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Didactic refers to literature or other types of art that are instructional or informative. It does not merely entertain. In this sense The Bible is didactic because it offers guidance in moral, religious, and ethical matters. It tells stories of the lives of people that followed Christian teachings, and stories of people that decided to go against God and the consequences that they faced. Another example is Alexander Pope's An Essay on Criticism, which offers a range of good criticism and advice.
The term "didactic" also refers to texts that are overburdened with instructive and factual information, sometimes to the detriment of a reader's enjoyment. The opposite of "didactic" is "non-didactic." If a writer is more concerned with artistic qualities and techniques than with conveying a message, then that piece of work is considered to be non-didactic, even if it is instructive.
Some have suggested that nearly all of the best poetry is didactic. In the contrary Edgar Allan Poe called didacticism the worst of "heresies" in his essay "The Poetic Principle".
Other examples of didactic literature include:
- Instructions for Parish Priests by John Mirk.
- tracts by Tomas Stitny
- New England Primer
- Goody Two-Shoes
- The Coquette
- Jataka Tales
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