Literature

"Literature broadly is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include oral literature, much of which has been transcribed. Literature is a method of recording, preserving, and transmitting knowledge and entertainment, and can also have a social, psychological, spiritual, or political role.

Literature, as an art form, can also include works in various non-fiction genres, such as biography, diaries, memoir, letters, and the essay. Within its broad definition, literature includes non-fictional books, articles or other printed information on a particular subject.

Etymologically, the term derives from Latin literatura/litteratura "learning, a writing, grammar," originally "writing formed with letters," from litera/littera "letter". In spite of this, the term has also been applied to spoken or sung texts. Developments in print technology have allowed an ever-growing distribution and proliferation of written works, which now includes electronic literature.

Literature is classified according to whether it is poetry, prose or drama, and such works are categorized according to historical periods, or their adherence to certain aesthetic features, or genre."

(from Wikipedia)

First three paragraphs of the Introduction of Part One of "Compact Anthology of World Literature":

"Reading about any culture foreign to one’s own tends to create a form of culture shock in the reader. In a world literature class, students frequently face texts that are completely unfamiliar to them, and the typical culture shock reactions set in. We tend not to like things that we do not understand, in part because we do not like the feeling of not knowing something. I have had students complain that they did not “like” a story before we discussed it in class, and then the same students decide after the class discussion that they now like it. Again, understanding and liking go hand in hand. Give the literature a chance; something that might not make sense at first may end up being one of your favorite stories after finding a way to approach it.

That being said, whether students like a story is not the point of reading that text in a literature class. We read literature in these classes to learn something. It is a nice addition to the experience if students like the works, but we can read and analyze texts that we do not enjoy just as effectively as the ones we do: In some cases, it is actually easier. Critical thinking comes from taking something that is unfamiliar, breaking it down into manageable chunks of information, fitting it back together, and using the experience to replicate the process in other situations in the future.

A literature class is, of course, a perfect place to learn critical thinking skills. When interpreting a text, pretend that you are a lawyer in a courtroom arguing a case. Not all cases have smoking guns; most are won or lost on circumstantial evidence alone. The interpretation needs to be based primarily on evidence from the text; therefore, there can be more than one possible approach, but some interpretations can be wrong if there is no support in the text for the generalizations that the student uses. Evidence is the key; based on what the text tells us, what do we actually know? Expert opinions (secondary sources) may help, but remember that both sides in a court case usually can call some expert who will agree with them. Authorial intention is not entirely out of bounds in such an argument, but it operates on the same principles: What can we actually argue, based on the evidence? For instance, any knowledge of Hemingway’s personal history makes it unlikely that the story “Soldier’s Home” could be interpreted as unsupportive of soldiers. Alternately, there are cases when the author’s life is of little or no help. Faulkner refused to tell an interviewer what the meaning of “A Rose for Emily” was, preferring perhaps that the reader not be limited by a simple (or simplistic) explanation of meaning."

Compact Anthology of World Literature (Part One)

Compact Anthology of World Literature (Part Two)

Compact Anthology of World Literature (Part Three)

Compact Anthology of World Literature (Part Four)

Compact Anthology of World Literature (Part Five) (file size: about 12 MB)

Compact Anthology of World Literature (Part Six)

Information about the editor of the book "Sacred Books and Early Literature of the East", available below, is provided here. This may help readers to better evaluate the contents of the book.

"Charles Francis Horne (January 12, 1870 – September 13, 1942) was an American author. He wrote or edited more than one hundred books, mostly multi-volume history works. He was a Professor of English at City College of New York.

Horne was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He died in Annapolis, Maryland.

Horne's most notable works include:

The Code of Hammurabi
Great Men and Famous Women
Sacred Books and Early Literature of the East, 14 volumes (1917)
The Great Events by Famous Historians
The Works of Jules Verne, 15 volumes (1911)
The Protevangelium or Original Gospel of James
Source Records of the Great War
The Stories of the Greatest Nations (with Edward S. Ellis)
Spain: The Story of a Great Nation (with Ellis)
Russia: The Story of a Great Nation (with Ellis)."

Volume 1, pages 1-242 (file size: about 17 MB)

Volume 1, pages 242 to end (file size: about 16 MB)

Volume 2, pages 1-227 (file size: about 17 MB)

Volume 2, pages 228 to end (file size: about 16 MB)

Volume 3 (file size: about 25 MB)

Volume 4 (file size: about 22 MB)

Volume 5, pages 1-48

Volume 5, pages 49 to end (file size: about 30 MB)

Volume 6 (file size: about 20 MB)

Volume 7 (file size: about 28 MB)

Volume 8 (file size: about 25 MB)

Volume 9 (file size: about 26 MB)