âIf your sixteen year-old daughter told you that she was going to take a sex education course at high school, you might be pleased. So the difference between education (learning) and training is not as negligible or irrelevant as may seem.
For example, plot, theme, and tone are literary elements, whereas figurative language, irony, or foreshadowing would be considered literary techniques. Literary elements aid in the discussion and understanding of a work of literature as basic categories of critical analysis; literary elements could be said to be produced by the readers of a work just as much as they are produced by its author.
In academic circles, this decoding of the text is often carried out through the use of literary theory, using a mythological, sociological, psychological, historical, or other approach. Whatever critical paradigm we use to discuss and analyze literature, there is still an artistic quality to the works. Literature is important to us because it speaks to us, it is universal, and it affects us. Even when it is ugly, literature is beautiful. Also Known As: Classics, learning, erudition, belles-lettres, lit, literary works, written work, writings, books. Common Misspellings: Litericher.