hieratic, literary works
included funerary texts, epistles and letters, hymns and poems, and
commemorative autobiographical texts recounting the careers of prominent
administrative officials.
• Major narrative works from the Middle Kingdom include the Tale of the Court
of King Cheops, King Neferkare and General Sasenet, The Eloquent Peasant, Story of
Sinuhe, and Tale of the shipwrecked sailor.
Book of
the Dead
ANCIENT SUMERIAN
• The Sumerians invented one of the first writing systems, developing
Sumerian cuneiform.
• Most Sumerian literature is apparently poetry; it is written in left-justified
lines, and could contain line-based organization such as the couplet or the
stanza, but the Sumerian definition of poetry is unknown. It is not rhymed.
It did not use syllabo-tonic versification and the writing system precludes
detection of rhythm, metre, rhyme, or alliteration.
Epic of
Gilgamesh
ORAL TRADITION
• Oral tradition is a form of human communication wherein
knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received,
preserved and transmitted orally from one generation to
another.
• The transmission is through speech or song and may include
folktales, ballads, chants, prose or verses.
Myths of the origin of the world
• A creation myth is a cultural, traditional or religious myth which describes
the earliest beginnings of the present world.
• Creation myths are the most common form of myth, usually developing first
in oral traditions, and are found throughout human culture
Other prose literature
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Scientific literature
Philosophical (Socrates, Plato, Descartes, Nietzsche)
Psychological
Journalism
Law (Hammurabi’s Code, parts of the Bible, Constitution of the USA)
Graphic novels and comic books
PAPER and PRINTING
• The first papermaking process was documented in China during the Eastern
Han period (25–220 AD)
• Johannes Gutenberg is usually cited as the inventor of the printing press.
Indeed, the German goldsmith's 15th-century contribution to the technology
was revolutionary — enabling the mass production of books and the rapid
dissemination of knowledge throughout Europe.
FUN FACTS
• According to Guinness World Records as of 1995, the Bible is the bestselling book of all time, with an estimated 5 billion copies sold and
distributed.
• Having sold more than 500 million copies worldwide, Harry Potter by J. K.
Rowling is the best-selling book series in history. The first novel in the
series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, has sold in excess of 120 million
copies, making it one of the best-selling books of all time.
• The most translated book in history is the Bible with more 5,000 languages
• The Little Prince is the most translated book in history, excluding the Bible.
“Don Quixote”
• “The most meaningful book of all time“. Don Quixote,
written by Miguel de Cervantes, is actually regarded as the
birth of the genre of the novel in literary history.
William Shakespeare
• It is widely regarded as both the greatest writer in the
English language, and the world's pre-eminent dramatist.