A body of written works distinguished by the intentions of their authors and the perceived aesthetic excellence of their execution
Literature as a form of human expression
Not everything expressed in words, even when organized and written down, is counted as literature. Primarily informative writings like technical, scholarly, and journalistic would be excluded from literature by most critics
Ways literature may be classified
Language
National origin
Historical period
Genre
Subject matter
Forms universally regarded as belonging to literature as an art
Individual attempts within these forms succeed if they possess artistic merit and fail if they do not
Works of literature provide a kind of blueprint of human society
Literature gives insight and context to all the world's societies
Literature is more than just a historical or cultural artifact; it can serve as an introduction to a new world of experience
Herman Melville's 1851 novel "Moby Dick" was considered a failure by contemporary reviewers but has since been recognized as a masterpiece and is frequently cited as one of the best works of Western literature for its thematic complexity and use of symbolism
What is considered literature can vary from one generation to the next
Reading "Moby Dick" in the present day can provide a fuller understanding of literary traditions in Melville's time
