litteratura

Litteratura is the body of written works produced in a language or culture, and in many contexts the scholarly discipline that studies those works. The term traces to Latin litteratura, from littera "letter" or "alphabet," and has cognates in various Romance languages representing both the corpus of writings and the study of literature. In practice, litteratura encompasses poetry, prose, drama, essays, and other forms of written expression, as well as the critical and theoretical frameworks used to analyze them.

Historically, litteratura develops from ancient civilizations' written traditions—Greek and Latin texts, Indian and Chinese literatures—through medieval and early modern periods, and into contemporary global literature. Key shifts include the codification of genres, the invention of printing, vernacular literary production, and the rise of critical theory and literary studies that treat texts as social and historical artifacts.

Within the corpus, genres and forms vary: epic, lyric poetry, tragedy and comedy, novel, short story, essay, travel writing, scientific and philosophical treatises. National literatures emerge, linked to language, culture, and identity, while translation, adaptation, and criticism spread works across borders. Litteratura often reflects and shapes social values, languages, and power structures, and it provides insight into historical change and human experience.

In education and culture, the study of litteratura supports language learning, cultural memory, and critical thinking. Researchers might examine authorship, readership, textual transmission, style, intertextuality, and the relationship between text and context.