Why Literature has many definitions
by Mishu Alvarez
1. argues that the difficulty in defining literature lies in the fact that literature exists in many forms. Therefore, scholars have failed to come up with one definition that will embrace all the types of literature in their varying forms and degrees.
2. Kafimbwa (2005)
3. says that Literature is the use of well chosen words to tell a story through narrative, involving characters in conflict, or to express an emotion or idea through artfully arranged images
4. Encarta (2009)
5. literature is anything that is written. The people that subscribe to this notion believe that any written material qualifies to be called literature hence mathematical figures are also literature.
6. Bwalya .L (2006) the term literature is a latin word ‘litera’ which means Writing .
7. Hancock (2006)
8. Who believe that literature is a body of written works : the body of written works of a culture, language, people or a period of time. This definition means that literature is something that is written and excludes possibilities of oral literature.
9. According to
10. provide evidence this argument by mentioning the various forms of literature. Some types of literature are poetry, short stories, songs, novels, folktales and essays. Within each of these types or forms there are different genres.
11. Wikipedia (2009)
12. literature is a very difficulty concept to define from one perspective. This is because the current understanding of literature has departed from the etymological understanding of the term literature.
13. The existence of the different types of literature have made it difficult for scholars to come up with one working definitions for literature. Each of the definitions that exist now all have deficiencies.
