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What Is Literature, Really?
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Nathaniel
92 days agoWhat Is Literature, Really?
Most people think literature is just about novels and stories. But it goes way deeper than that.
Let’s break it down 👇
1. What is Literature?
Literature is any written or spoken work that uses language artistically to express ideas, emotions, or tell a story.
It’s not just about reading—it’s about thinking, feeling, and reflecting.
2. Literature is Broad. VERY Broad.
It’s not only novels like Purple Hibiscus or Things Fall Apart.
Literature includes:
📜 Poetry (e.g. Wole Soyinka’s “Abiku”)
🎭 Drama/Plays (e.g. The Lion and the Jewel)
📖 Prose (Novels, Short Stories, Essays)
🎤 Oral Literature (Folk tales, Proverbs, Riddles, Chants)
3. Why Is Literature Important?
✅ It teaches us about human nature
✅ Preserves culture and history
✅ Encourages imagination and critical thinking
✅ Reflects societal issues (corruption, gender, class)
4. Literature is a Mirror and a Lamp
📍Mirror: It reflects society’s values, struggles, and growth.
📍Lamp: It shines light on truth, pain, beauty, and injustice.
5. Forms of Literature You Already Know
🎵 Song lyrics = poetic form
🎥 Movies = modern dramatic literature
🗣️ Proverbs = oral literature
📖 Essays = prose
So, you’ve been reading literature all along!
6. Studying Literature Doesn’t Mean Just Reading
You analyze themes, characters, setting, style, tone, symbols, and more.
It’s about understanding what’s beneath the words.
7. Final Thought:
Literature isn’t just “stories.”
It’s life, captured in language—raw, rich, and real.
Next time someone asks “What’s Literature?”,
Tell them it’s everything human, expressed in words.