History of Literature

Literature may refer to any number of poetic, dramatic, fictional or nonfictional works from anywhere in the world. When people think of Literature they often picture dusty old libraries crammed full of leather bound books. They think of the English novelists of the 18th and 19th centuries or the ancient Greek dramatists. The mythology of Africa and the haikus of Japan are not often included in this rather limited view of what constitutes "Literature". That is the purpose of this book; to open up you, the reader, to literature through space and time.

In the Ancient World

• Literature of the Ancient Mediterranean
• Literature of Ramesside Egypt

Poetry

• Introduction
• Sacred Poetry
• Secular Poetry
• Epic Poetry
• Modern Poetry
• Australian poetry at the turn of the 20^th century

Fiction

• Introduction
• Novel
• Modern Fiction Around the World
  • North America
  • South America
  • Europe
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Australia

The Wikibook on 19th Century Literature can be found here

Nonfiction

• Introduction
• Essays
• Life Stories
  • Biographies
  • Autobiographies
• Scientific Literature
• Philosophical Works

Drama and Film

The Wikibook on theatre and acting can be found here.

• Introduction
• Tragedy
• Comedy
• Romance
• Histories
• Humanity

Significant Figures

• William Shakespeare
• Mark Twain
• Charles Dickens
• Geoffrey Chaucer
• Jane Austen
• The Brontë Sisters
• Thomas Hardy
• James Joyce
• George Orwell

The Wikibook on Catullus' poems can be found here
The Wikibook on Shakespeare's works can be found here