Classes offered under the heading of "English" or "literature" can be incredibly diverse and can cover a variety of subject matters from epic poems to theatrical productions to film versions of musicals to the latest novels. In fact, the language arts has sought to redefine what the word "text" actually means. In the broadest sense, a "text" does not just refer to something that is written, but as something that communicates and thus can be analyzed. Whether you are studying a painting, reading the latest bestseller, or analyzing an advertisement, you are interpreting and coming to conclusions about that text. Even the human body can be a text. Due to such a broad definition, instructors in language arts have quite a bit of leeway in what they use as "texts" in their classes. This guide provides an overview of the visual, performative, linguistic, and traditional aspects of the language arts.