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, October 08, 2025
short story
Short story, brief fictional prose narrative that is shorter than a novel and that usually deals with only a few characters....
Brazilian literature
Brazilian literature, the body of written works produced in the Portuguese language in Brazil. Brazil was claimed for Portugal...
literature
Literature, a body of written works. The name has traditionally been applied to those imaginative works of poetry and prose...
English literature
English literature, the body of written works produced in the English language by inhabitants of the British Isles (including...
Portuguese literature
Portuguese literature, the body of writing in the Portuguese language produced by the peoples of Portugal, which includes...
children’s literature
Children’s literature, the body of written works and accompanying illustrations produced in order to entertain or instruct...
popular art
Popular art, any dance, literature, music, theatre, or other art form intended to be received and appreciated by ordinary...
literary criticism
Literary criticism, the reasoned consideration of literary works and issues. It applies, as a term, to any argumentation...
Literature Quizzes
Archaeology: Great Discoveries Quiz
What is the name of the largest religious structure in the world? Who is considered the father of Egyptian archaeology? Test...
Architecture and Building Materials: Fact or Fiction?
Is concrete a mixture of sand and steel? Do suspension bridges hang from cables? Test the strength of your knowledge of architecture...
Architecture: The Built World
What is the name of the tower associated with mosques? Who buillt Hearst Castle? Test your knowledge of architecture and...
Are You An Idiom Savant? Quiz
Figure out what these figures of speech actually mean.
Are You Smarter Than a 1912 Middle Schooler? Quiz
The questions in this quiz are based an eighth-grade exam administered over a hundred years ago in Kentucky.
Around the Caribbean: Fact or Fiction?
Was Cuba once a colony of France? Is Jamaica the third largest island in the Caribbean Sea? Sort fact from fiction in this...
Art & Architecture: Fact or Fiction?
What purpose do gargoyles serve? What is gesso used for? Sort fact from fiction in art and architecture.
Art at Random Quiz
Test your knowledge of the deepest nooks and crannies of art history with this quiz.
Art of the Harlem Renaissance
Literature was not the only art that flourished during the Harlem Renaissance. Take this quiz to test your knowledge of the...
Artistic Styles and Techniques Quiz
Do you know how etching works? What was used in ancient China for drawing and lettering? Learn this and more in 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.
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African American folktale
literature
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trickster tale
folklore
- riddle
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
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the Avengers
fictional superhero team
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Robin
fictional character
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Hercule Poirot
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.
Articles
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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.
Articles
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John James Audubon
American artist
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Athanasius Kircher
German Jesuit priest and scholar
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al-Bīrūnī
Persian scholar and scientist
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.
Articles
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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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epic
literary genre
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epistolary novel
literature
- 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.
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The Diary of a Young Girl
work by Frank
- nonfictional prose
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blog
Internet
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
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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.
Articles
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John Donne
English poet
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Tacitus
Roman historian
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Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet
French bishop
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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Our Town
play by Wilder
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The Seagull
play by Chekhov
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Oedipus Rex
play by Sophocles
Poetry
; sonnets, haikus, nursery rhymes, epics, and more are included.
Articles
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Howl
poem by Ginsberg
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The Lady of Shalott
poem by Tennyson
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The Divine Comedy
work by Dante
