Divisions of Literature

Literary works involve written and oral accounts of humanity’s existence. In the Philippines, locally, it is a
collection of various written and oral depiction of how the lives of these local inhabitants unfold. Hence
we have such things as Ilokano Literatures, Bikol Literatures, Waray Literatures, Maranao Literatures,
among others. Hence, the vast collections of these works from the local scale up to global scale make it
tedious and cumbersome to study and analyze.
To understand these works better, we need to look at them by studying the Divisions of Literature.
Gleaning from the image above, we can see the various divisions and the corresponding Literary Genres.

Prose is a division of literature which covers a literary work that is spoken or written within the
common flow of language in sentences and in paragraphs which gives information, relate events,
express ideas, or present opinions. Under this division, we have two sub-divisions: the Fiction and Non-
Fiction.

Fiction is a sub-division of prose which covers a literary work of imaginative narration, either oral or
written, fashioned to entertain and to make readers think and more so, to feel. It normally came from
the writer’s imagination. Some Literary Genres that fall under fiction include:

A. Legend is a prose fiction which attempts to explain the origin of things, places, objects that we
see around us. Example: The Legend of Makahiya, Why the Sea is Salty.
B. Short story is a short prose fiction narrative depicting a simple characterization and plot
conveying a moral which can be read in one sitting. Example: The Diamond Necklace by Guy de
Maupassant, Footnote to Youth by Jose Garcia-Villa.
C. Novel is a very long prose narrative depicting complex characterization and plot which is
usually divided into chapters. Example: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, War and Peace by Leo
Tolstoy.
D. Novella is a long prose narrative similar to but shorter than a novel but longer than a short
story. It is also known as novelette. Example: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, The
Call of the Wild by Jack London.
E. Fable is a short prose fiction narrative depicting animal characters which espouses a lesson in
life. Example: The Lion and the Mouse, The Monkey and the Turtle.
F. Parable is a short prose allegorical narrative which presents a philosophical outlook in life.
Example: The Parable of the Sower, The Prodigal Son.

2. Non-Fiction is a sub-division of prose which covers 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. Some literary genres that fall under non-fiction
include:

A. Biography is a prose non-fiction detailing the life of a person written by another person. Example:
The Great Malayan about the Life of Jose Rizal written by Carlos Quirino. Sometimes, a biography may
be written by the same person, hence, it is called autobiography. Example: Memoirs written by Juan
Ponce Enrile was a lengthy narrative about his own life.

B. History is a prose non-fiction record of events that transpired in the past. Example: The History
of Filipino People written by Gregorio Zaide.

C. News is a prose non-fiction narrative of events that happen Everyday. The newspapers are
written for this purpose. Example: Philippine Daily Inquirer.

D. Diary is a personal account of significant events that happen in the life of a person.

E. Anecdote is a prose non-fiction narrative that depicts a single incident in a person’s life. Example:
The Moth and the Lamp.

F. Essay is prose non-fiction which is a formal treatment of an issue written from the writer’s personal
point of view. Example: On the Indolence of the Filipinos written by JoseRizal

Poetry is a division of literature works which covers a literary work expressed in verse, measure,
rhythm, sound, and imaginative language and creates an emotional response to an experience, feeling
or fact. Traditionally, it has three sub-divisions namely: Narrative poetry, Lyric poetry, and Dramatic
poetry.

Narrative Poetry is a sub-division of poetry which tells or narrates a story. It may be lengthy as an
epic, or short as a ballad and typically measured as a metrical tale.

A. Epic is a narrative poem which accounts the heroic exploits of a community’s hero, usually
involving superhuman abilities.
Example: Hudhod hi Aliguyon is an Ifugao epic.
B. Ballad is a narrative poem which depicts a single incident that transpired in a person’s life. It is
usually recited during gatherings in the past but it may be sung in the present days. Example:
Forevermore by Side A Band.
C. Metrical Tale is a narrative poem which narrates a story in a “metered” or “measured”
number of syllables hence it was called metrical. There are two popular variations in Philippine
Literature, the Awit and Corrido.
 Awit is a romance metrical tale of dodecasyllabic measure which is recited during formal
performances or informal gatherings.
Example: Florante at Laura by Francisco “Balagtas” Baltazar.
 Corrido is a martial or adventure metrical tale of octosyllabic measure which is recited for
recreational purposes.
Example: Ibong Adarna by Jose Corazon dela Cruz.
 2. Lyric Poetry is a sub-division of poetry which features poems intended to be sung with the
accompaniment of the musical instrument called “lyre” hence, lyric poetry. The following are the
types of lyric poems.

A. Song is a lyric poem of various theme which is meant to be sung in its entirety. Example:
Bayan Ko written by Jose De Jesus, arranged by Constancio De Guzman, and sung by Freddie Aguilar.

B. Ode is a lyric poem of noble and exalted emotion which has dignified countenance. Example:
Ode to the West Wind by Percy Bysshe Shelley.

C. Elegy is a lyric poem of sad theme such lamentation for the dead, longing for a missing love,
and a grief for things beyond one’s control.
Example: Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard by Thomas Gray.

D. Sonnet is a lyric poem of 14 iambic pentameter lines usually about love and beautiful
themes.
Example: Sonnet to Laura by Francesco Petrarch.

E. Idyll is a lyric poem celebrating the tranquil and beautiful landscapes of rural and country
settings.
Example: Beside the Pasig River by Jose Rizal.

Dramatic Poetry is a sub-division of poetry which features poems meant to be performed on

stage. Theater plays and dramatic presentations belong to this type.

A. Tragedy is a dramatic poetry which features a hero whose hubris or shortcoming eventually
causes his downfall or defeat often ending in a very sad conclusion. Example: Hamlet by William
Shakespeare and The Three Rats by Wilfrido Ma. Guerero.

B. Comedy is a dramatic poetry which is similar with tragedy except that the hero triumphs and
overcomes the odds towards the end and emerges victoriously. Example: The Twelfth Night by
William Shakespeare.

C. Melodrama is a dramatic poetry which is a combination of the elements of tragedy and comedy
yet ends in a happy note. Example: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

D. Farce is a dramatic poetry which is an exaggerated comedy that aims to elicit laughter hence,
relaxation. Examples: Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.

E. Social Play is a dramatic poetry which tackles social issues and problems such as poverty,
corruption, discrimination, racism, sexism, among others, with an aim to bring awareness and bring
about positive change. Example: Zsazsa Zaturnah by Carlo Vergara.
 The purpose of a literature
Conducting a literature review is a means of demonstrating the author’s knowledge about a
particular field of study, including vocabulary, theories, key variables and phenomena, and its
methods and history. Conducting a literature review also informs the student of the influential
researchers and research groups in the field (Randolph, 2009).

 report on knowledge and ideas that have been established on a particular topic,
including their strengths and weaknesses while they allow you to discover the agreed
academic opinion on the topic while at the same time letting you find out the
disagreements on the same subject.
 position your research project within the body of literature and thereby provide
perspective for the reader.
 demonstrate your knowledge of the subject area.
 determine what each source contributes to the topic.
 understand the relationship between the various contributions, identify and (if possible)
resolve contradictions, and determine gaps or unanswered questions.
 justify your choice of research design; for instance, your choice of qualitative over
quantitative approaches, or your method of data analysis.
 clarify how your work fills a gap in the scholarly literature.

12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written

Anna Karenina
Anna Karenina (1935) Actress Greta Garbo as Anna Karenina in a scene from the film
directed by Clarence Brown.
Movie. Leo Tolstoy Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.

 Any fan of stories that involve juicy subjects like adultery, gambling, marriage plots, and,
well, Russian feudalism, would instantly place Anna Karenina at the peak of their
“greatest novels” list. And that’s exactly the ranking that publications like Time magazine
have given the novel since it was published in its entirety in 1878. Written by Russian
novelist Leo Tolstoy, the eight-part towering work of fiction tells the story of two major
characters: a tragic, disenchanted housewife, the titular Anna, who runs off with her
young lover, and a lovestruck landowner named Konstantin Levin, who struggles in faith
and philosophy. Tolstoy molds together thoughtful discussions on love, pain, and family
in Russian society with a sizable cast of characters regarded for their realistic humanity.
The novel was especially revolutionary in its treatment of women, depicting prejudices
and social hardships of the time with vivid emotion.

To Kill a Mockingbird
Book cover (circa 2015?) To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee. Hardcover book
first published July 11, 1960. Novel won 1961 Pulitzer Prize.
Later made into an Academy Award winning film.

Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Book Group

Harper Lee, believed to be one of the most influential authors to have ever
existed, famously published only a single novel (up until its controversial
sequel was published in 2015 just before her death). Lee’s To Kill a
Mockingbird was published in 1960 and became an immediate classic of
literature. The novel examines racism in the American South through the
innocent wide eyes of a clever young girl named Jean Louise (“Scout”) Finch.
Its iconic characters, most notably the sympathetic and just lawyer and
father Atticus Finch, served as role models and changed perspectives in the
United States at a time when tensions regarding race were high. To Kill a
Mockingbird earned the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1961 and was made into
an Academy Award-winning film in 1962, giving the story and its characters
further life and influence over the American social sphere.

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Public Domain

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is distinguished as one of the greatest

texts for introducing students to the art of reading literature critically (which
means you may have read it in school). The novel is told from the perspective
of a young man named Nick Carraway who has recently moved to New York
City and is befriended by his eccentric nouveau riche neighbor with
mysterious origins, Jay Gatsby. The Great Gatsby provides an insider’s look
into the Jazz Age of the 1920s in United States history while at the same time
critiquing the idea of the “American Dream.” Perhaps the most-famous
aspect of the novel is its cover art—a piercing face projected onto a dark
blue night sky and lights from a cityscape—an image that is also found, in a
slightly different configuration, within the text itself as a key symbol.

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Garcia Marquez, 1982.

© Lutfi Ozkok

The late Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez published his most-
famous work, One Hundred Years of Solitude, in 1967. The novel tells the
story of seven generations of the Buendía family and follows the
establishment of their town Macondo until its destruction along with the last
of the family’s descendents. In fantastical form, the novel explores the genre
of magic realism by emphasizing the extraordinary nature of commonplace
things while mystical things are shown to be common. Márquez highlights the
prevalence and power of myth and folktale in relating history and Latin
American culture. The novel won many awards for Márquez, leading the way
to his eventual honor of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982 for his entire
body of work, of which One Hundred Years of Solitude is often lauded as his
most triumphant.