Literature according to www.merriam-webster.com by definition is written works (such as poems, plays, and novels) that are considered to be very good and to have lasting importance. I feel that literature is much more than words put together to make a good story. Literature is in many cases artistic. It expresses the author's feelings and ideas, usually in writing, but also in music and art as well.
Literature is important, through their works, authors can teach valuable lessons and explain real world issues. Some literary works may be simple, but their messages can be complex. My favorite example is Ernest Hemmingway's novella, The Old Man and The Sea, because it is a really simple book to read, but it teaches valuable life lessons about perseverance and self worth. With literary works you can't just read the words, you have to "read between the lines" and understand the underlying meaning of the authors theme. By just reading The Old Man and the Sea someone might think that it is a simple story of an old man going out to sea and fishing for a very long time and coming back. But if you read into it more, you could see the real life lessons being explained by the old man's determination, the problems he faces, and the attitude of the man as the trouble arrives.
Literary works can be in a form of a narrative or story; more for entertainment. Or they can be didactic; being written for the sake of learning, and teaching life lessons. But whatever the case I say look more into the story and try to think of which type of literary work the author was implying. Was it for a story? Or was it for learning a lesson?
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