How can we define 'literature' - what differentiates the Yellow Pages from James Joyce's Ulysses as 'literary' texts?

Answers may include the question of literary or poetic language definining what makes a text 'literary'. For instance, in Ulysses, the metaphor “I was a Flower of the mountain" identifies it as poetic and more complex to understand, than, let's say, a name and address in the Yellow Pages.

Candidates could also talk about the use of narrative - Ulysses has a plot whereas the Yellow Pages is simply a list of names and contacts - though then one might ask, what about a poem like 'A Carafe, that is a Blind Glass' by Gertrude Stein? That certainly does not contain narrative; does that mean it is not a literary text?

Perhaps the candidate will talk about the idea of 'the canon' and the idea of works being 'literary' because they are declared so by academics. Guillory talks about how the university intervenes with the writing of social minorities and their entrance into the canon: are certain works not declared 'literary' because they are written by people who are of certain 'groups' that are not respected enough to be authors?

Related English Literature A Level answers

All answers ▸

Would you agree with Malcolm that the character of Macbeth is best described as a 'butcher'?


How can I make sure I stay focused on the question in the exam?


Compare the ways in which personal trauma and mental illness are portrayed in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ and the poems of Sylvia Plath.


Compare how an author of a text you have studied presents ideas about romantic commitment


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo
Cookie Preferences