Major Genres of the 21st

Century Philippine National

Literature

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• (ancient Greek: ποιεω (poieo) = I create)
• an art form in which human language is used for
its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of,
its notional and semantic content. It consists
largely of oral or literary works in which language
is used in a manner that is felt by its user and
audience to differ from ordinary prose.
Source: http://www.poetry.org/whatis.htm

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 Classes of Poetry
1. Lyric Poetry
- Expresses emotions, mood, and reflection of
the musical language of the poet.
a. Ode
- lyric poem that addresses and often celebrates
a person, place, thing, or idea.
- praises or glorifies someone or
something
b. Elegy
- very sad poem, often expressing sorrow
over someone who has died.

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2. Narrative Poetry
-long descriptive poem that narrates story
in a sequential order about life and events
that may be real or imaginary.
a. Epic
- About quests and adventures of a
supernatural hero.
b. Ballad
- a narrative poem written in a rhythmic
verse that may be sung. Ballads tell a
story, often one that is dramatic or
emotional.

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• Refers to any imaginative fact and idea of
life
• The characters and settings are purely
works of the author’s minds and may or
may not happen in real life.

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 Types of Fiction
1. Chick Lit
- Addresses issues of modern womanhood,
often humorously and light heartedly
2. Speculative Fiction
- Fantastical fiction genres, specifically
science fiction, fantasy, horror,
supernatural fiction, superhero fiction

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3. Novel
- a long prose narrative that describes
fictional characters and events in the form
of a sequential story, it contains more
elaborate settings
4. Short Story
- Short narrative story which focuses on a
single plot and characterized by its different
elements

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 Elements of Short Story
1. Setting
- Refers o the time, place, and condition in
which the story takes place

2. Characters
- persons, animal or things moving around
the plot of the story

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 2 Types of Characters
a. Protagonist
- Refers to the main character in the story
- Hero or heroine in the story

b. Antagonist
- He/ She is the villain who opposes the
main character in the story

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3. Plot
- Refers to the series of actions and events
happen in the story.
5 Five Parts of the Plot

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1. Beginning or Exposition-this is when characters,
setting and background are introduced to the reader.
Example: Romeo and Juliet's families are enemies, but
Romeo and Juliet meet at a party and like each other.
2. Rising Action-it is the part of the plot that marks
the onset of the major conflict in the story.
Example: Romeo visits Juliet on a balcony one night,
and then she sends a message to him through her nurse.
They meet and secretly wed without their families'
knowledge. Romeo kills Juliet's cousin Tybalt, and he is
exiled. Juliet's father orders her to marry someone else.
Juliet fakes her death, sending a message to Romeo to let
him know, but he hears of her death and doesn't get the
message.
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3. Climax-this is the part that builds the highest tension
and considered to be the story .
Example: Romeo kills himself, and Juliet wakes from
her sleep, sees him, and kills herself.
4. Falling Action -this is where the reader learns what
happens as a result of the climax-or the way in which the
problem was solved.
Example: The two families mourn Romeo and Juliet.
5. Resolution or Denouement-the final resolution
and outcome of the story.
Example: Romeo and Juliet's deaths have ended their
families' feud and there is peace in Verona.

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4. Conflict
- Refers to the struggle of complication
involving the characters of the story

5. Point of View
- This pertains to the voice used by the
writer as a narrator of the story and how it
was seen or told.

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 Three Points of View
1. First person point of view. First person is
when “I” am telling the story. The character
is in the story, relating his or her experiences
directly.
2. Third person point of view, limited. The story
is about “he” or “she.” This is the most common
point of view in commercial fiction. The narrator is
outside of the story and relating the experiences of
a character.
3. Omniscient. The story is still about “he” or “she,”
but the narrator has full access to the thoughts and
experiences of all characters in the story.

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6. Mood
- Refers to the atmosphere and tone of the
story
7. Theme
- what the author is trying to convey — in
other words, the central idea of the story.
8. Symbol
- anything that stands for, or represents,
something else. In a story, a character, an
action, an object, or an animal can be
symbolic.
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-refers to a genre of writing that uses literary
styles literary styles and techniques to create
factually accurate narrative.
- It is expository in nature that deals with
facts and reality which aims to explain a
theory, idea or point of view.

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1. Autobiography
-the life sketch of a person
written by that person himself
or herself.
-contains all the elements of a
biography but composed or
narrated by the author himself.
3. Essay
2. Biography
- detailed account of a
- It is a piece of writing
person’s life written by which is often written
someone else from an author’s
- Can be written, with or
without the authorization
personal point of view.
of the subject.

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- Alliteration
Figures of Speech
- Allusion
- Assonance
- Apostrophe • These are creative group
- Euphemism
- Hyperbole
of words used beyond its
- Metaphor literal meaning to
- Metonymy
- Onomatopoeia
enhance sense of
- Oxymoron impression and intensify
- Paradox
- Personification
ideas.
- Simile
- Synecdoche

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Alliteration Allusion

• The repetition of • Refers to any scientific,

consonant sound. historical, mythological,
Example: and biblical event or
Seven sisters slept soundly figure
on the sand. Example:
Dan's dog dove deep in the “This place is like a Garden
dam, drinking dirty water as of Eden.”
he dove.

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Assonance Apostrophe
• The repetition of the • It addresses inanimate
similar vowel sound in objects as real objects
between of the
neighboring words. Example:
Example: Oh, trees, how majestic you
are as you throw down your
"The rain in Spain stays golden leaves.
mainly on the plain."
(repetition of the long a
sound)

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Euphemism Hyperbole
• It is the substitution of n • These are statements
inoffensive term for one used to exaggerate terms
considered offensively and ideas.
explicit.
Example:
Example:
• We do not hire mentally • Your skin is softer than
challenged (stupid) silk.
people. • She’s as skinny as a
• He is a special toothpick.
child (disabled or
learning challenged).

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Metaphor
• Direct comparison of two
unlike things without
using words such as like.
Example:
My teacher is a dragon.
Metonymy
• Refers to word or phrase
substituted for another to
which is identifiable and
associated with the idea
referred to.
Example:
“Let me give you a hand.”
(Hand means help.)
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Onomatopoeia
• word or group of words
that, when spoken aloud,
imitates the sound it
produces.
Example:
Tsk,tsk,tsk, you really
shouldn’t be eating in class.
Oxymoron
• Figures of speech in
which two contradictory
terms are combined in
order to create a
rhetorical effect by
paradoxical means.
Example:
There is a real love
hate relationship developing
between the two of them.
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Paradox
• It is a statement that
appears to be self-
contradictory or silly, but
which may include a
latent truth.
• Example:
I must be cruel to be kind.
Your enemy’s friend is your
enemy.
Personification
• Expressions that give an
animal or object qualities
or abilities that only a
human can have.
Example:
The car complained as the
key was roughly turned in
its ignition.
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Simile Synecdoche

• a figure of speech that • literary device in which a

makes a comparison, part of something
showing similarities represents the whole, or it
between two different may use a whole to
things.
represent a part.
Example:
Example:
• Our soldiers are as brave
as lions. The Department of
• Her cheeks are red like a Education announced new
rose. plans for the education
reform.

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• It is a composition
in verse or prose presentin
g a story in pantomime or
dialogue.
• It contains conflict of
characters, particularly the
ones who perform in front
of audience on the stage.
• The person who writes
drama for stage directions
is known as a “dramatist”
or “playwright.”

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 Genres of Drama
1. Tragedy
- Tragic dramas use darker themes, such as
disaster, pain, and death.
2. Comedy
- Comedies are lighter in tone than ordinary
works, and provide a happy conclusion. The
intention of dramatists in comedies is to
make their audience laugh.
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3. Farce
- It is a nonsensical genre of drama, which
often overacts or engages slapstick humor.
4. Melodrama
- exaggerated drama, which is sensational
and appeals directly to the senses of the
audience.
5. Musical Drama – In musical dramas,
dramatists not only tell their stories through
acting and dialogue, but through dance as
well as music.

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