What is literature?

· Literature contains many genres: fiction, poetry, plays, nonfiction. 

· "Literature" is considered to be "creative writing with recognized artistic value."

· This includes works from the canon: an always-changing list of the most respected and well known pieces of writing.

· It also includes newer works that are less well known, but that are recognized for their contributions to literature.

· It's less important to consider what others think literature is and more meaningful to think about that question for yourself.

· What do you think qualifies as "artistic value"?

· What qualities should a poem, story, novel, or essay have to be considered notable and "literary"?

· One scholar wrote that for "pragmatic reading" (like instructions or textbooks) the focus is on what happens after you read – you gain knowledge and can complete a task afterwards. For "literary reading," the focus is on what happens during the process of reading – the meaning, the emotion, the expression, and the depth of new understanding.

Who decides what counts as literature?

· We all get to decide this for ourselves.

· For many years, readers trusted professors and professional critics to determine what books and works belonged in the canon. That's why you've heard of Shakespeare but not many of the other playwrights from that same time period. 

· The focus now is (and should be) on casting a wider net – including more people in the conversations, including more works in the canon, and extending the definition of literature. For instance, many scholars now consider some graphic novels (comic book anthologies) as literary.

What does literature do?

· It represents experience.

· It engages emotion. 

· It relies on the use of concrete details to convey abstract ideas.

· It allows and encourages interpretation.

· What else do you think that literature does, or should do?

What are the genres of literature?

Genres, classifications, and categories – in all fields of study – help us understand things and allow us to predict and measure their qualities. Calling something a poem (instead of a story or an essay) means that we can then form some expectations of it, and that makes it easier for us to read and understand it. 

A lot of works "bend" genres – there are essays and stories that seem very poetic, and poems that look a lot like stories. Many of Shakespeare's plays, for instance, are also technically very long poems. 

The most well known and studied literary genres are:

· Fiction such as novels, short stories, and flash fiction

· Poetry such as poems and epic poems

· Drama such as plays and screenplays

· Nonfiction such as creative, imaginative works of nonfiction, like memoir and personal essay

How else can literature be classified?

· Subgenres are sets within genres. For instance, the genre of "Fiction," includes "Novels," and that genre includes things like "historical novels" and "comedic novels."

· Contextual factors can help us classify literature. This includes things like "Harlem Renaissance," or "Ancient Egyptian" literature.

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Module 1 Discussion: Discussion Topic DUE 3/4

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Thinking about the readings from this Module, write a 200-400 word discussion board post in which you explore one or more of these questions:

· Would you agree with the statement that "we read to know we aren't alone"? Why or why not?

· What is literature? Why is it important to read it?

· What did you read or learn in this Module that was surprising or unexpected? What surprised you?

· How did the literary works illustrate the ideas of this Module?

Use examples from the stories we read in this module to support your stance on whether or not you agree with C.S. Lewis.

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