Definition and Characteristics of Literature

Defination of Literature - 

  “the body of written works produced in a particular language, country, or age, or the body of writings on a particular subject (scientific, art, etc.)” (Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus).

        Usually we believe that whatever is written is literature. On the other hand, different writing such as Railway Time Table, History, Economics or News items is not considered as a literature.

      Literature can be defined as ‘pieces of writing that are valued as works of art, especially novels, plays and poems’.  (Oxford Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary).

        Literature is a special kind of writing which different from the other writing. Literature is that kind of writing which is charged with human interest. It is characterize by permanence colour of imagination and artistic embellishment. It’s still with the life of man and his destinies on the earth. It expresses thought, feeling, emotion and attitude toward the life which are permanent and universal, in the other word they do not change with the change of the time. And it’s this permanence and universality makes literature different from the other writing, such as Journalism or advertisement. The views and thoughts are expressed in the news paper makes to be forgotten after some time, while those of literature go on appealing through the corridors of time. The report of earthquake in Gujarat before few years was appealing and emotional but people of certainly have forgotten it’s very soon. The dramas of William Shakespeare more than hundred years are still interesting and appealing even the Ramayana and the Mahabharata written before the five thousand year ago are still later of interesting and appealing.

So the literature is the production of a unique mind as well as it superior to other writing. It contains certain characteristic. The other writing gives us only information or knowledge while literature gives knowledge as well as pleasure. There are four remarkable features of literature such as –

(1) Sincerity  (2)  Life Likeness (3) Suggestiveness (4) Originality

• Sincerity

      Literature is a unique art. It needs almost sincerity and seriousness. It is believed that writer is inspired by the news than the write. The activity of literature writing is kind of mediation. The writer makes sincere effort and thus creates unique work of art because of this sincerity. Literature has quality like permanence and universality. Shakespeare’s plays, Wordsworth’s poems are with the sincerity. Such literature creates good impact upon others.

• Life Likeness

      Literature is a genuine record of human life. Though it is more imaginative, it has the ground reality of life. At a centre the writers write about what they see, what their experience and what they know about the life.  Thus there is life likeness. In the literature Shakespeare’s tragedies were written before many years ago, though they are about English society, they are accepted by the whole world. We find the similar experience in life, as they are found in those tragedies.

• Suggestiveness:

     Since the literature aims at to please to move and to teach, it must be capable to having certain qualities. Literature is directly connected with the human life, and so it is highly suggestive. Many works of literature have hidden meanings. The writers use different symbols to convey the meaning because of suggestiveness. Literature is complex and difficult to write or to understand. T. S. Eliot’s ‘The west Land’ W. B. Yeast’s Poetry and novels of Dickens’s are full of suggestiveness. 

• Originality:

      The critic like Plato believes that literature is merrily to copy of copy it has no reality or originality. But we don’t agree with the Plato. Actually literature is a unique creation. It connected with the human and emotions and life. Every writer has a unique personality. He may be inspired but his ideas are original. We like to read Shakespeare’s tragedies, Dickens’s novel or poems of Wordsworth. The originality of literature appeals to every human being, the incidents may be probable but they are universally accepted.