INTRODUCTION

TO WORLD LITERATURE

OVERVIEW

Literature (from the Latin “littera” meaning 'letters’, refers to an acquaintance with
the written word) is the written work of a specific culture, sub-culture, religion,
philosophy or the study of such written work which may appear in poetry or in prose.

World literature, on the other hand, is the totality of all national literatures. The
term came from the German phrase “Weltliteratur” as coined by Johann Wolfgang von
Goethe in 1827.

There are two types of literature, prose and poetry. World literature has also been
emerging since the ancient times; hence, the following are its periods of changes and
evolvement:
1. Classical Period (1200 BCE - 455 CE)
2. Medieval Period (455 CE-1485 CE)
3. Renaissance and Reformation (c. 1485-1660 CE)
4. The Enlightenment (C. 1660-1790)
5. Romantic Period (c. 1790-1830)
6. Victorian Period and the 19th Century (c. 1832-1901)
7. Modern Period (c. 1914-1945)
8. Postmodern Period (c. 1945 onward)

(http://saisd001jdebolt1.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/66562957/Literary_Periods%5B1%5D.pdf)

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this module, you must be able to:

➢ identify what is World Literature and its periods.
➢ recognize the characteristics of major periods in World Literature.

COURSE MATERIALS
Read the following online reading materials for further learning:
➢ World Literature Periods
http://saisd001jdebolt1.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/66562957/Literary_Periods%
5B1%5D.pdf

➢ Literary Periods and Genres

https://mc.libguides.com/eng/literaryperiods

➢ Characteristics of Literary Periods and Genre

https://englishpadawans.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/characteristics-of-
literary-periods-and-movements.pdf

ACTIVITIES/ ASSESSMENTS
1) Ponder on this question, then post your answer to our Google Classroom: “Why
is it still important to learn the literature of the world in our current times?”

2) If you will continue the periods of World Literature, what period name would you
give starting on the year 2020? Define the characteristics of this period by writing
an essay of not more than 200 words. Submit your output in our Google
Classroom.

Rubrics:
Creativity 10 points
Informative Explanation 10 points
Technicalities 10 points
Total 30 points

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