Significantly, this is a 'minimum age constraint for human presence in Victoria', and also could be interpreted as evidence for the oral histories of the Gunditjmara people, an Aboriginal Australian people of south-western Victoria, which tell of volcanic eruptions being some of the oldest oral traditions in existence. In a study published in February 2020, new evidence showed that both Budj Bim and Tower Hill volcanoes erupted between 34,000 and 40,000 years ago. Īustralian Aboriginal culture has thrived on oral traditions and oral histories passed down through tens of thousands of years. Alternatives such as 'oral forms' and 'oral genres' have been suggested but the word literature is widely used. The use of the term 'literature' here is a little problematic because of its origins in the Latin littera, “letter,” essentially writing. History Ī traditional Kyrgyz manaschi performing part of the Epic of Manas at a yurt camp in Karakol, Kyrgyzstan

An example of this is in the 1910–1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, which classified literature as 'the best expression of the best thought reduced to writing'. The word is also used in reference to non-written works: to ' oral literature' and 'the literature of preliterate culture'.Ī value judgment definition of literature considers it as consisting solely of high quality writing that forms part of the belles-lettres ('fine writing') tradition.

Literature can be seen as returning to older, more inclusive notions, so that cultural studies, for instance, include, in addition to canonical works, popular and minority genres. In Western Europe, prior to the 18th century, literature denoted all books and writing. Syd Field described his discipline, screenwriting, as 'a craft that occasionally rises to the level of art.' ĭevelopments in print technology have allowed an ever-growing distribution and proliferation of written works, which now includes electronic literature.ĭefinitions of literature have varied over time. Literature is often referred to synecdochically as 'writing', especially creative writing, and poetically as 'the craft of writing' (or simply 'the craft'). In spite of this, the term has also been applied to spoken or sung texts. Įtymologically, the term derives from Latin literatura/litteratura code: lat promoted to code: la 'learning, a writing, grammar,' originally 'writing formed with letters,' from litera/littera code: lat promoted to code: la 'letter'. Within its broad definition, literature includes non-fictional books, articles or other printed information on a particular subject. Literature, as an art form, can also include works in various non-fiction genres, such as biography, diaries, memoir, letters, and essays.

Literature is a method of recording, preserving, and transmitting knowledge and entertainment, and can also have a social, psychological, spiritual, or political role. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include oral literature, much of which has been transcribed. Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. For another use, see Literature (card game).

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