literature

noun5

1. •
   the stories, plays and other writing of a country or a time, valued as art

   • He’s studying English literature at university.
   • There’s a vast body of scientific literature on the subject.
2. •
   The body of all written works.
3. •
   All the papers, treatises, etc. published in academic journals on a particular subject.

   • In fact, information on when each of the terms first appeared in English, and if obsolete, how long they persisted, is entirely absent from the literature. — 2018
4. •
   Written fiction of a high standard.

   • However, even “literary” science fiction rarely qualifies as literature, because it treats characters as sets of traits rather than as fully realized human beings with unique life stories. — 2008
5. •
   (no longer used) Literacy; ability to read and write.