noun /ˈlɪt.(ə.)ɹ.ɪ.tʃjʊə(ɹ),ˈlɪt.ɜː(ɹ).ɪ.tʃjʊə(ɹ),ˈlɪt.ɚ.ɪ.tʃɚ/
a) The body of all written works.
SF is rarely literature because the characters are so poorly realised. - Adam Cadre
b) The collected creative writing of a nation, people, group or culture.
Wikipedia foundation.