Scholars of literary theory have had, and still have, many difficulties in defining what literature is. The concept of this word has changed over the centuries, and has also been different according to each nation. To cite one example, in England, in the 18th century, novels were not considered worthy of the small group of writings that were part of the literary universe. On the contrary, in the present, many people believe that only this type of works constitutes what we can call literature, leaving aside many other genres that are part of it.
Saving us the trouble of listing all the possible definitions that exist for this word, we will only mention the one with which we will work in this web.
According to the meaning of “literature” that refers to any work that uses language with an aesthetic or intellectual value, we have two types of compositions; writings of a creative or imaginative nature, and those that include essays of philosophical matters (or of any other subject related to this science). Thus, the genres that are included are: Novel, short story, poetry, theater plays, and studies on sociology, philosophy, psychology and history.
Although what we have just said does not define clearly what literature is, it establishes, at least by dismissal, what writings are not.
