What is Literature?

A detailed Summary of What is Literature?


Defining literature is a hard task. Many people know what it is but are unable to explain it. Brian Moon defines literature as:

"A shifting category of texts defined by a complex combination of factors including textual features and value judgements."

Literature is language that portrays certain qualities. These qualities are: an impact on the audience, a good use of the resource of language and the style used by the author, which should appeal to the reader. To help define literature it is imperative to provide examples from works classified as literature.

Literature can be found in many styles such as poems, novels, letters and art. In any form it will have an impact on the reader and will often shape or change the reader's views on areas of human life. Three of the main areas which literature will effect are the religious, social and personal view of the reader. It is often people who have strong and high views in these areas that will have a big say in what is classified as literature.

Weevilly Porridge by Eva Johnson looks at the top


If a text is to be considered of great literary importance it will be entered in the literary canon. Just what will be included in the canon is widely debated. Some say the literary canon exists only in our own minds. If we look back in the literary canon you find a list of value judgements and social ideologies. This outlines again the point that to be considered a literary text it must have meaning and portray a social issue or value judgement,

The inclusion of texts to be literature can differ from society to society. This is because of the different reader and writer contexts. For example a non-religious person may not find the Bible entertaining, as it doesn't fit their context. Different value systems of different cultural groups also play a big part in what is considered literature. In war stricken countries a poem such as Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen which is an anti war poem would be cherished but in a country like Australia where peace is taken for granted a poem about peace would also be taken for granted.

Not everyone will

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Approximate Word count = 712
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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