Meaning and Definition of Literature | Concept and What is.

What is literature?

Literature is the art that the instrument used are the words, thus, it is works of art that communicate and express themselves through words. Is literature also called the set of authors and their works which, throughout history, have been contributing works that expressed emotions, knowledge, ideas, experiences, etc.

The term literature comes from the word in latin "litterae", which in Spanish means the set of skills, knowledge and instruction to be able to write and read properly. This is closely linked to the grammar, believing themselves even, that the term "litterae" is the same word which is called "grammatikee" in Greek.

As we see, when we refer to the literature, we are actually talking about the art of writing by theories or studies of such works. It is also possible to make more specific uses of literature, as for example, to want to refer to works that relate to a subject in particular or with a specific period of history.

Although so far has been to define what is literature, this only is made possible from common sense, that experts in the field, throughout history have failed to give an answer about consensus of what is really. All that has been accomplished with success is defining its object of study, which is made up of literary works.

Despite the difficulty of their definition, literature has three basic elements, that we find the tracks of what is really in their interrelationship. It's the literary object, which is the work, the text or the literary utterance. Second, the benchmark that defines how literary and, thirdly, the networks of subjects, constituidas constituted by those who write and those who read. It is starting from these elements that we can understand in general terms what about this ancient art.

The same writers come to the concept of literature as a concept that is a continuously evolve, allowing that situations such as accept today as literary works to writings that were formerly quite apart, give thus showing the constant changes in the criteria that define literature.

Translated for educational purposes.