classical literature
Enduring canonical works
Classical literature refers to the written works of ancient Greece and Rome—Homer, Virgil, Ovid, Sophocles—considered foundational to Western literary tradition.
More broadly, classical literature includes any works from a culture's formative period that remain influential: classical Chinese literature, classical Arabic literature.
The term also applies to later works considered enduring masterpieces, though this usage risks confusion with the historical sense.
- VirgilClassical epic poet
- epic poetryExtended narrative in verse
- tragedyDisastrous or sorrowful event
- tragic flawDefect causing protagonist's downfall
- HomerAncient Greek epic composer
epic hero · satire · Sappho · comedy · humanism · Western canon · laurel wreath · Cicero · Sophocles · Ovid · Mahabharata · Confucius · allegory · Dante · intertextuality · Roman Empire · golden age · canon
- humanitiesphilosophy, history, novels, humanities, liberal arts
- Literary traditionsmythology, folklore, fairy tales, fables, legends
- classicsHomer, Iliad, the Iliad, Odyssey, the Odyssey
- RenaissanceLeonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Mona Lisa
- ancient textsscrolls, scroll, Euclid's Elements, Epic of Gilgamesh, codex
- ancient writingsAeneid, Metamorphoses, cave paintings, petroglyphs, rock art
classical literaturecontemporary literature
Recent era's published works
modern literature · contemporary fiction · postmodern literature · emerging writers
classical literaturegenre fiction
Conventional, plot-driven popular books
pulp fiction · popular fiction · dime novels · penny dreadfuls · potboilers
classical literaturepostmodern fiction
Literature embracing fragmentation and irony
letter, class, classic, literature, literary, literate, classicist, classicism