What is

Literature?
ENG104
 Literature is life.
 It is a mirror of man’s desires and
aspirations, his ambitions and
accomplishments, his fears and anxiety,
his joyful and fulfilling moments.
 Records of man’s experiences of triumphs
and downfalls, laughter and anguish,
determination and indecision—from things
phenomenal to matters mundane.
 Literature is the totality of humanity.

What is Literature?
 Literature is anything that is written or
printed.
 Literature is associated with a poem, or a
fiction article, or a stage play, a book or a
classroom lesson.
 The characters, scenes, images, powerful
language, and carefully and masterfully
developed plot can delight the reader
and offer him an ephemeral escape from
the stiffness, boredom, even cruelty of the
world around him.

Why should we value literature?

 It can transport the reader out of the
limits of his time and space, and get him
into seeing another possible phase of life.
Meaningful insights can be drawn from
wholesome literary texts.
 Itcan bring him to a level where he is
able to see his life more objectively, up
close and personal. This is because
literature reveals truths about
humanity. More than a mere description
of people and what they do, literature
brings the reader to a slice of virtual life
in which he (the reader) consciously
experiences his humanity. This is an
added value of literature.
 ● It is an avenue for him to view and
understand his own experiences and
those of others. Reflecting can make
him more sensitive to the needs of
others and those of his own.
Literature, then, can serve as a value
guide as well as a lead to an analysis of
analysis of values and meanings about
the realities in life.
 It
is a creative avenue for self-expression.
A writer can unravel the ill-effects of cultural
patterns and norms, and can suggest ways to
remedy a stinking system through the
characters of his short story, novel, or play,
or the persona in poetry. Also, he reveals his
individuality and uniqueness as a writer in
the way he manipulates the elements of his
genre—character, setting, language, format,
and style.
 Itis an expression of common cultural
values. A writer has his own mind about
a problem or issue, but that “thought” is
molded by the collective sentiment,
aspiration, philosophy, value, even fears
of the community or cultural group he
belongs to. Literature provides
opportunities for the transport of these
ethnic or cultural thoughts, feelings, and
biases to people on the other side of the
cultural border. It is in this way that
literature can stand as the “conscience” of
the community which created it.
 Traditions in literature include classifying
works into literary types or genres. Genre
classification can have several
advantages.

Literary Genres and Culture

● It can bring about an order or a system
in the handling of literary texts and, in
effect, facilitates choice of materials akin
to one’s interests, which can result in
greater understanding and appreciation.
For example, a reader who has an ear for
musicality and rhythm will pick up a
poetic text more likely than he would a
book of fiction.


Advantages
 It has resulted in the writing of standards
for each genre. With the aid of these
writing standards, literary creators are
able to craft their works more
systematically. Thoughtfully going over
the standards for a drama will aptly arm a
novice writer to focus on what the
audience will look for in a play.
 The existence of genre classification is
one avenue that can lead to the meeting
of minds between the reader and the
writer. When the brain has identified
beforehand what it is looking for in a text
(schemata-text matching through
knowledge of specific genre),
comprehension of the text will be less
stressful, less threatening and more
enjoyable.
Culture-based Literary Traditions

 1.Genre Classifications. The presence of

traditional and universally recognized genres
does not dictate the uniformity of genre
classifications and the standards for each
genre. Not all genre classifications are
present in all places, and not all places
observe the same standards for each
classification. Every culture has its own
genre, owing to the variations in the
experiences and aspirations of the people in
each culture.
 For example
 ●The sonnet which is common in western
traditions is not well known in China or
among the Arab nations ( Kirszner &
Mandell 2).
 ●The kabuki play of Japan has as yet no
counterpart in western countries (Kirszner
& Mandell 2).
 ● We still have to see a counterpart of the
Filipino pasyon in other literary
traditions.
 2. Narrative organization
conventions. The standards on the
presentation of events in a plot can vary
from culture to culture specifically with
orally transmitted literature.
 For example:
 ● Some native American and African stories
dating to the early stage of cultural
development are arranged spatially, not
chronologically as is the tradition in almost all
cultures. All incidents that took place in one
setting are narrated, then the narration
moves to focus on all the incidents in another
setting, and so on until all the events are
completely retold. Even character
development is not given as much focus in
some traditional African and Native American
stories as it is in present-day fiction
 Character development. Present-day
fiction puts much emphasis on the identity
and the development of character. This is
not so in some traditional African and
Native American stories. In some of these
narratives, characters are sometimes not
named and can even switch roles towards
the end of the story.
 Narrative fiction or prose fiction. This
is the literary type which first comes to
mind when “fiction” is mentioned.
Narration, or retelling past events, is what
makes fiction what it is.

Genres of Literature
● Narrative fiction gives an account of a series of
events, factual or imagined but mostly imagined.
 ● One character, the protagonist, or a few
characters is/are at the center of these events,
causing them to happen and or causing him to
be transformed.
 ● He is confronted with a problem, the solution of
which is his primary concern, and the action he
takes towards its resolution is the reason for his
transformation. He may or may not overcome the
problem.
 ● Some events in fictional narratives are drawn
from historical incidents but fictionalized through
change of names and a slight tweak in the plot.
 ● Through narrative fiction, the author is able to
express his thoughts about a problem or issue,
and/or is able to entertain.
 Myth. This prose fiction, which punctuates
the literary beginnings of practically every
cultural group, is a story centered on how the
gods related to humans—how certain places,
beings, and places came to be, how the gods’
biases made some people’s lives fulfilling and
rendered others’ lives miserable, how
conflicts among the mortals affected the gods
or vice versa. Myths can also be about
struggles among cultural heroes, each one
representing the time-established beliefs of a
particular cultural group.

Classifications of Narrative Fiction

 Parable. This is a short narrative about
some ordinary experiences of a group of
people and is meant to connect to the
teaching of a certain moral, or the
hammering home of a philosophical,
social, religious, or political teaching. The
Jewish tradition best exemplifies the use
of parables.
◦ Romance. This refers to lengthy
Spanish and French stories of the 16th
and 17th centuries, especially about the
adventures and ordeals of the royalty
and the members of their court. It can
also refer to modern formulaic stories
describing the growth of an impulsive,
profound and powerful love relationship.
 Short story. Owing to its comparative
brevity, this is the most popular type of
narrative fiction. The plot may revolve
around one or two main characters facing a
difficulty. There are high as well as low points
in their lives but, almost always, will not go
back to exactly the same point where it
began. Because of the little space dictated
by the shortened form of the text,
interactions and relationships resulting in
changes in character, no matter how subtle,
are described briefly.
 Novel. This is a short story in extended
form. Length being its advantage over the
short story, the novel permits the full and
sometimes exhaustive development of the
interactions that lead to changes in some
characters’ disposition, thoughts, feelings,
or aspirations.
 A poem is a literary form that “expresses
a monologue or a conversation grounded
on the most deeply felt experiences of
human beings.”

Poetry
● It is acclaimed as the oldest and the most
popular among the literary forms.
 ● It is the most variable in length, running
from a few syllables, as in the Japanese
haiku, to hundreds of stanzas, as in the epic.
 ● The language is compressed in a few
verses arranged in conformity with the
principles of form, rhythm, and sometimes
meter and rhyme.
 ● It has a rich imagery and suggestive forms
of expression, making it the most puzzling
and, therefore, the most open to multiple
interpretations. These qualities make poetry
“unique”
 A. Narrative poetry. This is a story in
verse, of which there are two familiar
forms:
1. Epic is a narrative account in verse of
the accomplishments of a heroic figure, a
folk hero who exhibits extraordinary
physical powers and superhuman
dispositions, of gods, and other
supernatural entities. The account covers
a wide expanse of time and place, and
reflects the cultural characteristics of the
people who wrote it.

Classifications of Poetry
2. Ballad. Like the epic, the ballad traces
its origin to oral tradition. Originally
intended to be sung, an outstanding
characteristic is its use of repetition of
words and phrases, including a refrain.
 B.Lyric Poetry. This poem does not
attempt to tell a story. Possessing a very
personal nature, it conveys the writer’s
feelings, biases and aspirations, state
of mind, and perceptions. Lyric poetry
sub-types include the following:
1. Ode. This is a long lyric poem which is,
generally, on a serious subject, such as an
important concept (for example, freedom),
person, or any other entity in nature (for
example, the sun) and with a formal poetic
diction. Owing to its Greek origin, it is often
intended to be recited or sung by two choruses.
2. Elegy. This lyric sub-type is meant to
mourn the passing of a specific person. As
such, it is characterized by a melancholy and
plaintive mood. It may also reflect what the
author considers to be mysterious, uncertain,
or strange.
3. Pastoral. In contrast to the elegy, the
pastoral has a light, happy mood as it
celebrates the simplicity and idyll of country
life.
4. Occasional poem. This poem is meant for
a particular event, for example, a wedding,
the installation of a prominent church leader,
or a president’s inaugural.
5. Poems on everyday activities. Poems are
sometimes written to express the writer’s
feelings or describe his experiences about
day-to-day events, for example, going about
the daily chores, riding the trolley, or herding
the animals back to their corral.
6. Aubade. This poetic form is specifically
written to celebrate the coming of a new day,
specifically the arrival of morning.
7. Meditation. An ordinary object can be used
as a vehicle to consider important, more
serious issues. A poem that is focused on this
is called meditation.
8. Dramatic monologue. In this poem, the
speaker addresses one or more listeners who
is/are absent. In the process, the speaker
unravels the dramatic aspect of the situation and
reveals his psychological and emotional side of
the issue at hand, which is usually less
interesting than how he (the speaker) treats it.
Drama
 This literary genre is meant to be
presented on stage. Actors portray the
events in the story as though these were
happening in the present. Like narrative
fiction, there is a problem around which all
action revolves. At the center maybe a
single character or a small number of
characters who carry the burden of
resolving the conflict and on whose
actions and thoughts the attention of the
audience is largely focused.
 1. Tragedy. Often associated with the
bizarre and the disastrous, and in keeping
with Greek tradition, this type of drama is
focused on “treating serious subjects and
involving persons of significance.”
 2. Comedy. This type of drama sits on the
other end of the spectrum. It is designed to
“treat themes and characters with humor and
typically has a happy ending.”
3. Farce. This is a humorous play. But
unlike the comedy, the plot does not
depend on the development of a
character but on a situation that is
exploited ingeniously. The term can
speak for itself.
Nonfiction prose
 Any literary form not falling under any of
the categories just mentioned is classified
as nonfiction prose. This group consists of
a wide array of fact-based and fact-
oriented written materials presenting
judgments and opinions and which are
created mainly as sources of information.
 News reports, feature articles, essays,
editorials, textbooks, and biographical and
historical works fall under this category.