Literature: Nature, Purpose, and Genres

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Questions and Answers

What is the broadest sense of literature according to the text?

  • Only fiction works
  • Any written work (correct)
  • Only non-fiction works
  • Only poetry

When was literature first documented in civilizations?

  • 3rd millennium BC
  • 4th millennium BC (correct)
  • 2nd millennium BC
  • 1st millennium BC

How can literature be classified according to the text?

  • Historical or fictional, poetry or prose
  • Fiction or non-fiction, poetry or prose (correct)
  • Fiction or non-fiction, drama or comedy
  • Novel or short story, drama or comedy

What allowed for literature to be distributed on an unprecedented scale?

<p>Developments in print technology (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

When did the proliferation in forms of literature occur according to the text?

<p>As urban cultures and societies developed (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Etymologically, the term derives from Latin litaritura/litteratura definitions include spoken or sung texts. More restrictively, it is writing that possesses literary merit. Literature can be classified according to whether it is fiction or non-fiction and whether it is poetry or prose. It can be further distinguished according to major forms such as the novel, short story or drama, and works are often categorized according to historical periods or their adherence to certain aesthetic features or expectations (genre). Taken to mean only written works, literature was first civilizations those of Ancient Egypt and Sumeria as early as the 4th millennium BC; taken to include spoken or sung texts, it originated even earlier, and some of the first written works may have been based on a pre-existing oral tradition. As urban cultures and societies developed, there was a proliferation in the forms of literature. Developments in print technology allowed for literature to be distributed and experienced on an unprecedented scale, which has culminated in the twenty-first century in electronic literature. Definition Definitions of literature have varied over time.

<p>Literature in its broadest sense, is any written work.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Literature, in its broadest sense, is any written ______.

<p>work</p> Signup and view all the answers

Literature can be classified according to whether it is fiction or non-fiction and whether it is ______ or prose.

<p>poetry</p> Signup and view all the answers

Taken to mean only written works, literature was first civilizations those of Ancient Egypt and Sumeria as early as the 4th ______ BC; taken to include spoken or sung texts, it originated even earlier, and some of the first written works may have been based on a pre-existing oral tradition.

<p>millennium</p> Signup and view all the answers

As urban cultures and societies developed, there was a proliferation in the forms of ______.

<p>literature</p> Signup and view all the answers

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Study Notes

Definition of Literature

  • Broadly defined, literature encompasses any written or spoken texts, and in a more restrictive sense, includes works recognized for their literary merit.
  • Etymologically, the term "literature" derives from the Latin "litaritura/litteratura."

Historical Documentation

  • Literature in the narrow sense, as written works, was first documented in ancient civilizations, specifically Ancient Egypt and Sumeria, dating back to the 4th millennium BC.
  • When including spoken or sung texts, its origins trace back even earlier, potentially linked to pre-existing oral traditions.

Classification of Literature

  • Literature can be classified based on its nature: either fiction or non-fiction, and as poetry or prose.
  • Major forms of literature include novels, short stories, and drama.
  • Works are often categorized by historical periods and adherence to specific aesthetic features or genres.

Proliferation of Literature

  • As urban societies developed, there was a significant proliferation of various literary forms.
  • Advances in print technology facilitated the unprecedented distribution and experience of literature, leading to the emergence of electronic literature in the twenty-first century.

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