<P> An essay consists of a discussion of a topic from an author's personal point of view, exemplified by works by Michel de Montaigne or by Charles Lamb . </P> <P> Genres related to the essay may include the memoir and the epistle . </P> <P> Philosophical, historical, journalistic, and scientific writings are traditionally ranked as literature . They offer some of the oldest prose writings in existence; novels and prose stories earned the names "fiction" to distinguish them from factual writing or nonfiction, which writers historically have crafted in prose . </P> <P> As advances and specialization have made new scientific research inaccessible to most audiences, the "literary" nature of science writing has become less pronounced over the last two centuries . Now, science appears mostly in journals . Scientific works of Aristotle, Copernicus, and Newton still exhibit great value, but since the science in them has largely become outdated, they no longer serve for scientific instruction . Yet, they remain too technical to sit well in most programs of literary study . Outside of "history of science" programs, students rarely read such works . </P>

The broadest category of literature that is based on facts