Literature basically means acquaintance with letters. Literature means written works that are regarded as having artistic merit. Literature includes drama, prose and poetry. Literati are people who are interested in literature. Authors and poets are literati. It is the art of written works which is not bound to published sources.
In the words of C.S. Lewis, “Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become. Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring two pence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.” People sometimes distinguish between literature and other forms of written work. Oral literature refers to literature that is not written and is in the form of epics, ballads, prose, poetry etc. Electronic literature is a form of work that originates in digital environments.
