How Literatures Begin

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The emergence of literature in any language is a complex historical achievement, as many languages throughout history never developed writing or literature. This collectively written early history explores various literary traditions globally and over time, offering a comparative account of literary origins across the Mediterranean, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Seventeen chapters, each authored by a scholar specializing in a specific language and literature, trace the development of writing and its interaction with oral traditions, the rise of print circulation, and the transition from sacred to secular writing practices. The contributions examine cultural models, the role of translation, and other factors influencing the emergence of literature. Topics include the historical context and the practices, technologies, and institutions that fostered distinct literatures, from classical Chinese and its influence on Japanese and Korean traditions to the development of Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, and other Mediterranean literatures. The volume also addresses the birth of European vernaculars in the context of post-classical Latin and the evolution of African American and Latin American literatures amid colonial expansion and racial oppression. This work aims to enhance readers' understanding of the similarities and differences in the origins of major literatures throughout history.