STUDIES IN DRAMA

The definition of literature usually includes additional adjectives such as “aesthetic” or “artistic” to distinguish literary works from texts of everyday use such as telephone books, newspapers, legal documents, and scholarly writings. Etymologically, the Latin word “Litterature” is derived from “Littera ”(letter), which is the smallest element of alphabetical writing.

The question, “What is Literature”? is not easily answered, whole books have been devoted to the topic. No single definition can satisfy everyone: furthermore, once a definition has been made, the limits that it imposes often make it inadequate for a least some writing that some people may want to call Literature. Nevertheless. We can say many things about literature that will help us begin to understand what it might be.