“Introduction to Literature”

GE 117-Philippine Literature
Alva Nicole Quijada
 I. Introduction to II. Literary
Literature Genres
A.Definition and
Importance A. Fiction
B.Literary Standards B. Poetry
C.Literary Models C. Essay
D.Classification of D. Drama
Literature
E.Literary Approaches
Literature
-Definition and Importance-
Literature
-comes from the latin word “LITERA”
which means an acquaintance with letters.
-it is a body of productions, either oral,
written, or visual, containing imaginative
language that realistically portrays
thoughts, emotions, and experiences of the
human condition.
-a language in use that provides insights
and intellectual stimulation to the reader.
Literature
-a creation of human experience that
tells about people and their world.
-an art that reflects the works of
imagination, aesthetics, and creative writing
through the expression of fiction, poetry,
essay or drama.
 Literary
Standards
-UAISSPS-
UNIVERSALITY
-Literature appeals to
everyone, regardless of
culture, race, sex, and time
which are all considered
significant.
ARTISTRY
-Literature has an aesthetic
appeal and thus possesses a
sense of beauty.
INTELLECTUAL
VALUE
-Literature stimulates critical thinking
that enriches mental processes of
abstract and reasoning, making man
realize the fundamental truths of life
and its nature.
SUGGESTIVENESS
-Literature unravels and conjures
man’s emotional power to define
symbolisms, nuances, implied
meanings, images and messages,
giving and evoking visions above and
beyond the plane of ordinary life and
experience.
SPIRITUAL VALUE
-Literature elevates the spirit and
the soul and thus has the power to
motivate and inspire, drawn from the
suggested morals or lessons of the
different literary genres.
PERMANENCE
-Literature endures across time
and draws out the time factor:
timeliness, occurring at a particular
time, and timelessness, remaining
invariable throughout time.
STYLE
-Literature presents peculiar way/s
on how man sees life as evidenced
by the formation of his ideas,
forms, structures, and expressions
which are marked by their
memorable substance.
Literary Models
-CLP-
1. Cultural Model
-Literature aims to understand
and appreciate cultures and
ideologies different from one’s
own in time and space.
2. Language Model
-Literature aims to promote
language development like
vocabulary and structure.
3. Personal Growth
Model
-Literature aims to help one
achieve lasting pleasure and
deep satisfaction in reading.
Classification of
Literature
-Structure, Form, Genre-
1. Structure
a.) Fiction—a literary work of imaginative
narration either oral or written, fashioned to
entertain and to make the readers think and,
more so, to feel.

b.) Non-Fiction—a literary work of “real life”

narration or exposition based on history and
facts whose main thrust is intellectual appeal to
convey facts, theories, generalizations, or
concepts about a particular topic.
2. Form
a.) Prose—a literary work that is spoken or
written within the common flow of language
in sentences and paragraphs which give
information, relate events, express ideas, or
present opinions.

b.) Poetry—a literary work expressed in verse,

measure, rhythm, sound, and imaginative
language and creates an emotional response
to an experience, feeling, or fact.
3. Genre
a.) Fiction—a narrative in prose that shows an
imaginative recreation and reconstruction of life and
presents human life in two levels: the world of
objective reality made up of human actions and
experiences, and the world of subjective reality
dealing with human apprehension and comprehension
categorized either as novel or short story.
b.) Poetry—a patterned form of verbal or written
expression of ideas in concentrated, imaginative, and
rhythmical terms that often contains the elements of
sense, sound, and structure.
3. Genre
c.) Essay—a prose composition in moderate
length that presents a tentative exploration
or evaluation of a subject and thus explains
a viewpoint or anything that can be said on a
particular subject.
d.) Drama—a composition in prose form
that presents story told entirely in dialogue
and action, and written with the intention of
its eventual performance before an audience.
 Literary
Approaches
-FMHSCPI-
-Maramba (1993)
1.Formalistic or Literary
Approach
-Literature is viewed intrinsically,
independent of the author, age, or any
other extrinsic factor. The study of the
selection is more or less based on the
so-called “literary elements”.
2. Moral or Humanistic
Approach
-Literature is viewed to discuss man and its
nature. It presents man as essentially rational;
that is, endowed with intellect and free will;
or that the piece does not misinterpret the
true nature of man. The approach is close to
the “morality” of literature, to questions of
ethical goodness or badness.
3. Historical Approach
-Literature is seen both as a reflection
and product of the times and
circumstances in which it was written. It
operates on the premise that the history
of a nation has telling effects on its
literature and that the piece can be
better understood and appreciated if one
knows thee times surrounding its creation.
4. Sociological Approach
-Literature is viewed as the expression of man
within a given social situation which is
reduced to discussions on economics, in which
men are somewhat simplistically divided into
haves and haves not, thus passing into the
“proletarian approach” which tends to
underscore the conflict between two classes.
The sociological approach stresses on “social
relevance,” “commitment,” and
contemporaneity.
5. Cultural Approach
-Literature is seen as one of the
manifestations and vehicles of a nation’s
race’s culture and tradition. The thrust is to
make full use of the reciprocal function
between culture and literature. The
approach is one of the richest ways to
arrive at the culture of people and one of
the most pleasurable ways of appreciating
the literature of people.
6. Psychological Approach
-Literature is viewed as the expression of
“personality,” of “inner drives,” of
“neurosis.” It includes the psychology of
the author, of the characters, and even
the psychology of creation. It has resulted
in an almost exhausting and exhaustive
“psychological analysis” of characters, of
symbols and images, of recurrent themes
and others.
7. Impressionistic
Approach
-Literature is viewed to elucidate
“reaction-response” which is considered
as something very personal, relative, and
fruitful. Unconditioned by explanations
and often taking the impact of the piece
as a whole, it seeks how the piece has
communicated.
Literary
Genres
Fiction, Poetry, Essay, Drama
Fiction
Elements of Fiction
A. Setting: The time and place in
which the events of a story occur.
B. Characters: The representations of
a human being in a story. They are
the complex combination of both
inner and outer self.
Fiction
Characterization—The method used by the
writer to reveal the personality of the
character/s.
Ways of Revealing Literary Characters
1. Actions of the Characters
2. Thoughts of the Characters
3. Descriptions of the Characters
4. Description of other Characters
Fiction
Kinds of Character
According to Principality:
1. Protagonist is the character with
whom the reader empathizes.
2. Antagonist is the character that
goes against the main character,
usually the protagonist.
Fiction
According to Development:
1. Dynamic is the character that
exhibits noticeable
development.
2. Static is the character who
exhibits no changes and
development.
Fiction
According to Personality:
1. Round is the character that displays
different/multiple personalities
throughout the story.
2. Flat is the character that reveals
conventional traits, remains the
same throughout the story. Its
characterization does not grow.
Fiction
C. Plot is the sequence of events in
the story, arranged and linked by
causality.
Kinds of Plot
1. Linear Plot moves with the
natural sequence of events where
actions are arranged sequentially.
Fiction
2. Circular Plot is where the linear
development of the story merges with
an interruption in the chronological
order to show an event that happened
in the past.
3. En Medias Res is a kind of plot where
the story commences in the middle
part of the action.
Fiction
Parts of Plot
1. Exposition presents the setting
(time and place), characters
(protagonist – hero/heroine,
antagonist – villain), and the basic
conflict; it also establishes the
mood or atmosphere of the story.
Fiction
2. Rising Action is where the basic
conflict is brewing and the reader
is beginning to feel the rising
tension associated with this
conflict. At this juncture, the basic
conflict is further complicated by
the introduction of obstacles
frustrating the protagonist and
Fiction
3. Climax is the turning point
and this third arc effects a
change either for the better
or for the worse in the
protagonist’s situation. It
occupies the highest point in
Fiction
4. Falling Action is where the conflict
between the protagonist and the
antagonist is beginning to resolve.
The protagonist either wins or loses
to the antagonist. There are
unexpected incidents which make the
final outcome suspenseful. The falling
action designates that the main
Fiction
5. Denouement is an event that happened
before or after the conclusion or is simply
explained as untying the complexities of
the plot. If at the end of the story the
protagonist achieves his goal, the story is
a comedy; however, if the protagonist
fails, the story is a tragedy. After conflicts
are resolved, the characters resume their
normal lives. The conclusion makes way
for the catharsis - an event or events
Fiction
Literary Devices
1. Flashback is the writer’s use of
interruption of the chronological
sequence of a story to go back to
related incidents which occurred
prior to the beginning of the story.
Fiction
Literary Devices
2. Foreshadowing is the writer’s
use of hints or clues to indicate
events that will occur later in the
story. The use of this technique
create suspense and prepares the
reader for what is to come.
Fiction
Conflict as Part of the Plot
Conflict is the opposition of
persons or forces in a story that
give rise to the dramatic action in
a literary work. It is the basic
tension, predicament, or challenge
that propels a story’s plot.
Fiction
Types of Conflict
1. Person vs. Person is a type
of conflict where one character
in the story has a problem with
one or more of the other
characters.
Fiction
2. Person vs. Society is a type
of conflict where a character
has a conflict or problem with
some element of society–the
school, the law, the accepted
way of doing things, and so on.
Fiction
3. Person vs. Self is a type of conflict
where a character has trouble
deciding what to do in a particular
situation.
4. Person vs. Nature is a type of
conflict where a character has a
problem with some natural happening.
Fiction
5. Person vs. Fate is a type of conflict
where a character has to battle what
seems to be an uncontrollable
problem. Whenever the problem
seems to be a strange or
unbelievable coincidence, fate can
be considered the cause and effect.
Fiction
D. Point of View determines the narrator of
the story, the one who tells it from different
POV.
TYPES OF POINT OF VIEW
1. First-person POV is a character-narrator
who tells the story in the “I” voice,
expressing his own views. He is either a
minor or main character that tells the story in
his own words.
Fiction
2. Third Person
Omniscient POV is a
narrator that tells the
story from an all-
knowing POV. He sees
the mind of all
Fiction
3. Third Person Limited POV has a
narrator that tells only what he can
see or hear “inside the world” of the
story. The narrator is otherwise known
as “camera technique narrator” as he
does not reveal what the character
are thinking and feeling.
Fiction
4. Third Person Central POV
has a narrator that limits
narration to what the central
character thinks, feels, does,
and what and whom the
central character observes.
Fiction
5. Third Person Editorial POV
has a narrator that comments
on the action by telling the
readers its significance or
evaluating the behavior of the
characters.
Fiction
E. Theme is a significant truth about life and its nature
which takes place in the illustrations of the actions,
preoccupations, and decisions of the characters.
Principles in Stating the Theme of the Story
1.It reports for all major details of the story.
2.It maybe avowed in more than one way
3.It is stated in complete statements.
4.It asserts a sweeping statement about life.
5.It avoids statements that condense the theme to some
familiar adage, aphorism, dictum, maxim, saying, or
value.
Poetry
Elements of Poetry
A. Sense of the Poem:
1. Denotation vs. Connotation
Denotation is the dictionary meaning of the
word while Connotation is the suggested or
implied meaning/s associated with the
word beyond its dictionary definition.
Poetry
2. Imagery is the use of the
sensory details or descriptions
that appeal to one or more of the
five senses: sight, hearing, touch,
smell, and taste. These are
otherwise known as “senses of
the mind”.
Poetry
3. Figurative Language is a
language used for descriptive
effect in order to convey an ideas
or emotions which are not literally
true but express some truth
beyond the literal level.
Figures of speech.
Poetry
B. Sound of a Poem:
1. Tone color is achieved through
repetition.
a. Repetition of Single Sounds
(Alliteration, Assonance, Consonance,
Rhyme)
b. Repetition of Words
c. Repetition of sentences or phrases
Poetry
2. Rhythm is the pattern of beats
created by the arrangement
stressed and unstressed syllables,
which gives musical quality and
adds emphasis to certain words
and thus helps convey the
meaning of the poem.
Poetry
3. Meter is regular
recurrence of stressed and
unstressed syllables that
give a line of poetry a more
or less predictable rhythm.
Poetry
C. Structure of a Poem is the
manner in which words are
arranged and parts are organized
to form a whole poem. Structure
also refers to the way the poem is
organized. This corresponds to the
different types.
Poetry
TYPES OF POETRY
a. Narrative Poem is a poem that tells a story.
b. Lyric Poem is descriptive or expository in nature
where the poet is concerned mainly with
presenting a scene in words, conveying sensory
richness of his subjects, or the revelation of ideas
or emotions.
c. Dramatic Poem is a poem where a story is also
told through the verse dialog of the character
and a narrator.
Poetry
Structure also talks about:
Poem Appreciation
a. Tone is the writer’s attitude towards
his subject, mood, and moral view.
b. Symbol is an image that becomes so
suggestive that it takes on much more
meaning than its descriptive value.
Essay
Elements of Essay
A. Idea
B. Motive
C. Structure
D. Evidences
E. Explanations
F. Coherence
G. Implication
H. Presence
Essay
General types of essay
1. Strict or impersonal deals with
serious topics that are authoritative
and scholarly in treatment. It reveals
the writer’s mastery of the subject
where its tone is dictated,
characterized as something detached,
objective, clear and straightforward.
Essay
2. Casual or Familiar deals with light,
ordinary, even common place subjects in a
language that is bubbling, casual,
conversational, friendly, often humorous,
and appeals more to the emotion than the
intellect, touching on sensitivity first then
the mind. The main source, the personality
of the author, is revealed in the style and
treatment of the subject.
Drama
Elements of Drama
A. Setting
B. Character/s
C. Plot
D. Theme
E. Style
Drama
Types of Drama
1. Tragedy is a play in which the main
character is brought to ruin or suffers a
great sorrow. This type raises vital
points about man, his existence, his
moral nature, and his social and
psychological relations.
Ex.: Romeo and Juliet
Drama
2. Comedy is a play that brings laughter
where the protagonist leaps over all
difficulties placed in his way and
ultimately achieves his goal not
withstanding awkwardness. The stroke
in comedy is based on some divergence
from customariness or familiarity in the
different elements in the story.
Drama
3. Melodrama is drawn from tragedy
and characterized as something
overstated which concentrates on
action. It deals with stern feat and
concludes in a happy resolution. It is
only achieved when the power of the
villain is neutralized or combated.
Drama
4. Farce is a play that brings
laughter for the sake of laughter,
usually making use of grossly
embellished events and
character. Unlikely plots and
entertaining characterization are
used for stimulation.
 Format for reporting:
I. Quiz (5-10 items for d. Conflict
comprehension e. Literary Devices
check) (Flashback/Foreshadowi
II. Author’s Background ng)
III. Plot (Freytag’s f. Symbolism
Pyramid) g. Imagery
IV. Analysis h. Theme
a. Point of View i. Cultural Implication
b. Setting j. Title Implication
(Chronological and