In today's world, Text (literary theory) is a topic that has sparked great interest and debate in different areas. Its relevance and impact are undeniable, and its influence extends to a wide range of aspects of daily life. As time progresses, Text (literary theory) continues to be the object of analysis, reflection and study, since its importance is not limited to a single area, but crosses borders and affects people of different cultures, ages and social conditions. In this article, we will explore this topic in depth, analyzing its different perspectives and consequences, in order to better understand its scope and meaning in today's society.
In literary theory, a text is any object that can be "read", whether this object is a work of literature, a street sign, an arrangement of buildings on a city block, or styles of clothing.[citation needed] It is a set of signs that is available to be reconstructed by a reader (or observer) if sufficient interpretants are available. This set of signs is considered in terms of the informative message's content, rather than in terms of its physical form or the medium in which it is represented.
Within the field of literary criticism, "text" also refers to the original information content of a particular piece of writing; that is, the "text" of a work is that primal symbolic arrangement of letters as originally composed, apart from later alterations, deterioration, commentary, translations, paratext, etc. Therefore, when literary criticism is concerned with the determination of a "text", it is concerned with the distinguishing of the original information content from whatever has been added to or subtracted from that content as it appears in a given textual document (that is, a physical representation of text).
Since the history of writing predates the concept of the "text", most texts were not written with this concept in mind. Most written works fall within a narrow range of the types described by text theory. The concept of "text" becomes relevant if and when a "coherent written message is completed and needs to be referred to independently of the circumstances in which it was created."[citation needed]
The word text has its origins in Quintilian's Institutio Oratoria, with the statement that "after you have chosen your words, they must be weaved together into a fine and delicate fabric", with the Latin for fabric being textum.
Relying on literary theory, the notion of text has been used to analyse contemporary work practices. For example, Christensen (2016) rely on the concept of text for the analysis of work practice at a hospital.