LIT.

102

WORLD LITERATURE

Instructor

SHARIFFA JEANIBVIVE
H.MOHAMMAD

WHAT IS LITERATURE?

LITERATURE
Comes

from the Latin word LITERA which literally means an

acquaintance with letters.
A body of literary productions ,either oral,written or
visual,containing imaginative language that realistically portrays
thoughts ,emotions ,and experiences of the human condition.
It is a language that provides insights and intellectual stimulation
to the reader.As one explores literature ,he likewise discovers the
beauty of the language.
Is a product of a particular culture that concretizes mans array of
values ,emotions,actions and ideas. It is therefore a creation of
human experience that tells about people and their world.
It is an art that reflects the works of imagination, aesthetics and
creative writing which are distinguished for the beauty of style or
expression as in fiction,poetry ,essay,or drama, in distinction from
scientific treatises and works which contain positive knowledge.

LITERARY STANDARDS/QUALITIES
OF A LITERAY MASTERPIECE
1.UNIVERSALITY
Appeals to everyone ,regardless of the culture,race,sex and time which are all

considered significant.
2.ARTISTRY
Has an aesthetic appeal and thus possesses a sense of beauty.

3.INTELLECTUAL

VALUE

Stimulates critical thinking and enriches mental processes.

4.SUGGESTIVENESS
Unravels and conjures mans emotional power to define

symbolisms,nuance,implied meanings,images and messages,giving and evoking

visions above and beyond the plane of ordinary life experience.
5.SPIRITUAL

VALUE

Elevates the spirit and the soul and thus has the power to motivate and inspire.

PERMANENCE/TIMELESSNESS
Endures across time .

STYLE
Presents peculiar way/s on how man sees life as evidenced by the formations of

his ideas ,forms,structures ,and expressions.

The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls

H.W. LONGFELLOW

The tide rises, the tide falls,

The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;
Along the sea-sands damp and brown
The traveller hastens toward the town,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls;
The little waves, with their soft, white hands,
Efface the footprints in the sands,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.

The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls

Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;
The day returns, but nevermore
Returns the traveller to the shore,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.

LITERARY MODELS
CULTURAL

MODEL- it aims to understand and

appreciate cultures and ideologies different
from ones own in time and space.

LANGUAGE

MODEL- aim to promote

language development like vocabulary and
structure.

PERSONAL

GROWTH MODEL- aims to help

one achieve lasting pleasure and deep
satisfaction in reading.

CLASSIFICATION OF
LITERATURE
STRUCTURE
1.Fiction
2.Non-fiction
FORM
1.Prose
2.Poetry
GENRE
1.Fiction
2.Poetry
3.Essay
4.Drama

LITERARY APPROACHES
1.FORMALISTIC

OR LITERARY APPROACH- literature is

viewed intrinsically ,independent of the author,age or any
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.The approach is close to the morality of
literature, to questions of ethical goodness or badness.
3.HISTORICAL APPROACH- it is seen as a reflection and
product of times and circumstances in which it was
written.
4.SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACH- stresses on social
relevance and social commitment.

 CULTURAL

APPROACH- is seen as one of

the manifestation and vehicles of a
nations or races culture and tradition.
PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH- viewed as
expression of personality of inner
drives. Of neurosis
IMPRESSIONISTIC APPROACH- is viewed
to elucidate reaction-response which is
considered as something very
personal,relative,and fruitful.

LITERARY GENRES
1.

FICTION- a narrative in prose that show

an imaginative recreation and
reconstruction of life and presents human
life in two levels. The WORLD OF OBJECTIVE
REALITY MADE UP OR HUMAN ACTIONS AND
EXPERIENCES , and the world OF
SUBJECTIVE REALITY DEALING WITH HUMAN
APPREHENSION AND COMPREHENSION .
It is categorized either as a novel or short
story.

ELEMENTS OF FICTION
A.

SETTING
B.CHARACTERS
Characterization- is the method used by the

writer to reveal the personality of the

characters.
The characters are revealed accdg. To:
1. actions of the characters
2. Thoughts of the characters
3. Descriptions of the characters
4. Descriptions of the other characters
5. Descriptions of the author

KINDS OF CHARACTERS
ACCDG.

TO PRINCIPALITY

1. Protagonist
2. Antagonist

ACCDG.

TO DEVELOPMENT

1. DYNAMIC- the character who exhibits noticeable development

2. STATIC-the character who exhibits no changes and development

ACCDG.

TO PERSONALITY

1. ROUND-the character that displays different/multiple

personalities throughout the story.

2. FLAT- the character that reveals conventional traits,who remains
the same throughout the story,its characterization does not
grow.

C.PLOT
Is

the sequence of events in the story ,arranged and linked by

causality.
KINDS
1. LINEAR PLOT- Moves the natural sequence of events where
actions are arranged sequentially.
2.

CIRCULAR PLOT-a kind of plot where 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- (in the midst of things)the story commences in

the middle part of the action.
In medias res is Latin for "into the middle of things." It usually describes a narrative
that begins, not at the beginning of a story, but somewhere in the middle usually
at some crucial point in the action. The term comes from the ancient Roman poet
Horace, who advised the aspiring epic poet to go straight to the heart of the story
instead of beginning at the beginning.

 The

three types of plot are known as

closed plots because they
normally follow the Pyramid Pattern
Of Development Or Freytags
Pyramid
Gustav Freytag was a Nineteenth
Century German novelist who saw
common patterns in the plots of
stories and novels and developed a
diagram to analyze them. He

Freytag's Pyramid

1. Exposition: setting the scene. The writer introduces the characters

and setting, providing description and background.
2. Inciting Incident: something happens to begin the action. A single
event usually signals the beginning of the main conflict. The inciting
incident is sometimes called 'the complication'.
3. Rising Action: the story builds and gets more exciting.
4. Climax: the moment of greatest tension in a story. This is often the
most exciting event. It is the event that the rising action builds up to and
that the falling action follows.
5. Falling Action: events happen as a result of the climax and we know
that the story will soon end.
6. Resolution: the character solves the main problem/conflict or
someone solves it for him or her.
7. Dnouement: (a French term, pronounced: day-noo-moh) the ending.
At this point, any remaining secrets, questions or mysteries which remain
after the resolution are solved by the characters or explained by the
author. Sometimes the author leaves us to think about the THEME or
future possibilities for the characters.
You can think of the dnouement as the opposite of the exposition:
instead of getting ready to tell us the story by introducing the setting
and characters, the author is getting ready to end it with a final
explanation of what actually happened and how the characters think or
feel about it. This can be the most difficult part of the plot to identify, as
it is often very closely tied to the resolution.

LITERARY DEVICES
FLASHBACK-writers 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.
2. FORESHADOWING- use of hints or
clues to indicate events that will
occur later in the story.The use of
thise technique both create
suspense and prepares the reader
1.

CONFLICT
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
storys plot.
TYPES
1. PERSON VS PERSON
2. PERSON VS SOCIETY
3. PERSON VS SELF
4. PERSON VS NATURE
5. PERSON VS FATE

D.POINT OF VIEW
Determines
TYPES

the narrator of the story.

a) FIRST PERSON POV- character-narrator who tells he story in the I voice. He

can be a major or a minor character.

b) THIRD PERSON OMNISCIENT POV- narrator that tells the story from an all-

knowing point of view .He sees the mind of all characters.

c) THIRD PERSON LIMITED POV- narrator that tells only what he can see or hear

inside the world of the story,also known as camera technique narrator

as he does not reveal what the characters are thinking and feeling.
d) THIRD PERSON CENTRAL POV- narrator that limits narration to what the

central character thinks,feels,does and what and whom the central character
observes.
e) THIRD PERSON EDITORIAL POV- narrator who comments on the action by

telling the readers its significance or evaluating the behaviour of the

characters.

E.THEME
Significant

truth about life and its nature which takes

place in the illustrations of the actions
,preoccupations ,and decision of the characters.
Definition of Theme

The theme of a piece of fiction is its controlling idea

or its central insight. In order to figure out theme, a
reader must ask what view of life a work supports or
what insight into life in the real world it reveals.
PRINCIPLES IN STATING THE THEME OF THE STORY
It reports for all major details of the story.
It may be avowed in more than one way.
It is stated in complete statements.
It asserts a sweeping statement about life.
It avoids statements that condemds the theme to some familiar
adage,aphorism,dictum,maxim,saying or value.

Universal Themes in Literature

Definition

of Universal Theme

Frequently, a work of fiction implies a few ideas about the nature

of all men and women or about the relationship of human beings to

each other or to the universe. These are called universal themes.
Examples

of Universal Themes

As expressed by authors, themes involve positions on these

familiar issues:
1. A human beings confrontation with nature
2. A human beings lack of humanity
3. A rebellious human beings confrontation with a hostile society
4. An individuals struggle toward understanding, awareness,
and/or spiritual enlightenment
5. An individuals conflict between passion and responsibility
6. The human glorification of the past/ rejection of the past
7. The tension between the ideal and the real
8. Conflict between human beings and machines
9. The impact of the past on the present
10. The inevitability of fate
11. The evil of unchecked ambition
12. The struggle for equality

I see that it is by no means useless

to travel, if a man wants to see
something new.