#1

Literature, in its broadest sense, is any single body of written works. More restrictively, it is writing
considered as an art form, or any single writing deemed to have artistic or intellectual value, often
due to deploying language in ways that differ from ordinary usage. Its Latin
root literatura/litteratura (derived itself from littera: letter or handwriting) was used to refer to all
written accounts, though contemporary definitions extend the term to include texts that are spoken or
sung (oral literature). Literature can be classified according to whether it is fiction or non-fiction and
whether it is poetry or prose; it can be further distinguished according to major forms such as
the novel, short story or drama; and works are often categorized according to historical periods or
their adherence to certain aesthetic features or expectations (genre).
The concept has changed meaning over time: nowadays it can broaden to have non-written verbal
art forms, and thus it is difficult to agree on its origin, which can be paired with that of language or
writing itself. Developments in print technology have allowed an evergrowing distribution and
proliferation of written works, culminating in electronic literature.
Etymologically, the term derives from Latin literatura/litteratura "learning, a writing, grammar,"
originally "writing formed with letters," from litera/littera "letter".[11] In spite of this, the term has also
been applied to spoken or sung texts.[1][12]

Geoffrey Chaucer (/tsr/; c. 1343 25 October 1400), known as the Father of English
literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first
poet to be buried in Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey.
Lindsay Parnell looks at the works of Mark Twain, who is considered the father of American
literature and an inimitable icon of American culture. Although he was born Samuel Langhorne
Clemens, he'll be forever known as the quintessential American writer Mark Twain.
The general categories of literature are non-fiction, poetry, prose, drama and media. These are
usually called genres. Literature is broken down into genres to make it easier to identify and
discuss.

Poetry is often considered the oldest form of literature, because the rhyming technique
used in poems would have been helpful in a time before written language. The main
elements of poetry are rhythm, meter and imagery. Not all poems have to rhyme, and
they are not required to be written in complete sentences. Poetry is often filled with
emotion.
Prose is any type of literature that is not poetry. Prose is always written in complete
sentences, and those sentences are put together to create paragraphs. A verbal form of
prose is the folktale, which is created and passed down through generations. Subgenres of prose include fables, fantasies, legends and myths.
The genre of non-fiction is almost always written as prose. Though it can be creative,
non-fiction is most often used for educational reasons. Sometimes non-fiction tells a
story, such as an autobiography. It can also be used for scientific papers.

Drama is a text that is meant to be performed. It can be read, but the sole purpose of
the piece is performance. In modern society, drama is usually either a play or a movie
script.
#2&3
General Types of Literature
Literature can generally be divided into two types; prose and poetry. Prose
consists of those written within the common flow of conversation in
sentences and paragraphs, while poetry refers to those expressions in verse,
with measure and rhyme, line and stanza and has a more melodious tone.
I. PROSE
There are many types of prose. These include novels or biographies, short
stories, contemporary dramas, legends, fables, essays, anecdotes, news and
speeches.
a. Novel. This is a long narrative divided into chapters. The events are taken
from true-to-life storiesand span a long period of time. There are many
characters involved. Example: WITHOUT SEEING THE DAWN by Steven
Javallena.
b. Short Story. This is a narrative involving one or more characters, one plot
and one single impression. Example: THE LAUGHTER OF MY FATHER by
Carlos Bulosan.
c. Plays. This is presented on a stage, is divided into acts and each act has
many scenes. Example: THIRTEEN PLAYS by Wilfredo M. Guerrero.
d. Legends. These are fictitious narrative, usually about origins. Example:
THE BIKOL LEGEND by Pio Duran.
e. Fables. These are also fictitious and they deal with animals and inanimate
thins who speak and act like people and their purpose is to enlighten the
minds of children to events that can mold their ways and attitudes. Example:
THE MONKEY AND THE TURTLE.
f. Anecdotes. These are merely products of the writers imagination and the
main aim is to bring out lessons to the reader. It can be stories about animals
or children. Example: THE MOTH AND THE LAMP.

g. Essay. This expresses the viewpoint or opinion of the writer about a

particular problem or event. The best example of this is the Editorial page of
a newspaper.
h. Biography. This deals with the life of a person which may be about himself,
his autobiography or that of others. Example: CAYETANO ARELLANO by
Socorro O. Albert
i. News. This is a report of everyday events in society, government, science
and industry, and accidents, happening nationally or not.
j. Oration. This is a formal treatment of a subject and is intended to be
spoken in public. It appeals to the intellect, to the will or to the emotions of
the audience.
II. POETRY
There are three types of poetry and these are the following:
A. Narrative Poetry. This form describes important events in life either real
or imaginary.
The different varieties are:
1. Epic. This is an extended narrative about heroic exploits often under
supernatural control. Example: THE HARVEST SONG OF ALIGUYON translated
in English by Amador T. Daguio
2. Metrical Tale. This is a narrative which is written in verse and can be
classified either as a ballad or a metrical romance. Examples: BAYANI NG
BUKID by Al Perez
3. Ballads. Of the narrative poems, this is considered the shortest and
simplest. It has a simple structure and tells of a single incident. There are
also variations of these: love ballads, war ballads, and sea ballads,
humorous, moral, and historical or mythical ballads. In the early time, this
referred to a song accompanying a dance.
B. Lyric Poetry. Originally, this refers to that kind of poetry meant to be
sung to the accompaniment of a lyre, but now, this applies to any type of
poetry that expresses emotions and feelings of the poet. They are usually
short, simple and easy to understand.
1. Folksongs (Awiting Bayan). These are short poems intended to be sung.
The common theme is love, despair, grief, doubt, joy, hope and sorrow.
Example: CHIT-CHIRIT-CHIT

2. Sonnets. This is a lyric poem of 14 lines dealing with an emotion, a feeling,

or an idea. These are two types: the Italian and the Shakespearean.
Example: SANTANG BUDS by Alfonso P. Santos
3. Elegy. This is a lyric poem which expresses feelings of grief and
melancholy, and whose theme is death. Example: THE LOVERS DEATH by
Ricaredo Demetillo
4. Ode. This is a poem of a noble feeling, expressed with dignity, with no
definite number of syllables or definite number of lines in a stanza.
5. Psalms (Dalit). This is a song praising God or the Virgin Mary and
containing a philosophy of life.
6. Awit (Song). These have measures of twelve syllables (dodecasyllabic) and
slowly sung to the accompaniment of a guitar or banduria. Example:
FLORANTE AT LAURA by Franciso Balagtas
7. Corridos (Kuridos). These have measures of eight syllables (octosyllabic)
and recited to a martial beat. Example: IBONG ADARNA
C. Dramatic Poetry
1. Comedy. The word comedy comes from the Greek term komos meaning
festivity or revelry. This form usually is light and written with the purpose of
amusing, and usually has a happy ending.
2. Melodrama. This is usually used in musical plays with the opera. Today,
this is related to tragedy just as the farce is to comedy. It arouses immediate
and intense emotion and is usually sad but there is a happy ending for the
principal character.
3. Tragedy. This involves the hero struggling mightily against dynamic forces;
he meets death or ruin without success and satisfaction obtained by the
protagonist in a comedy.
4. Farce. This is an exaggerated comedy. It seeks to arouse mirth by
laughable lines; situations are too ridiculous to be true; the characters seem
to be caricatures and the motives undignified and absurd.
5. Social Poems. This form is either purely comic or tragic and it pictures the
life of today. It may aim to bring about changes in the social conditions.

#4
Literature affects people by teaching them, entertaining them and inspiring them to take action
in life. According to Gulf News, literature has "shaped civilisations, changed political systems

and exposed injustice." Literature also helps people understand other walks of life. Narratives, in
particular, inspire empathy and give people a new perspective on their lives and the lives of
others.

"Books call for intervention, in the same way as some forms of contemporary
visual art appropriate an object and make a new imprint on it, thus turning it
into a unique object, for every intervention is exclusive and individual. The key,
indeed, is appropriation. Your copy, your interaction with the
story, your conclusions. Books have an ending, but are not truly finished until
readers reinterpret and actualize them."
#5
Poetry is one of the most universal vehicles of human expression, and one of the most
important of all written media for describing experiences. Research has also concluded
that teaching students poetry offers measurable results in a wide set of linguistic
domains.
Poetry is a constant, being produced by all known civilizations from ancient to modern
times. Throughout this extensive history, poetry has been made to address a vast array
of subject matters, including love, war, social issues, the beauty of nature and the love
of God. In part, poetry achieves its power through the use of various devices that not
only seduce the reader, but also enhance the oral delivery of the piece. These devices
include rhyme scheme, meter and line breaks. Additionally, because poetry is meant to
invoke experiences, it emphasizes the role of the senses, calling to mind memories and
feelings in stirring and sometimes turbulent ways.
Research into the efficacy of teaching poetry has demonstrated that such instruction
yields higher levels of literary and linguistic awareness, along with also bolstering oral
and written vocabularies. Furthermore, a 2002 study of California classrooms concluded
that teaching poetry, particularly with stress upon metaphor, imagery, rhyme and meter,
elevated students' critical thinking skills. Finally, because the expressive boundaries of
poetry are virtually unlimited, it is an excellent tool for encouraging students' creativity
and for exposing the aesthetically elastic boundaries of language.