Literature

Definition of utopia

Utopia is a term that was first used, according to linguistic experts, by Thomas More. This word was formed from two Greek neologisms: outopia (formed by ou – «nothing» – and topos – «place») and eutopia (eu, which in Spanish translates as «good»). This would allow us to explain the term utopian […]

Definition of metaphor

A metaphor is the application of a concept or expression to an idea or an object that it does not describe directly, with the intention of suggesting a comparison with another element and facilitating its understanding. For example: «Those two emeralds that he had for eyes shone in his face». The word comes from […]

Definition of tale

The word tale comes from the Latin word compŭtus, meaning “tell.” The concept refers to a brief narration of imaginary events. Its specificity cannot be determined with precision, so the difference between a long story and a short novel is difficult to determine. A short story presents a small group of characters […]

Definition of magical realism

The notion of magical realism was first used by the German art critic Franz Roh, who coined the expression to refer to a painting that reflected a modified reality. However, the concept gained greater significance when the Venezuelan Arturo Uslar Pietri used it to describe the work of certain authors […]

Definition of literature

Literature is the accumulation of knowledge to write and read correctly. The concept, which comes from the Latin term litterae, has a close relationship with the art of grammar, rhetoric and poetics. For the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), literature is an activity with artistic roots that takes advantage of […]

Definition of poem

A poem is a literary composition that falls within the field of poetry. The text may be developed in verse or prose; in the latter case, we speak of poetic prose. In ancient times, all literary compositions were called poems, since the word derives from the verb […]

Definition of poetry

Poetry is the manifestation of beauty or aesthetic feeling through words, whether in verse or prose. In any case, its most common use refers to poems and compositions in verse. The word poetry comes from the Latin term poēsis, which in turn derives from […]

Definition of essay

Rehearsal is a term that has multiple meanings. It is used, for example, when referring to the practices that are carried out before premiering a play or musical show in front of an audience. There are also so-called clinical trials, which consist of experimental evaluations based on a […]

Definition of legend

Legend is a term whose etymology leads us to the word legenda, which belongs to Latin. Legenda can be translated as that which “must be read”: that is why, in its origin, a legend was a narration that was captured in a written text so that it could be read publicly, usually within a church or […]