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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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Folk Literature & Fable Fictional Characters Journalism Libraries & Reference Works Literatures of the World Literary Criticism Literary Terms Nonfiction Novels & Short Stories Oratory Plays Poetry

Featured content, January 22, 2025

grim reaper, death
Where Does the Concept of a “Grim Reaper” Come From?
Harvester of souls since when?
Rainbow flag. Sign of diversity, inclusiveness, hope, yearning. Gay pride flag popularized by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker in 1978. Inspired by Judy Garland singing Over the Rainbow. gay rights, homosexual, gays, LGBT community
13 LGBTQ Writers You Should Read
Doesn’t matter whom you love.
The Catcher in the Rye By J.D. Salinger. Hardcover Book first sold: July 16, 1951. Current cover design dated 1991? Previous solid maroon book cover with gold font designed by J.D. Salinger in response to racey pulp paper back book cover. bad books
5 Good Books That Inspired Bad Deeds
Words gone wild.
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet, Scottish historical novelist and poet, 1870. Portrait of Scott author of Ivanhoe. Scotland
What did Sir Walter Scott write?
What did Sir Walter Scott write?
wine bottle
Persian literature
Persian literature, body of writings in New Persian (also called Modern Persian), the form of the Persian language written...
Nise-e
Japanese literature
Japanese literature, the body of written works produced by Japanese authors in Japanese or, in its earliest beginnings, at...
Phillis Wheatley's first book of poetry
African American literature
African American literature, body of literature written by Americans of African descent. Beginning in the pre-Revolutionary...
John Smith: Virginia
American literature
American literature, the body of written works produced in the English language in the United States. Like other national...

Literature Quizzes

Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) portrait by Carl Van Vecht April 3, 1938. Writer, folklorist and anthropologist celebrated African American culture of the rural South.
American Writers Quiz
Who wrote Beloved? How about Leaves of Grass? Prepare to test your deepest knowledge of American writers...
Books. Reading. Publishing. Print. Literature. Literacy. Rows of used books for sale on a table.
Name the Novelist
Every answer in this quiz is the name of a novelist. How many do you know?
Three stacked volumes of collected works by William Shakespeare. Shakespearean tragedies, Shakespearean comedies, books.
Literary Classics Quiz
Who wrote Moll Flanders? Who is the protagonist in Crime and Punishment? Haul your classics down from your...
Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, history and society.
Charlotte Brontë Quiz
What was Charlotte Brontë’s pseudonym? Which book remained unfinished at the time of Brontë’s death? Take this quiz to find...
Gulliver in Lilliput. Lemuel Gulliver, set ashore after a mutiny, regains consciousness and finds himself a prisoner of the Lilliputians. From Gulliver's Travels, Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts by Jonathan Swift.
Jonathan Swift Quiz
What was Jonathan Swift’s pseudonym? Which political parties was he making fun of in Gulliver’s Travels? Test your...
Edgar Allan Poe 1848. Photo of daguerreotype by W.S. Hartshorn 1848; copyright 1904 by C.T. Tatman. Edgar Allan Poe, American poet, short story writer, editor and critic. Edgar Allen Poe
Poe’s Scary Stories Quiz
What word does the bird speak in “The Raven”? What story comes to life in “The Fall of the House of Usher”? Test your knowledge...
Silhouette of detective investigate is following footprints
Nancy Drew and the Case of the Online Quiz
What was Nancy Drew’s first mystery? What other teen detectives did Nancy collaborate with? Test your knowledge of Nancy...
Emily Bronte from a painting of a family group by Branwell Bronte. ca 1820-1848
Quick Quiz: Wuthering Heights
Love, loss, drama, and the strict social conventions of the 19th century—how much do you really know about Wuthering...
A Mad Tea Party. Alice meets the March Hare and Mad Hatter in Lewis Carroll's "Adventures of Alice in Wonderland" (1865) by English illustrator and satirical artist Sir John Tenniel.
Fictional Worlds Quiz
Whether you’re interested in Wonderland or Westeros, there comes a time when we all want to escape our reality for another....
American dramatist Eugene O'Neill, 1936.
The Eugene O'Neill Universe Quiz
What was Eugene O’Neill’s only comedy? Which of his plays is set entirely in a bar? Eugene O’Neill fans, look out: this quiz...

Literature Videos

Learn about the impact of textual scholarship on the understanding of literary works, such as Shakespeare's plays Hamlet and King Lear
Learn about the impact of textual scholarship on the understanding of literary works, such as Shakespeare's plays Hamlet and King Lear
Witness Western theatre in the Middle Ages by following a troupe performing The Play of Abraham and Isaac
Witness Western theatre in the Middle Ages by following a troupe performing The Play of Abraham and Isaac
Watch Penelope greet Odysseus in an excerpt of the reunion scene in Homer's Odyssey
Watch Penelope greet Odysseus in an excerpt of the reunion scene in Homer's Odyssey
Hear a short summary of Shakespeare's “Hamlet”
Hear a short summary of Shakespeare's “Hamlet”
Learn how Audre Lorde became a poet
Learn how Audre Lorde became a poet
Watch the exchange between self-blinded Oedipus and Creon in Sophocles' Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex
Watch the exchange between self-blinded Oedipus and Creon in Sophocles' Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex
Hear about “Autobiography of Mark Twain” and the Mark Twain Papers at the Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley
Hear about “Autobiography of Mark Twain” and the Mark Twain Papers at the Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley
Analyze short fiction elements evidenced in “The Gift of the Magi,” “The Necklace,” and “The Magic Shop”
Analyze short fiction elements evidenced in “The Gift of the Magi,” “The Necklace,” and “The Magic Shop”
Listen to Professor Mark Thornton Burnett explaining why we can watch Shakespeare's films in other languages
Listen to Professor Mark Thornton Burnett explaining why we can watch Shakespeare's films in other languages
Hear a reading of ancient Greek poet Pindar's first Olympic ode, commissioned by Sicilian prince Hiero
Hear a reading of ancient Greek poet Pindar's first Olympic ode, commissioned by Sicilian prince Hiero
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Literature Subcategories

subcategory placeholder 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
Fantastic Four 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
subcategory placeholder 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
E.O. Wilson 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
wine bottle 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
subcategory placeholder 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
To the Lighthouse 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
subcategory placeholder 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
The War of the Worlds 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
Justus of Ghent: Saint Augustine 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
Hamlet (1996) 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
subcategory placeholder Poetry
; sonnets, haikus, nursery rhymes, epics, and more are included.
Articles
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