VIDEO: What is a literary text?

Literary text - definition and characteristics

As the term literary text suggests, this is about literature. Since around the 19th Century all written and also orally recorded documents. Oral is understood here to mean both verse forms and rhythms.

• The definition of literature has changed a lot over the years. At first there were strict aesthetic rules as to what literature was. A document had to show certain content in order to be considered a literary text. There were guidelines on form, content and scope. Over the years, however, a new definition emerged.
• According to the new definition, literary texts are all written texts. These texts are characterized by various features. These features include symbolism, ambiguity and literary formal language.
• There are three classic genres of literary texts in literature. These are the dramas, the epic and the Poetry (see below). Texts of these genres have the structural features to be considered literary texts.
• There are also other types of literature. These include B. the specialist literature and the non-fiction literature. These texts are primarily intended to inform the reader.
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Synopsis vs. Retelling - Features and Differences

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• A major difference to the two text forms is the way of reading. A Factual text or specialist literature is read differently than a literary text. A literary text is often profound, written in a specific form and idiom, while specialist literature is factual, straightforward and informative.
• Texts can also be divided into fictional and non-fictional texts. Literary texts belong to the fictional texts. That means they are invented, created, designed. Non-fictional texts, on the other hand, are texts (specialist literature / non-fiction) that relate to actual events.

The three genera - each of which is quickly explained

• Drama comes from the Greek and means "action". A drama is a literary text which is characterized by the fact that it can be played by actors in dialogue form. That includes comedy and tragedy.
• Epic means story, speech and also comes from the Greek. The epic is understood to mean literary texts that are told. These include short stories, novels, short stories, fairy tales and fables.
• The poetry denotes z. B. Poems, ballads, the ode and the hymn. The word comes from the Greek word lyra, which was a plucked instrument and accompanied chants. The lyric is characterized by many stylistic features. This includes B. meter, rhythm, rhyme, stanza, time and meter.