Literature In English & English Literature

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LITERATURE IN ENGLISH AND ENGLISH LITERATURE
Literature in English refers to all literary works that are written in the English language. The authors of literature in English are not Europeans but they write their piece of works in English language. The Gods Are Not to Blame, Things Fall Apart, No Sweetness Here, In the Chest of a Woman and Grief Child are examples of literature in English. Literature in English is originally written in another language but they are later translated into English language. For example, some poems, novels, short stories and drama that are written by African writers were once written in the indigenous languages of Africa before they were later translated into English language in order to enhance wider reading. This implies that, literature that is not translated into English language are limited to only the speakers of that very language. Since English language is widely spoken, writers in other languages see the need of translating their literary works in order to widen the population of their readers. In Ghana for instance, there are some poems, stories and essays that originally exist in the Ghanaian oral literature, some were written in the various Ghanaian languages but they are later translated into English language. Literature in indigenous African languages provide the indigenes a direct access to their rich traditions and customs but for the sake of projecting the nature and values of Africa beyond its own boundaries, the writers translate their works into a foreign language that is widely used by many people.
English literature refers to all literary works (prose, poem and drama) that portray the history and culture of the western world. English literature for example is written in England, Ireland, Scotland, Britain and United State of America. Some of the renowned writers of English literature are William Shakespeare (England), William Blake (England), T. S. Eliot (United States) and Dylan Thomas (Wales). English literature deals with universal themes and values that help readers to grow in all aspects of life. English literature is divided into eras like Old English literature, Middle English Literature and modern English literature. The differences in the English of literary works are clearly seen when a reader compares the English of King James Bible, William Shakespeare’s original texts like Julius Caesar and Theresa Ennim’s poem Makola.

Credit to  MADAM SITSOFE GANU
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE
S. D. A. COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
ASOKORE – KOFORIDUA.