Claim: The human condition is analyzed in writing.

Literature , in its broadest sense , is any single body of written works . More restrictively , literature is writing that is considered to be an art form , or any single writing deemed to have artistic or intellectual value , often due to deploying language in ways that differ from ordinary usage . Its Latin root literatura/litteratura -LRB- derived itself from littera : letter or handwriting -RRB- was used to refer to all written accounts , though contemporary definitions extend the term to include texts that are spoken or sung -LRB- oral literature -RRB- . Literature can be classified according to whether it is fiction or non-fiction and whether it is poetry or prose ; it can be further distinguished according to major forms such as the novel , short story or drama ; and works are often categorized according to historical periods or their adherence to certain aesthetic features or expectations -LRB- genre -RRB- .   The concept has changed meaning over time : nowadays it can broaden to have non-written verbal art forms , and thus it is difficult to agree on its origin , which can be paired with that of language or writing itself . Developments in print technology have allowed an evergrowing distribution and proliferation of written works , culminating in electronic literature .