literary works, esp essays and poetry, valued for their aesthetic rather than their informative or moral content
Word origin
C17: from French: fine letters
belles-lettres in American English
(ˈbɛl lɛtrə; ˈlɛtrə)
plural noun
literature as one of the fine arts; imaginative writings as distinguished from technical and scientific writings, esp. when characterized by a polished, highly literary style and, often, a somewhat dilettantish manner