Literature Abbreviations

The word literature derives from the Latin term litterae, which refers to the set of knowledge and skills to write and read well. The concept is related to the art of grammar, rhetoric and poetics.

According to the Portuguese Language Dictionary of Porto Editora, literature is the art of composing works in which language is used aesthetically and in which a language is used as a means of expression. This term is also used to define the set of literary productions of a country, an era or a genre/sector of knowledge (such as Persian literature, for example) and the set of works that deal with an art or a science ( sports literature, legal literature, etc.).

In short, literature translates as the art of producing texts and for this you can use different types of literary productions, such as romance literature, fiction literature, popular literature, cordel literature, medical literature, technical literature, Portuguese literature. , poetry, prose, among others.

But it is important to know that not all texts are literary and not all books either, so there is no way to generalize.

It is important to note that the origin of writing does not coincide with the origin of literature. Sumerian texts and some Egyptian hieroglyphics, considered as the oldest writings of which there are records, do not belong to the scope of literature.

Among the first literary texts stands out the Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient epic poem of Sumerian origin that was engraved on clay tablets and whose first version dates from the year 2000 BC Before that time, narratives used to circulate from generation to generation through the oral language.

Making a comparison between the scientific text and the literary text: the scientific text concerned with giving instructions, without worrying about emotions. In the literary text, the biggest concern is in the emotions that are transmitted by the author to those who read the text. But a literary text can also instruct or convey an idea .to the reader, but that is not its main focus and when that happens, it is usually linked to emotion, to the feeling that is passed on. It can be summarized by saying that the scientific text makes use of words in a denotative way, on the other hand, the literary text makes use of words in a connotative, emotional way, and for that it makes use of words freely and in order to value beauty, using metaphors. , figurative sense, etc. This type of text seeks to interact with the emotional side of the reader.

The objective of literature, with regard to artistic expression, is to help the author build a reality from the way he sees the world, having, in addition to his techniques and narrative, his feelings and ideas as essential elements for this.

Regarding literature in Portuguese, its origins date back to the 12th century (1196-1198) with the oldest Galician-Portuguese literary manifestation “Ora faz ost’o Senhor de Navarra” by João Soares de Paiva, but it is in the Renaissance (between end of the 13th century and mid-17th century) that the great writers appear, in which we will highlight the poet Luís de Camões with his Os Lusíadas.

Every year, the great achievements of literature are rewarded with the award of the Nobel Prize, in which the lucky laureates receive their respective prizes at the hands of the Swedish Academy. The first edition was awarded to the French poet and essayist Sully Prudhomme.

List of Acronyms Related to Literature