What is literature?

Write a 1000 word research report that explains what literature is and why people read it?  In defining the scope of literary work, your essay should include a description of what (if any) written works are not considered literature and why they are not considered so.  Include at least four reasons why people read literature and finally, describe which reason, in your opinion, is the most significant and why.  Your essay must include at least five in text quotations from different sources included in your works cited.