Which term describes literature as a chronological sequence of works within history?

• A. Literary history
• B. Canon
• C. Genre
• D. Theory of reception

Answer: (A)

Literary history examines literature as a chronological sequence within history, showing how texts are produced in and respond to their times. This approach treats the literary corpus as a timeline, with shifts in style, genre, and themes aligned with historical periods, events, and cultural movements. It helps you see not only what a work says, but how its ideas relate to earlier and later writings and to the world around it. The best term for this perspective is literary history because it foregrounds the time-ordered development of literature as part of historical change. The canon refers to a curated set of texts regarded as especially important, not the way literature unfolds over time. Genre concerns categories of form and convention rather than the historical sequence. Theory of reception looks at how readers’ interpretations change across periods, focusing on response rather than the chronological chain of works.