If there is such a thing as literar

If there is such a thing as literary theory, then it would seem obvious that there is something called literature which it is the theory of. We can begin, then, by raising the question : what is literature? There have been various attempts to define literature. You can define it, for example, as 'imaginative' writing in the sense of fiction writing which is not literally true. But even the briefest reflection on what people commonly include under the heading of literature suggests that this will not do.
There are, however, problems with this way of defining literature too. For one thing, it would probably have come as a surprise to George Orwell to hear that his essays were to be read as though the topics he discussed were less important than the way he discussed them. In much that is classified as literature, the truth value and practical relevance of what is said is considered important to the overall effect. But even if treating discourse 'non pragmatically' is part of what is meant by 'literature', then it follows from this' definition' that literature cannot in fact be 'objectively' defined. It leaves the definition of literature up to how somebody decides to read, not to the nature of what is written. There are certain kinds of writing poems, plays, novels which are fairly obviously intended to be 'non pragmatic' in this sense, but this does not guarantee that they will actually be read in this way.