(BELL-LET-truh), noun
Novels, short stories, poems, and other writings read for their grace and literary style and not necessarily their content.
“Learning has been as great a Loser by being … secluded from the World and good Company. By that Means, every Thing of what we call BELLES LETTRES became totally barbarous, being cultivated by Men without any Taste of Life or Manners.” – David Hume, Scottish philosopher