Pali literature

Pali literature is concerned mainly with Theravada Buddhism, of which Pali is the traditional language. The earliest and most important Pali literature constitutes the Pāli Canon, the authoritative scriptures of Theravada school. 
Pali literature includes numerous genres, including Suttas (Buddhist discourses), Vinaya (monastic discipline), Abhidhamma (philosophy), poetry, history, philology, hagiography, scriptural exegesis, and meditation manuals.
History.
The Pali language is a composite language which draws on various Middle Indo-Aryan languages. 
Much of the extant Pali literature is from Sri Lanka, which became the headquarters of Theravada for centuries. Most extant Pali literature was written and composed there, though some was also produced in outposts in South India. Most of the oldest collection of Pali Literature, the Pali Canon, was committed to writing in Sri Lanka at about the first century BCE (though it contains material that is much older, possibly dating to the period of pre-sectarian Buddhism).
At around the start of the common era, some of the earliest Pali commentaries and exegetical manuals (which are now sometimes included within the Pali Canon itself) were written, mainly the "Suttavibhanga", "Niddesa", "Nettipakarana" and "Petakopadesa". Other works like the "Cariyapitaka", the "Buddhavamsa" and the "Apadana" may also belong to this post-Asokan period. 
During the first millenium, Pali literature consisted of two major genres: histories ("vamsa") and commentaries ("atthakatha"). The histories include the "Dipavamsa" and the "Mahavamsa", which are verse chronicles of Buddhism in India and Sri Lanka.
The commentarial works include the writings of Buddhaghosa (4th or 5th century CE), who wrote the influential "Visuddhimagga" along with various commentaries on the Pali Canon. Several other commentators worked after Buddhaghosa, such as Buddhadatta (c. fifth century), Ananda (sixth century), Dhammapala (at some point before the 12th century) and other anonymous commentators which we do not know by name. 
The reform period between the 10th to 13th centuries saw an explosion of new Pali literature. Part of the impulse behind these literary efforts was the fear that warfare on the island could lead to the decline of Buddhism. This literature includes the work of prominent scholars such as Anuruddha, Sumangala, Siddhattha, Sāriputta Thera, Mahākassapa of Dimbulagala and Moggallana Thera.
They worked on compiling subcommentaries to the Tipitaka, grammars, summaries and textbooks on Abhidhamma and Vinaya such as the influential "Abhidhammattha-sangaha" of Anuruddha. They also wrote "kavya" style Pali poetry and philological works. Their work owed much to the influence of Sanskrit grammar and poetics, particularly as interpreted by the Sri Lankan scholar Ratnamati. During this period, these new Pali doctrinal works also show an increasing awareness of topics found in Sanskrit Buddhist Mahayana literature.
From the 15th century onwards, Pali literature has been dominated by Burma, though some has also been written in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, as well as Ceylon. This Burmese literature has in turn been dominated by writings directly or indirectly concerned with the Abhidhamma Pitaka, the part of the Canon variously described as philosophy, psychology, metaphysics etc.
Canonical Pali Literature.
Pali Tipitaka.
The earliest and most important Pali literature constitutes the Pali Tipitaka, the main scripture collection of the Theravada school. These are of Indian origin, and were written down during the reign of Vattagamani Abhaya (29—17 B.C.) in Sri Lanka.
The Tipitaka ("Triple Basket"), also known as Pali Canon, is divided into three "baskets" (Pali: ""):
Early Post-Canonical Texts.
These are early works written after the closure of the canon. The first four of these texts are present in the "Khuddaka Nikaya" of the Burmese Tipitaka but not in the Thai or Sri Lankan. They are also not mentioned by Buddhaghosa as being part of the canon.
Pali texts composed in Sri Lanka.
Commentaries.
A collection of Pali Commentaries ("Atthakatha") were written in Sri Lanka by various (some anonymous) authors, such as Buddhagosa, Dhammapala, Mahanama, Upasena, and Buddhadatta. Buddhagosa writes that he based his commentaries on older works which were brought to Sri Lanka when Buddhism first arrived there, and were translated into Sinhalese. K.R. Norman has written that there is evidence that some parts of the commentaries are very old. 
Sub-commentaries.
Sub-commentarial works called "Tika"s are secondary commentaries, that is to say, commentaries on the Atthakathas. Dhammapala is one early author of tikas. He is particularly known for his "Paramatthamañjusa", a sub-commentary on the "Visuddhimagga".
Historical Chronicles.
The following include various Buddhist historical chronicles ("vamsa"):
Poetry (mostly hagiographical).
Most Sinhalese Pali poetry is in "kavya" style, with much Sanskritic influence. 
Edifying tales.
A genre which consists of stories in mixed prose and verse, often focusing on the advantages of giving ("dana").
Linguistic works.
Works on Pali language, mostly grammar.
Poetics and Prosody.
Works on poetics and prosody.
Non-canonical Jataka collections.
These are jataka collections that are outside of the Pali Canon:
Anthologies.
Anthologies of various texts on different topics: