Literature is difficult to classify, since within the same text different forms of writing can be used and different topics can be discussed. For this reason, the most common way of grouping literary texts is based on the period or current to which they belong:
- Oral literature: It exists even before written literature and are all those forms of art that use language as the main medium and that have been transmitted orally generation after generation.
- Ancient literature: They belong to the Ancient Age. Most of the texts are of a religious or ritual nature, although there are also narrations about epic events of the time.
- Classical literature: They belong to the civilization of the Roman Empire or the Greek Empire.
- Modern Literature: Are those literary texts that were written in the Contemporary Age (19th and 20th centuries).
- Avant-garde Literature: It belongs to the avant-garde current that was based on constantly finding new ways of expressing and new ways of making art.
- Romantic Literature: It is the literature that was written at the time of Romanticism. It should not be confused with the literature that deals with love themes, although sometimes they can be linked. In this type of literature, the author’s subjectivity, beauty and emotions are prioritized as the motor that allows us to be alive.
- Fantastic literature: Fantastic literature is one that is based on the real world and in a specific time, but the actions move away from the physical laws that govern everyday life.
- Mystical Literature: It is one that deals with religious themes and that, even though they are literary texts, function as reference books for some groups of people in society. The books that we have in Christianity are part of mystical literature.
- Realistic literature: These are texts that could be happening in the real world, since they are based on specific places and times that have really existed. Even so, the characters do not have to be real people or have experienced the same situation as in the text.
- Erotic literature: This type of literature is based on reporting erotic or sexual episodes, in a suggestive way.
- Science fiction literature: This literature is the one that is based on the society of the moment, but set in an unreal world, often futuristic and much more technologically developed than the author today.
Literary genres
Literary genres are another way of classifying literature that is not based on the era or the theme of the texts, but focuses solely on its form. Each of the genres that we will show you below, has some rules to be followed by the author, when composing his works.
Although there are writers who break the rules and that is what makes literature alive and in constant motion. Formerly, the three genres by which literature was governed were epic, tragedy and lyric, but currently we rely on the four modern genres of classification of literary works.
Poetry
Initially, poetry was written in rhymed verses and with a very specific metric, although now free poetry predominates. It is a genre in which the feelings of a character are shown as the main theme and the author is completely free to use whatever literary resources he needs. The reader will not always understand the full meaning of each of the verses, but can create their own interpretation.
Narrative
The main characteristic of this genre is that it must be explained by a narrator, either a character or someone external to the work. Real or fictitious stories are told with the aim of entertaining the reader and it is one of the oldest genres in the history of humanity.
Three main subgenres can be distinguished within the narrative:
- Story: A simple narrative that is read in one sitting.
- Novel: Complex narrative in which numerous characters are involved and different plots are linked.
- Chronicle: This is a fairly new narrative genre in which real events that have happened are explained, using literary language. This genre is seen very clearly in newspapers or texts made up of correspondence letters.
Dramaturgy
The dramatic genre or dramaturgy are the written compositions, originated to be put up in the theater and spoken aloud by some characters. These works do not have a narrator, but are based on direct dialogue between each of the characters involved in the scenes.
Trial
The literary essay is a type of literature that aims to make the reader reflect on a topic. The author chooses a theme and develops it deeply, offering reliable information and conclusions about an initial question that could be presented.
What is the importance of literature
Literature is the art that uses one of the tools most used by human beings since the beginning of time: language. Throughout history, literature has been present as a mirror of society and thanks to it, it has been possible to discover what life was like in other times or in other cultures.
In addition, this artistic expression has served as a form of struggle to cause profound changes in the culture and way of thinking of society.
We hope that this article has been of help to you and that now you are much clearer about what literature is, the characteristics it has and what are the types of literary language that exist. If you want to continue learning about this topic, do not hesitate to take a look at the literature section
