Introduction Literature is a fascinating field of learning. It is, in fact, the mother of all academic disciplines, as it relates to anything written or spoken. However, the major challenge facing students of Literature is its definition, which helps in determining its scope.

To overcome the challenge, this lecture examines Literature from two perspectives: Linguistic and Technical. The linguistic definition looks at Literature as an ordinary word, while the technical definition presents it as an academic discipline.

The lecture also discusses the major and minor areas of Literature, an act that provides an idea to establish its scope. This way, learners/readers will easily understand and increase their appetite for further discussion of the broad but interesting field of knowledge.

Learning Outcomes By the end of this lecture, colleague learners/readers should be able to enhance their understanding of: Literature as an ordinary word Literature as an academic discipline Broad areas of Literature Major types of Literature Minor types of Literature The importance of Literature

Literature as an Ordinary Word As hinted in the introduction, Literature, in its ordinary sense, refers to any word, phrase or sentence written or spoken. It can be a piece of information on a particular subject or field of knowledge. Examples are DEMAND AND SUPPLY as part of Economic Literature, COLONIALISM AND IMPERIALISM as part of Political Science Literature, EDITOR AND SUB-EDITOR as part of Journalism Literature, LAWYER AND JUDGE as part of Legal Literature.

We also have NURSE AND DOCTOR: Medical Literature, STUDENT AND LECTURER: Educational Literature, GRAMMAR AND SEMANTICS: Language Literature, ASANTEHENE AND YA-NA: African Literature, QURAN AND IMAM: Islamic Literature, BIBLE AND PASTOR: Christian Literature.

Etymologically, Literature comes from the French word LITTERATURE, which is also derived from the Latin word LITTERATURA with the following meanings: alphabet, system of letters, writing, and scholarship (www.myetymology.com.) Grammatically, Literature is a noun, as in AFRICAN LITERATURE. In this example, AFRICAN is an adjective qualifying the noun LITERATURE. However, depending on the context, Literature can also function as an adjective. An example is: LITERATURE REVIEW.

Here, LITERATURE, though a noun, functions as an adjective modifying the noun REVIEW. This usage is known as Noun Adjunct – a noun functioning as an adjective qualifying another noun in a construction. In morphology, Literature is related to words such as LITERARY, LITERAL, LITERALLY, LITERATE, AND LITERACY.

Literature as an Academic Discipline In this context, Literature is an aspect of Language Studies that deals with the culture, tradition, and values of a particular group of people. An example is AFRICAN LITERATURE, which explores the story of Africans in all aspects of life from the pre-colonial era to the contemporary times. The Oxford Dictionary defines Literature as “written works, especially those considered of superior or lasting artistic merit.”

It is significant to mention that the definition of Literature varies from scholar to scholar; from environment to environment; from context to context. But one thing is common to all definitions: quality of creative imagination. This implies that every literary work must have an exceptional imaginative value.

Broad Areas of Literature Broadly, Literature has been divided into two areas. These are Oral Literature and Written Literature. Oral Literature includes literary works like songs, speeches, poems, folklores, eulogies, and elegies. On the contrary, Written Literature refers to documented literary works such as books, newspapers, and journals.

Major Types of Literature Literature, oral or written, has three major types: Drama, Poetry, and Prose. Drama is a theatrical dialogue performed on stage. It is made up of Acts and Scenes. THE MARRIAGE OF ANANSEWA by Madam Efua Sutherland and THE TRIALS OF BROTHER JERRO by Professor W. Soyinka are examples of African Drama.

Prose is a form of language which applies ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure (as in traditional poetry). This implies that in prose, sentences and paragraphs are used instead of stanzas and rhythms in Poetry or acts and scenes in Drama. Examples of African Prose are Chinua Achebe’s THINGS FALL APART, Fordinand Oyono’s THE OLD MAN AND THE MEDAL, Mongo Beti’s MISSION TO KALA, and Ngugi Wa’tiango’s WEEP NOT, CHILD.

Poetry is a literary genre in which feelings and ideas are expressed in a distinctive style and rhythm. In an ideal situation, normal sentence order and paragraphs have no room in Poetry. Use of Figures of Speech is another feature of Poetry. THE COLLECTION OF AFRICAN POETRY is a famous literary work containing poems of African Writers.

Minor Types of Literature The minor types of Literature are grouped under the major ones. For instance, tragedy, comedy and melodrama are some of the sub-types of Drama. William Shakespeare, an Elizabethan dramatist, for example, composed the plays HAMLET, ROMEO AND JULIET, KING LEAR AND JULIUS CAESAR that are famous because of their combination of tragedy and comedy. Problem play, farce, fantasy, monologue and comedy of manners are other kinds of Drama.

Tragedy is a dramatic piece that ends on a sad note. It involves a major character who faces uncontrollable challenges, and elements of horror and struggle usually lead to his or her death. THE ILLIAD AND THE ODYSSEY by Homer are among the famous Greek tragedies. A classic African tragedy is THE GODS ARE NOT TO BLAME, authored by Ola Rotimi.

Comedy is a story that ends happily. In comedy the lead character overcomes the conflicts, and the storyline is full of laughter. The elements used in comedy include romanticism, exaggeration, surprises and humour.

Melodrama is a blend of two nouns – ‘melody’ and ‘drama.’ It is a musical play with a happy ending. UNCLE TOM’S CABIN is one of the most popular melodramatic works describing cruelty of labour life. Tragicomedy, like melodrama, is also a combination of two words – ‘tragedy’ and ‘comedy.’ It is a play that begins on a serious note but ends happily.

Under prose, we have sub-types such as history, journalism, philosophy, fiction and fantasy writings, scientific writings, children’s literature. Others are myths, fairy tales with lots of adventure and magic.

Normally, contents of myths are devoid of scientific proof. Nursery rhymes, songs and lullabies are forms of myths that strike the interests of children. Creative and nature myths are stories of the stars and the moon. Magic tales are wonderful tales of quests and fantasy. Hero myths are ideal heroes of adventure. Short Stories refer to the small commercial fiction – smaller than a novel.

Minor types of Literature under Poetry include the following: Sonnet: a short poem of 14 lines usually containing any of the number of the formal rhythm schemes and typically having ten syllables per line.

Ballad: Poems that are on the subject matter of love and sung by the poet or group of singers as a story to an audience or readers. Elegy: this type of poem laments the death of a person.

Ode: this is a formal and long poem, which is serious in nature. Epic and mock epic: epics are the narrative poems that convey morality and culture of a particular period of a particular society. Homer’s THE ILLIAD AND THE ODYSSEY are among the largest philosophical epics translated by Samuel Butler.

Lyric: a poem of a Greek origin that gives a melody of imagery. It is the direct appeal of a poet to readers about any incident or historical events. Lyrics are mostly similar to ode or sonnets in form. There are many other minor types of poetry, and it is advisable to read wide, discover, and enjoy them.

The Importance of Literature Literature is very important because it is useful to humanity in many ways. Below is the explanation of this contention: “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”, C.S. Lewis, a British scholar and novelist, contends.

This contention is perhaps the most appropriate description of the importance of literature in our lives. Literature reminds us of stories, epics, sacred scriptures and classical works of the ancient and modern times.

As stated in the quotation by C.S. Lewis, literature not only describes reality but also adds to reality. Yes, Literature is not merely a depiction of reality; it is rather a value-addition.

Literary works are portrayals of the thinking patterns and social norms prevalent in society. They are illustrations of the different facets of common man’s life. Classical literary works serve as food for thought and tonic for imagination and creativity.

Exposing an individual to good literary works is equivalent to providing him or her with the finest of educational opportunities. Contrarily, lack of exposure to classic literary works is tantamount to depriving an individual of opportunities to grow in all aspects of life.

Works based on philosophy, art, history, religion, culture, scientific and legal writings are grouped under the category of Literature. Creative nonfiction of the ancient times and literary journalism also falls under Literature. Certain extremely technical writings such as those on logistics and mathematics are, besides, believed to be an integral part of Literature. These are all fields of tremendous benefits to humanity.

Some of the great literary works like the Bible, the Quran, and other religious texts provide society with the guiding principles of life. Ancient poetic works by poets such as Homer, Plato, Sappho, Horace and Virgil, Shakespeare's sonnets and notable poems by W.B. Yeats, John Keats, Wordsworth, Tennyson, and William Blake are of perpetual relevance to mankind. THE LORD OF THE RINGS, THE GODFATHER, A TALE OF TWO CITIES, JAMES BOND SERIES are some of the best-selling books of all times. THE ADVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO, ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, WINNIE-THE-POOH have been some of the greatest works in children’s literature (of the past).

The relatively recent Harry Potter series made record sales across the globe and carved a niche for J.K. Rowling. However, a discussion about children’s authors would be incomplete without the mention of all-time popular authors like Aesop, Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl and Mark Twain.

It is through reading such great literary works that one understands life. They help a person to take a closer look at different dimensions of life. In many ways, these great works change one’s perspective toward life.

Lives of brilliant achievers and individuals, who have made valuable contributions to society, are sketched in their biographies or autobiographies. These works give readers an insight into the lives of these eminent people and serve as a source of personal, institutional, and societal growth.

Furthermore, Literature constitutes an enormous information base. Research works by famous inventors and literary works by notable scientists often narrate stories of their groundbreaking discoveries and inferences. Ongoing developments in the fields of science and technology are documented so that the world can know about them now and in future.

Several ancient scriptures relating stories of human evolution and narratives of human life in those times have been of tremendous help to mankind. This implies that Literature has always served as an authentic source of information for all around the world.

It is true that languages are the building blocks of Literature. But the Study of Literature cannot be restricted to the study of languages only. In fact, Literature cannot be confined to an educational curriculum. Arguably, a degree in Language and Literature is unable to provide one, with everything that Literature can offer.

Literature is, definitely, much more than its literary meaning, which is largely considered as “an acquaintance to letters”, as hinted earlier in this discourse. Literature, indeed, lays the foundation of an enriched life because it nourishes the ‘soul’ of life and enhances the quality of living.

Conclusion Dear reader, from the above discussions, it has become clear that Literature is of different meanings to different people in different cultures. Besides, it has become evident that the Scope of Literature is broader than we think.

It is reasonable to conclude that the Scope of Literature ranges from anything related to the letter ‘A’ to anything related to the letter ‘Z’. But Literature seems to go beyond this conclusion, since painting, sculpture and other forms of creative arts are part of Literature. In God we trust, and to Him belongs the proper knowledge of Literature.