The term `literary writing` calls to mind works by writers such as Shakespeare, Milton, or Wordsworth; definitive examples of all that the term implies. We instinctively associate the term with characteristics such as artistic merit, creative genius, and the expression of mankind`s noblest qualities. In this essay I will explore some of the characteristics of this kind of writing.

Literary works are primarily distinguishable from other pieces of writing by their creative, or artistic intent.

A piece of literature differs from a specialised treatises on astronomy, political economy, philosophy, or even history, in part because it appeals, not to a particular class of readers only, but to men and women; and in part because, while the object of the treatise is simply to impart knowledge, one ideal end of the piece of literature, whether it also imparts knowledge or not, is to yield aesthetic satisfaction by the manner of which it handles its theme.

The writer of this passage emphasises the distinction between writing of didactic purpose and literary writing which has that other, aesthetic, dimension. In fundamental terms literature is `an expression of life through the medium of language` , but language used more profoundly than when used simply to convey information.

The following two extracts, for example, both describing one partner`s response to marital problems, are different in both their form and their intent:

Many critics date the crumbling of their marriage back to that unfortunate episode, but David was delighted when he heard that Lynne had produced a daughter from her marriage to an American doctor.

And