|This article does not cite any references or sources. (October
2010)| Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasizes instructional
and informative qualities in literature and other types of art.
The term has its origin in the Ancient Greek word διδακτικός
(didaktikos), "related to education and teaching", and signified
learning in a fascinating and intriguing manner. Didactic art
was meant both to entertain and to instruct. Didactic plays, for
instance, were intended to convey a moral theme or other rich
truth to the audience. An example of didactic writing is
Alexander Pope's An Essay on Criticism (1711), which offers a
range of advice about critics and criticism. An example of
didactism in music is the chant Ut queant laxis, which was used
by Guido of Arezzo to teach solfege syllables. Around the 19th
century the term didactic came to also be used as a criticism
for work that appears to be overly burdened with instructive,
factual, or otherwise educational information, to the detriment
of the enjoyment of the