Literature Portal | Britannica

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Literature </span> </nav> <h1 class="font-serif mt-30 mb-20">Literature</h1> <div class="font-serif grid"> <div class="col-sm-70 col-sm-offset-15"> 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.</div> </div> <div class="text-hr text-hr-right border-navy label mt-30 ls-lg">Browse Subcategories</div> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 mt-20 category-snap-slider"> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex font-14 overflow-hidden text-nowrap mx-5"> <a href="/browse/Folk-Literature-Fable" class="link-white mr-20 mr-sm-30">Folk Literature & Fable</a> <a href="/browse/Fictional-Characters" class="link-white mr-20 mr-sm-30">Fictional Characters</a> <a href="/browse/Journalism" class="link-white mr-20 mr-sm-30">Journalism</a> <a href="/browse/Libraries-Reference-Work" class="link-white mr-20 mr-sm-30">Libraries & Reference Works</a> <a href="/browse/Literatures-of-the-World" class="link-white mr-20 mr-sm-30">Literatures of the World</a> <a href="/browse/Literary-Criticism" class="link-white mr-20 mr-sm-30">Literary Criticism</a> <a href="/browse/Literary-Terms" class="link-white mr-20 mr-sm-30">Literary Terms</a> <a href="/browse/Nonfiction" class="link-white mr-20 mr-sm-30">Nonfiction</a> <a href="/browse/Novels-Short-Stories" class="link-white mr-20 mr-sm-30">Novels & Short Stories</a> <a href="/browse/Oratory" class="link-white mr-20 mr-sm-30">Oratory</a> <a href="/browse/Plays" class="link-white mr-20 mr-sm-30">Plays</a> <a href="/browse/Poetry" class="link-white ">Poetry</a> </div> <button disabled class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Previous"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span> </button> <button disabled class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Next"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span> </button> </div> </div> </div> <div class="container"> <h2 class="label my-30 text-center">Featured content, November 24, 2024</h2> <div class="qa-pinboard-items js-pinboard grid gy-20"> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="/story/where-does-the-concept-of-a-grim-reaper-come-from" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/73/191073-131-0D844C57/reaper-death.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="grim reaper, death" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="/story/where-does-the-concept-of-a-grim-reaper-come-from" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">Where Does the Concept of a “Grim Reaper” Come From?</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Harvester of souls since when? </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="/story/was-there-a-feud-between-william-faulkner-and-ernest-hemingway" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/18/211918-131-60CA99CA/Ernest-Hemingway-William-Faulkner-composite.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Combo image of Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner to be used in high engagement content only" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="/story/was-there-a-feud-between-william-faulkner-and-ernest-hemingway" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">Was there a feud between William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway?</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Let the accusations of cowardice and drunkenness fly. </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="/list/6-fictional-languages-you-can-really-learn" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/48/132548-131-3976D9B4/Fairy-Queens-Messenger-Richard-Doyle.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="The Fairy Queen's Messenger, illustration by Richard Doyle, c. 1870s." class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="/list/6-fictional-languages-you-can-really-learn" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">6 Fictional Languages You Can Really Learn</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> <em>Pedich Edhellen?</em> Do you speak Elvish? </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="/story/10-captivating-contemporary-novels-set-in-the-british-isles" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/01/116101-131-5557E1FF/Abergavenny-Monmouthshire-Wales.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales." class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="/story/10-captivating-contemporary-novels-set-in-the-british-isles" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">10 Captivating Contemporary Novels Set in the British Isles</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> These works of fiction will leave you dreaming of the wonderful and diverse lands of the British Isles. </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Yiddish-literature" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/93/131393-050-5BC6A3B7/Poster-production-Sholem-Aleichem-Dus-groise-gevins-1938.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Yiddish theatre poster" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Yiddish-literature" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">Yiddish literature</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Yiddish literature, the body of written works produced in the Yiddish language of Ashkenazic Jewry (central and eastern European... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Icelandic-literature" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/84/115584-004-4635C029/Jonas-Hallgrimsson.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Hallgrímsson, Jónas" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Icelandic-literature" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">Icelandic literature</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Icelandic literature, body of writings in Icelandic, including those from Old Icelandic (also called Old Norse) through Modern... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/rhetoric" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/images/shared/default3.png?v=3.130.14" class="default col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/rhetoric" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">rhetoric</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Rhetoric, the principles of training communicators—those seeking to persuade or inform. In the 20th century it underwent... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/French-literature" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/65/115265-004-0E06CEC0/Battle-of-Sluys-Hundred-Years-War-Chronicles.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Battle of Sluis during the Hundred Years' War" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/French-literature" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">French literature</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> French literature, the body of written works in the French language produced within the geographic and political boundaries... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="qa-quizzes"> <h2 class="h3 mt-30 mb-20 font-weight-bold">Literature Quizzes</h2> <div class="m-n10 "> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 card-snap-slider col-100"> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex col-100"> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="/quiz/australian-vocabulary-quiz" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/81/251681-131-E930042A/graduation-cap-flag-Australia-speech-bubble.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Graduation cap sitting over a speech bubble with an Australian flag on a blue background. (education)" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="/quiz/australian-vocabulary-quiz" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">Australian Vocabulary Quiz</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Go beyond the barbie with these bonzer questions about Aussie words. </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="/quiz/another-great-british-vocabulary-quiz-innit" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/20/254320-131-65DA7509/English-language-school-promotion.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="English language school promotion illustration. Silhouette of a man advertises or sells shouts in a megaphone and emerging from the flag of the United Kingdom (Union Jack)." class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="/quiz/another-great-british-vocabulary-quiz-innit" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">Another Great British Vocabulary Quiz, Innit?</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> A double-decker quiz with words from across the pond. </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="/quiz/little-words-big-vocabulary-quiz" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/97/254197-131-B26A19BB/woman-reading-on-stack-of-books.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Woman reading while perched on the edge of a blown-up stack of books." class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="/quiz/little-words-big-vocabulary-quiz" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">Little Words, Big Vocabulary Quiz</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Time to sweat the small stuff. </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="/quiz/a-visit-with-the-word-doctor-medical-vocabulary-quiz" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/28/254328-131-8CF54640/Yorkshire-terrier-dressed-as-doctor.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="A Yorkshire terrier dressed up as a veterinarian or doctor on a white background. (dogs)" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="/quiz/a-visit-with-the-word-doctor-medical-vocabulary-quiz" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">A Visit with the Word Doctor: Medical Vocabulary Quiz</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Give your vocabulary a checkup. </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <div class="image-icon-sm position-absolute rounded-sm right-10 top-10"> <span class="material-icons font-20" data-icon="image"></span> </div> <a href="/quiz/guess-the-literary-illustration-quiz" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/125990-131-CA750804/Lemuel-Gulliver-edition-illustration-Lilliput-Gullivers-Travels.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Gulliver in Lilliput. Lemuel Gulliver, set ashore after a mutiny, regains consciousness and finds himself a prisoner of the Lilliputians. From Gulliver's Travels, Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts by Jonathan Swift." class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="/quiz/guess-the-literary-illustration-quiz" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">Guess the Literary Illustration Quiz</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> We show you the art, you guess the literary work. 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Quiz</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Figure out what these figures of speech actually mean. </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="/quiz/challenging-standardized-test-words-quiz-vol-3" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/96/257796-131-91D3AA07/girl-oversized-glasses-pencil-math-test.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Elementary school aged girl with large, oversized glasses and pencil, thinking while taking a math test." class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="/quiz/challenging-standardized-test-words-quiz-vol-3" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">Challenging Standardized Test Words Quiz Vol. 3</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> You’re on your own for the math section. </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <button disabled class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue " aria-label="Previous"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span> </button> <button disabled class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue " aria-label="Next"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span> </button> </div> </div> </div> <div class="qa-videos pb-30"> <h2 class="h3 mt-30 mb-20 font-weight-bold">Literature Videos</h2> <div class="m-n10 "> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 card-snap-slider col-100"> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex col-100"> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/video/scene-film-adaptation-The-Cherry-Orchard/-153501" class="d-flex position-relative align-items-center justify-content-center" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/97/81297-138-2F36A6CB/scene-film-adaptation-The-Cherry-Orchard.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Watch part of the final act of Anton Chekhov's last play, The Cherry Orchard" class="col-100" /> <div class="btn btn-xl btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; 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Synge" class="col-100" /> <div class="btn btn-xl btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%)"> <em class="material-icons" data-icon="play_arrow"></em> </div> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/video/dramatization-playwright-The-Well-of-the-Saints-1975/-128823" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">Watch a dramatization of <em>The Well of the Saints</em> by Irish literary renaissance poetic dramatist J.M. Synge</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <button disabled class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue " aria-label="Previous"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span> </button> <button disabled class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue " aria-label="Next"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span> </button> </div> </div> </div> </div> <DIV class="marketing-CATEGORY_PAGE_NEWSLETTER marketing-content" data-marketing-id="CATEGORY_PAGE_NEWSLETTER"><div class="container mt-30"> <div class="marketing-newsletter border shadow px-20 pl-sm-60 py-40" style="background: url('https://cdn.britannica.com/safeimages/image-20200512-192730.jpg') bottom right / contain no-repeat"> <div class="font-20 font-weight-bold">Never Miss a Day in History</div> <div class="font-serif mt-5 mb-15 col-md-60">Sign up for daily fun facts about this day in history, updates, and special offers delivered right to your inbox.</div> <div class="grid gy-15 col-100 col-sm-70"> <div class="newsletter-form-container col-100"> <form class="newsletter-form grid g-15" method="post" action="/newsletter-subscription/EB_ON_THIS_DAY"> <div class="newsletter-form-email-wrap col-100 col-sm-60"> <label class="sr-only" for="sign-up-email-input">Email address</label> <input id="sign-up-email-input" title="Email address" type="email" name="email" class="form-control" placeholder="Email address" pattern="[a-z0-9._%+-]+@[a-z0-9.-]+\.[a-z]{2,4}$" required> </div> <div class="newsletter-form-submit-wrap col-100 col-sm"> <input type="submit" class="btn btn-blue w-100" value="Sign Up" /> </div> <input type="hidden" name="source" value="Category" /><input type="hidden" name="campaign" value="Mendel" /><input type="hidden" name="medium" value="box" /><div class="col-100 mt-15 font-12">By signing up, you agree to our <a href="https://corporate.britannica.com/privacy-policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Privacy Notice</a>.</div> </form> <div class="md-subscribed hidden"> <div class="mb-10">Thank you for subscribing!</div> <div>Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox.</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></DIV><div class="subcategories container mb-50"> <h2 class="h3 mt-30 mb-20 font-weight-bold pt-30">Literature Subcategories</h2> <div class="grid gy-30"> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Folk-Literature-Fable"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel/resources/encyclopedia-placeholder.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="subcategory placeholder" class="col-100 mb-15" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Folk-Literature-Fable" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Folk Literature & Fable</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">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.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/heroic-poetry">heroic poetry</a> <div class="font-serif"></div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-de-La-Fontaine">Jean de La Fontaine</a> <div class="font-serif">French poet</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/vampire">vampire</a> <div class="font-serif">legendary creature</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Fictional-Characters"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/38/182838-050-F71E4278/image-Fantastic-Four.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Fantastic Four" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Fictional-Characters" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Fictional Characters</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">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.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hamlet-fictional-character">Hamlet</a> <div class="font-serif">fictional character</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Thor-comic-book-character">Thor</a> <div class="font-serif">fictional character</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Green-Lantern">Green Lantern</a> <div class="font-serif">comic-book character</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Journalism"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel/resources/encyclopedia-placeholder.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="subcategory placeholder" class="col-100 mb-15" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Journalism" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Journalism</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">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.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-R-Murrow">Edward R. Murrow</a> <div class="font-serif">American journalist</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/I-F-Stone">I. F. Stone</a> <div class="font-serif">American journalist</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hunter-S-Thompson">Hunter S. Thompson</a> <div class="font-serif">American journalist</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Libraries-Reference-Work"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/75/116775-050-D926A56E/Edward-O-Wilson-2007.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="E.O. Wilson" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Libraries-Reference-Work" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Libraries & Reference Works</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">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.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Athanasius-Kircher">Athanasius Kircher</a> <div class="font-serif">German Jesuit priest and scholar</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/al-Biruni">al-Bīrūnī</a> <div class="font-serif">Persian scholar and scientist</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Library-of-Alexandria">Library of Alexandria</a> <div class="font-serif">ancient library, Alexandria, Egypt</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Literatures-of-the-World"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/98/136198-050-C1956D88/wine-bottle-fritware-half-Iran-Los-Angeles.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="wine bottle" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Literatures-of-the-World" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Literatures of the World</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">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.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/New-Journalism">New Journalism</a> <div class="font-serif">American literary movement</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Latin-American-literature">Latin American literature</a> <div class="font-serif"></div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Arabic-literature">Arabic literature</a> <div class="font-serif"></div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Literary-Criticism"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel/resources/encyclopedia-placeholder.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="subcategory placeholder" class="col-100 mb-15" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Literary-Criticism" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Literary Criticism</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">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.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Harold-Bloom">Harold Bloom</a> <div class="font-serif">American literary critic and author</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Baudelaire">Charles Baudelaire</a> <div class="font-serif">French author</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Bernard-Shaw">George Bernard Shaw</a> <div class="font-serif">Irish dramatist and critic</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Literary-Terms"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/20/99420-050-A8C679CA/Dust-jacket-edition-Vanessa-Bell-Virginia-Woolf-1927.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="To the Lighthouse" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Literary-Terms" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Literary Terms</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">Want to be able to distinguish your limericks from your haikus and your paeans from your panegyrics? Dive deep into literary terms and forms.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/novel">novel</a> <div class="font-serif">literature</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/nonfictional-prose">nonfictional prose</a> <div class="font-serif"></div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/tragedy-literature">tragedy</a> <div class="font-serif">literature</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Nonfiction"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel/resources/encyclopedia-placeholder.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="subcategory placeholder" class="col-100 mb-15" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Nonfiction" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Nonfiction</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">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.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/essay">essay</a> <div class="font-serif">literature</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/diary-literature">diary</a> <div class="font-serif">literature</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Unsafe-at-Any-Speed">Unsafe at Any Speed</a> <div class="font-serif">work by Nader</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Novels-Short-Stories"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/27/178727-050-2AFD7411/Ann-Robinson-Gene-Barry-The-War-of.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="The War of the Worlds" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Novels-Short-Stories" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Novels & Short Stories</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> 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.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/novel">novel</a> <div class="font-serif">literature</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/short-story">short story</a> <div class="font-serif">literature</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Hunchback-of-Notre-Dame">The Hunchback of Notre Dame</a> <div class="font-serif">novel by Hugo</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Oratory"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/07/121107-050-65C4CC92/Saint-Augustine-oil-wood-panel-Joos-Ghent.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Justus of Ghent: Saint Augustine" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Oratory" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Oratory</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> 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.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Quintilian">Quintilian</a> <div class="font-serif">Roman rhetorician</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Donne">John Donne</a> <div class="font-serif">English poet</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tacitus-Roman-historian">Tacitus</a> <div class="font-serif">Roman historian</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Plays"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/66/7266-004-50AA9C58/Kenneth-Branagh-Hamlet-Gertrude-film-version-Julie-1996.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Hamlet (1996)" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Plays" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Plays</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">; 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.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/A-Dolls-House">A Doll’s House</a> <div class="font-serif">play by Ibsen</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/A-Midsummer-Nights-Dream-play-by-Shakespeare">A Midsummer Night’s Dream</a> <div class="font-serif">work by Shakespeare</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Cherry-Orchard">The Cherry Orchard</a> <div class="font-serif">play by Chekhov</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Poetry"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel/resources/encyclopedia-placeholder.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="subcategory placeholder" class="col-100 mb-15" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Poetry" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Poetry</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">; sonnets, haikus, nursery rhymes, epics, and more are included.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/rondeau">rondeau</a> <div class="font-serif">poetry and music</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/ballade">ballade</a> <div class="font-serif">poetry and song</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/art/light-verse">light verse</a> <div class="font-serif"></div> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <DIV class="marketing-CATEGORY_PAGE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="CATEGORY_PAGE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; 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