Literature is defined as imaginative or creative writing or the body of written work produced by scholars or researchers in a given field. In this case, how is the distinction made between literature and writing or of a poet and a writer?
In the handout concerning What is Literature? What is Writing?, the text insinuates that prose is a major characteristic of a good writer. Prose is first of all an attitude of mind; a means of extending one’s thought capacity to the highest level of thinking to convey a message. Prose is defined as ordinary speech of writing as distinguished from verse. This definition could also be expressed as the ordinary form of communication in words. Whereas prose may be either fiction or nonfiction, the distinction between prose and poetry cannot always be clearly defined.
A writer is defined as a speaker who designates, demonstrates, orders, refuses, interpolates, begs, insults, persuades, and insinuates. If he does so without any effect, he does not therefore become a poet; he is a writer who is talking and saying nothing. It is a matter of knowing whether the writer correctly indicates a certain thing or a certain notion. If the words are assembled into sentences, with a concern for clarity, the reader doesn’t have to go by intuition but will be able to recognize what the author had in mind.
After reading the handout entitled, What is Literature? What is Writing?, I became enlightened about some important aspects between literature and writing. The writer of literature focuses to a large degree on style and technique, and these elements are often as important to the writer as the subject matter.