ಯಾವುದೇ ಭಾಷೆಯ ಲಿಖಿತ ಅಥವಾ ವಾಚಿಕರೂಪವನ್ನು ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯವೆನ್ನಬಹುದು. ಯಾವುದೇ ಭಾಷೆಯ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಅನೇಕ ಪ್ರಕಾರಗಳಿರುತ್ತವೆ. ಅವುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಲವು ಈ ಕೆಳಗಿನಂತಿವೆ.

Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, plays, and poems, and including both print and digital writing. 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.