literature
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literature
The entirety of written and published works, especially those with artistic value such as novels, poems, and dramas.
Im Deutschunterricht lesen wir klassische deutsche Literatur.
In German class, we read classic German literature.
literature
All academic or factual texts that exist on a specific specialized topic.
Für meine Masterarbeit muss ich die relevante Fachliteratur zum Thema künstliche Intelligenz recherchieren.
For my master's thesis, I have to research the relevant specialist literature on the topic of artificial intelligence.
To distinguish the meanings, pay attention to the context. If the sentence is about art, novels, or poems, the artistic meaning is intended. If it is about science, research, or a specialized topic, it refers to the body of specialist texts.
Sie liest in ihrer Freizeit gerne moderne Literatur.
She likes reading modern literature in her free time.
The word 'Literatur' (literature) is almost always used in the singular, even when it refers to many works. When speaking generally about the art form, it is often used without an article.
Literatur ist ein wichtiger Teil der Kultur.
Literature is an important part of culture.
In the artistic sense, 'Literatur' (literature) is often combined with adjectives such as 'klassisch' (classic), 'modern' (modern), or 'zeitgenössisch' (contemporary). Nationalities are also common, e.g. 'deutsche Literatur' (German literature) or 'französische Literatur' (French literature).
Ich interessiere mich sehr für die klassische Literatur des 19. Jahrhunderts.
I am very interested in the classic literature of the 19th century.
In this meaning, people often speak of 'Fachliteratur' (specialist literature) or 'wissenschaftlicher Literatur' (academic literature). Typical verbs are 'recherchieren' (to research), 'zitieren' (to cite), or 'sichten' (to review).
Bitte geben Sie alle Quellen im Literaturverzeichnis an.
Please list all sources in the bibliography.
source
A Quelle is a single text or another specific place from which information comes. Literatur, by contrast, refers to all the academic or factual texts on a topic. So Quelle is appropriate for a specific reference, while Literatur refers to the overall state of research.
Für ihre Untersuchung wertet die Forscherin die aktuelle Literatur zum Thema aus.
For her study, the researcher reviews the current literature on the topic.
Als Quelle für diese Zahl nennt die Forscherin einen aktuellen Fachartikel.
As the source for this figure, the researcher cites a recent academic article.
