A literary work is understood to be a work of art that is presented in written form, not in graphic or physical form. A central element for the literary work is the narration of a fact, event, series of events, feelings, ideas or simply an artistic expression about different situations. Literary works can be fictional or not, for example a novel and a philosophical essay, respectively.
Aesthetic and attractive narratives
Literary works are perhaps one of the first forms of art that humans developed. Along with painting, literature always had great importance in ancient societies since it was not understood simply as an artistic or aesthetic fact but as a way of narrating events that had happened or that represented something very important for a community ( such as traditions, legends, mythical characters, etc.). However, it is important to point out that the literary work is never a simple recount of events (which would be a report or list) but that it should always print aesthetic elements that add beauty, make it attractive and felt to those who read or know it.
Although the most common form or support for a literary work is the paper or the written form, it is also possible that a literary work, a legend, a story, or a specific story, are transmitted orally. This was the case for a long time in history and it was even considered that the written transmission made the exercise of memory lose. But of course, towards the end of the 15th century and with the arrival of the printing press, everything would change ...
Technology proposes new formats to access works
Nowadays, the variants to present a literary work are many, especially due to the advancement of technological means. For example, it is possible to access various works via the internet and then "download" them to electronic devices such as the novel EBook, digital book, electronic book, as it is also called, a recently created format that has achieved millions of followers around of the world and that consists of a device that allows reading digital books. The electronic or digital version of a book is also called this way.
Among the advantages that many users recognize in this proposal is the possibility of storing various works on the device and being able to read them to piacere from anywhere, while traveling by bus or metro to work, for example. It is also easy to move, it is not a heavy piece of equipment and so it is possible to store it in any purse and backpack. Something that usually does not happen with some books that are heavy and do not allow their transfer from one place to another.
However, we must also say that the place of the paper or the book is still central for any type of literary work since it is the most accessible and simple.
Classification and scheme
Literary works can be organized and distinguished according to different elements. In the first place, the form and duration of the same influences the classification: while the most common division is that of prose and poetry, we can also mention the novel and the short story as subgroups. At the same time, the works can be distinguished according to the theme they touch: tragedies, comedies, police, romantics, etc. Dramatic literary works are those that are written to be represented especially through the theater.
Literary works generally follow a scheme, a general structuring similar to that proposed by classical theater that consists of: approach, middle and end. All the works, without exceptions, present this structure and it is important that this is the case so that an organized story can be read that helps the reader's understanding.
The commercialization of literary works
Nor can we ignore when addressing the topic of literary works that they are normally commercial products in high demand throughout the world. Of course there are formats that are more interesting than others and then they are more purchased, although, sometimes it is the times that command a little in this regard, in addition to of course the particular tastes of each reader.
Those literary works that enjoy the unanimous favor of the public, and that have resulted in sales, are popularly known as bestsellers. Even these have become a genre per se since once they reach this level, bookstores offer them as a differentiated literary proposal beyond the genre to which they belong.
