Literature

International Encyclopedia of Men and Masculinities

Via Old French, from the Latin litteratura, ‘learning’, ‘writing’—itself derived from litteratus, ‘knowledgeable’, ‘lettered’, ‘literate’—‘literature’ has, until the second half of the twentieth century, signified a body of creative writing, in verse or prose, intended to be differentiated from other, more workaday forms.

More recently, however, ‘literature’ has also included critical or theoretical writing (not only about literary works but also about other, broader topics, such as the nature of art itself), essays and even works of philosophical or historical interest. It has even been expanded to include any writing of a certain length and substance. Thus, for instance, one can read the medical ‘literature’ on a particular ailment, or one can collect from one’s travel agent the ‘literature’ on one’s holiday destination.

A written literary tradition emerges historically as a consequence of the rise.........

Read the rest of this Article with our Literature Access Pass.