is there a literature not written?

Question

need it to prove that literature needs to be written in order to be literature

Answer 1

Definition of the word...........
Answer is NO it must be and is the written word.
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/literature

lit·er·a·ture (ltr--chr, -chr) KEY

NOUN:

The body of written works of a language, period, or culture.
Imaginative or creative writing, especially of recognized artistic value: "Literature must be an analysis of experience and a synthesis of the findings into a unity" (Rebecca West).
The art or occupation of a literary writer.
The body of written work produced by scholars or researchers in a given field: Printed material: collected all the available literature on the subject.
Music All the compositions of a certain kind or for a specific instrument or ensemble: the symphonic literature.
http://www.bklein.de/literature_definition.php
Literature, in its widest sense, embraces all compositions in writing or print which preserve the results of observation, thought, or fancy

Answer 2

i don't really agree. There are few remaining cultures that pass down their history and lore via word-of-mouth, but there still are. These tribes, some of which are responsible for the earliest instances of civilization, have never kept written record of their history. These histories include sciences, lores, and the foundations of what could be described as literature.
Unfortunately, though, these traditions breed interpolation and could be refuted as being too insubstantial to classify them as "literature".

Answer 3

I think that one of the advantages of poetry/songs was that these texts could be better remembered without being explicitly written. I might be wrong, but I think I was once told that it was the case for The Odysseus, as if it had existed (and evolved?) for some time through telling without being written.

Answer 4

yes, it's called the "oral tradition." Many fine works of literature, including the Grimms' Fairy tales are taken from this tradition.

Answer 5

nope