China's works written in words in the pre-Qin period were collectively referred to as literature, and literary works were listed separately only after Wei and Jin Dynasties. The classification of European traditional literature theory divides literature into three categories: poetry, prose and drama. Modern literature is usually divided into four categories: poetry, novel, prose and drama.
Literature is the art of language, an important embodiment of social culture and beauty. Literary works are works that writers express their unique spiritual world with unique language art. Without these two unique characteristics, there would be no real literary works. An outstanding writer is a hero in the spiritual world of a nation. Literature represents the art and wisdom of a nation. Literature is a subject that expresses social life and psychological activities in words, and belongs to the category of social ideology.
The earliest known western literary work is the Epic of Gilgamesh written by Sumerians in 2700 BC, which describes heroism, friendship, loss and the pursuit of eternal life. Western literature with its own characteristics in different historical periods. Early works often have religious or teaching purposes. The normative literature of preaching was born.
The abnormal characteristics of romantic articles blossomed in the Middle Ages. At the same time, the rational era created nationalist epics and philosophical essays. Romantic literature, which emphasizes popularity and emotional input, is gradually replaced by realism and naturalism, which pursue truth. In the 20th century, symbolism rose, seeking to explore the description and development of roles. It is worth mentioning that Christian literature is unique and has become one of the most beautiful scenery in the world.
For a long time, there was no obvious boundary between China's literature and history and myth. The earliest documents are records of history and mythology. But pure literature appeared as early as the Zhou Dynasty, such as The Book of Songs. Later, poetry, ci, qu and novel reached their peak in Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing respectively. During the Republic of China, martial arts novels were popular at home and abroad and became the most popular popular novels at that time. In the period of New China, online literature sprang up suddenly and became the most popular commercial work at present, but its level was uneven. Poetry is facing unprecedented difficulties in the new era. Only a group of vernacular poets created a lot, which also replaced ancient poems as the most popular poems at that time. Poetry was also neglected in the New China period.
Extended data
The literature of the Chinese nation is the * * * isomorphism of the literature of all ethnic groups with China literature as the main body. China literature has a long history of thousands of years. It has its own characteristics, special content, form and style, its own aesthetic ideal, its own dominant ideological and cultural tradition and theoretical criticism system. With its excellent history, diverse forms, numerous writers, rich works, unique style, distinctive personality and attractive charm, it has become a dazzling treasure in the treasure house of world literature.
China literature is divided into classical literature, modern literature and contemporary literature. Classical literature is represented by Tang and Song poetry and four classical novels, modern literature is represented by Lu Xun's novels, and contemporary literature is marked by China's free literature with independent thoughts.
China's classical literature is divided into poems and essays, and prose is divided into rhymes and essays. Modern literature is generally divided into four literary genres: poetry, prose, novel and drama. China's lyric poems and prose (called ancient prose) are the earliest and the most developed. The west is divided into two basic types: poetry and prose. Narrative poems and dramas mature earlier and novels are more developed.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Literature (a language art form)