Yury M. Lotman

"The content and structure of the concept of "literature""

K. M. Newton

pp. 102-105

in: K. M. Newton (ed), Twentieth-century literary theory, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 1997

Abstract

If we regard literature as a specific body of texts, then it must be noted first that these texts constitute only a part of the general system of culture. The existence of literary texts implies both the simultaneous presence of non-literary texts and the ability, on the part of the group which uses them, to distinguish between them. The inevitable oscillations in borderline cases only strengthen the principle itself: when we are in doubt as to whether to assign the mermaid to woman or fish, or free verse to poetry or prose, we proceed from these classificatory divisions as given. In this sense, our conception of literature logically, although not historically, precedes literature itself.

Cited authors

Lotman Jurij Michajlovič