Introduction

 Literature
- derived from the Latin term litera which means “letter.”
- deals with ideas, thoughts and emotions of man, thus can be said that it is the story of man.
- expresses the feelings and of people emotions of people in response to his everyday efforts to live.
- through literature, we learn the innermost feelings and thoughts to people – the most real parts of themselves,
thus we gain an understanding not only of others but more importantly of ourselves and life itself.
- appeals to man’s higher nature and needs (emotional, spiritual, intellectual and creative). Literature entertains,
gives pleasure, fires the imagination, arouses noble actions, and enriches man through reflection on life and
filling him new ideas.

 Standards of Good Literature

1) Artistry – quality which appears to our sense of beauty.
2) Intellectual Value – stimulates thought and enriches our mental life by making us realize fundamental truths
about life and human nature.
3) Suggestiveness – quality associated with the emotional power of literature.
4) Spiritual Value – elevates the spirit by bringing moral values which make us better persons.
5) Permanence – a great work of literature endures and is lasting; can be read again and again as each reading
gives fresh delight and new insights and open new worlds of meaning.
6) Universality – great literature is timeless and timely, forever relevant in terms of its theme and conditions.
7) Style – unique identity of a piece of literature; peculiar way a writer forms his ideas and expresses them.

 General Types of Literature

Two Main Divisions of Literature
POETRY PROSE
Form Written in stanza or verse form Written in paragraph form
Expressed in metrical, rhythmical and
Language Expressed in ordinary form
figurative language
Appeal To the emotion To the intellect
Stir the imagination and set an idea of To convince, instruct, imitate and
Aim
how life should be reflect

1) Poetry
 Narrative Poetry – tells a story in richly imaginative and rhythmical language
o Epic – long, narrative poem about heroic exploits often under supernatural control. It may deal with
heroes and gods (ancient – without definite author; popular – with definite author)
o Metrical Romance – tells a story of adventure, love and chivalry; the typical hero is a knight on quest.
o Metrical Tale – deals with any emotion or phase of life and its story is told in a simple and
straightforward and realistic manner.
o Ballad – a short narrative poem intended to be sung; tells a single incident in simple meter and
stanzas.
 Lyric Poetry – expresses personal thoughts, feelings and reflections in musical language.
o Folksongs – short poems intended to be sung.
o Sonnets – lyric poem of 14 lines dealing with an emotion, a feeling or an idea (Italian and
Shakespearian sonnet).
o Ode – a lyric poem of some length, serious in subject and dignified in style; written in a spirit of praise
of some persons or things.
o Psalms – a song praising God or the Virgin Mary containing a philosophy of life.
o Elegy – a poem with a distinct subject on death.
o Song – a lyric poem in a regular metrical pattern set to music; has 12 syllables (dodeca syllabic) and
slowly sung to the accompaniment of guitar or banduria.
o Corridos – have 8 measure (octosyllabic) and recited to a martial beat.
 Dramatic Poetry – portrays life and character through action in powerful, emotion-packed lines.
o Comedy – aims primarily to amuse and usually ends happily.
o Tragedy – involves the hero struggling mightily against dynamic forces which ends disastrously.
o Melodrama – arouses immediate and intense emotion and is usually sad but generally has a happy
ending.
o Farce – an exaggerated comedy.
o Historical Play – a drama in which the materials are taken from lives of outstanding figures in history.
2) Prose
 Fiction
o Novel – a long narrative divided into chapters.
o Short Story – a narrative involing one or more characters, one plot and one single impression.

ENG104Philippine Literature & Literature of All Regions Ms. Jessica C. Abuque

 o Play – prose presented on stage; is divided into acts and each act has many scenes.
o Legends – are fictitious narrative, usually about origin.
o Fables – a short tale conveying a moral or principle of behavior; the characters are usually animals and
inanimate things that speak and act like people.
o Myths – are traditional tales common to the members of a tribe, race or nation, usually involving the
supernatural and serving to explain natural phenomena or suggest religious or moral truths.
 Non-Fiction
o Essay – short prose dealing with a single matter usually from a personal point of view.
o Biography/Autobiography
o Letters; Diaries; Journals
o Book Reviews
o Scientific and Current Publications
o News

 Understanding the Common Literary Genres

1) Poetry
 Elements
o Lines – group of words together in one line of a poem.
o Stanza – group of lines arranged together.
o Structure – arrangement of words and lines to fit together; organization of the parts to form a whole.
o Sound Effects
a. Rhythm – beat created by the sounds of the poem
~ Meter – pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.
~ Rhyme – words sound alike because they share the same ending vowel or consonant
but not both.
~ Rhyme Scheme – pattern of rhyme.
o Point of View
a. Persona/Speaker – voice through which the person speaks.
o Sense – is revealed through the meaning of words, images and symblos
a. Diction – denotative and connotative meaning/symbols
b. Imagery – sensory/poetic images or words and phrases that appeal to the five senses.
c. Figures of Speech - writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally (e.g. simile,
metaphor, personification, irony, onomatopoeia etc.)
o Theme – central or dominating idea in a literary work.

2) Short Story
 Elements
o Characters – human being that we see in a work of literature
a. According to their role & importance in the story
~ Protagonist
~ Antagonist
b. According to the complexity of their characterization
~ Round
~ Flat
c. According to their role in advancing the plot
~ Dynamic
~ Static
o Setting – time and place of the story.
o Conflict – the struggle of complication involving the characters.
a. Internal conflict
~ Man vs. Himself/Herself (Psychological) - occurs when the protagonist struggles
within himself or herself, with his/her own soul, ideas of right or wrong, physical
limitation, choices etc.
b. Interpersonal conflict
~ Man vs. Man (Physical) – the leading character struggles with his physical strength
against other men, forces of nature, or animals.
c. External conflict
~ Man vs. Society (Classical) – the leading character struggles against ideas, practices
or customs of other people.
~ Man vs. Circumstances – the leading character struggles with fate or the
circumstances of life facing him or her.

ENG104Philippine Literature & Literature of All Regions Ms. Jessica C. Abuque

 o Plot – sequence of events.

PYRAMIDAL STRUCTURE OF A PLOT

a. Plot Devices
~ Chronological Arrangement
~ Medias res
~ Flashback
~ Foreshadowing
~ Stream of Consciousness
o Point of View – consciousness to which the story is told.
a. First Person
~ First Person Observer
~ First Person Participant
b. Third Person
~ Third Person Limited
~ Third Person Omniscient
o Theme – the controlling idea or the central insight of a story.
o Tone – implies the attitudes or feelings of the author toward his work.
o Style – refers to individual traits or characteristics of a piece of writing; indicate mood of expression.

ENG104Philippine Literature & Literature of All Regions Ms. Jessica C. Abuque