"What is Literature?": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers

What is literature? How does it differ from other forms of writing? What makes a literary text canonical? MFA student Paige Thomas answers these questions using the work of literary critics such as Derek Attridge and Roland Barthes and a few common literary texts.

The short video is designed to help high school and college English students to not only identify what makes literature canonical but also to analyze its general characteristics. A collaborative partnership between Paige Thomas and OSU Professor Evan Gottlieb, the video is sponsored by the School of Writing, Literature, and Film at Oregon State University.