WHAT IS LITERATURE

According to Wikipedia; Literature remains a term that does not have a universally accepted definition. It variably includes all written works; writing that possesses literary merit; and language that foregrounds literariness, as opposed to ordinary language.
Etymologically, the term literature is derived from the Latin word literatura/ litteratura "writing with letters." Literature can be classified according to whether it is fiction or non-fiction, and whether it is poetry or prose. It can also be distinguished according to major forms such as the novel, short-story or drama; and literary works are often categorized according to historical period or according to their adherence to certain aesthetic features or expectation.

Taken to mean only written works, literature was first produced by some of the world's earliest civilizations—those of Ancient Egypt and Sumeria—as early as the 4th millennium BC; taken to include spoken or sung texts, it originated even earlier, and some of the first written works may have been based on an already-existing oral tradition. As urban cultures and societies developed, there was a proliferation in the forms of literature. Developments in print technology allowed for literature to be distributed and experienced on an unprecedented scale. There are three genres of literature namely; prose, poetry and drama.
PROSE: Prose is a form of language that possesses ordinary syntax and natural speech rather than rhythmic structure. Prose can come in the form of a novel, novella or a short-story.
POETRY: Poetry is a genre of literary art that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, prosaic ostensible meaning. Poetry has traditionally been distinguished from prose by its being set in verse. Prose is cast in sentences while poetry in lines. The syntax of prose is dictated by meaning whereas that of poetry is held across meter or the visual aspects of the poem.
DRAMA: Drama is a classical literary genre that has continued to evolve over the years. It generally comprises chiefly of dialogue between characters, and usually aims at dramatic/theatrical performance rather than reading