English Literature

LITERATURE AND ITS STUDY What is Literature? The word 'literature' comes from Latin 'litteraturae' meaning 'writings'. The word has been commonly used since the 18th century alongwith the French term 'belles letters' meaning 'fine letters'. It refers to fictional and imaginative being commonly divided into poetry,prose fiction and drama. It also designates any writings that are addressed to general audience and that are distinguished in form, expression and emotional power. This includes philosophy, history, and even scientific works. On the basis of this larger sense the philosophical writings of Plato and William James, the history of Gibbon, the scientific essays of T H Huxley and the psychoanalytic lectures of Sigmund Freud may also be called 'literary'. As imaginative writing 'literature' has an evaluative as well as descriptive function due to which its proper use has become a matter of controversy. Modern critical move...