Mallig Plains Colleges, Inc.

Casili, Mallig, Isabela

The learning material is a property of the College of Teacher Education- Mallig Plains
Colleges, Inc. It aims to improve students’ performance specifically in their
SPECIALIZATION.

Learning Area: Contemporary and Popular Literature

Learning Resource Type: MODULE 1
Instructor: Sheila Mae P. Artates

GENERAL INTRUCTION/S:

The module will start with an introduction which will give a general background on the
subject. Series of activities and discussions will encourage you to explore and learn about the topic.
Through this module, the following instruction/s should be followed.
 This module is exclusively for MPCI students only.
 You can send your activity thru my Gmail account and Messenger
alphasheila05@gmail.com – Gmail

I. COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course provides pre-service English teachers with opportunities to acquire extensive
reading backgrounds in literature and allied fields needed in the understanding and
evaluation of critical issues in contemporary and popular literature and genres. This course
allows them to demonstrate their research-based content knowledge and its relevance in the
teaching-learning process using various methods of literary analysis.

II. LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the course, the students should be able to:
A. Discuss research-based content knowledge and critical issues on contemporary, popular, and
emergent literature and its relevance in the teaching-learning process;
B. Explain the development of a given genre of popular literature from its beginning to its
contemporary practice through a historical timeline; and
C. Use various methods of literary analysis, such as formal, psychological, and/or feminist
analysis in writing a response paper

III. COURSE CONTENT

I. TYPES AND ELEMENTS OF FICTION

II. INTERPRETING AND EVALUATING FICTION

IV. LEARNING EXPERIENCES

PREPARED BY: SHEILA MAE P. ARTATES 1

What Is Fiction?

Fiction is make-believe, invented stories. They may be short stories, fables, vignettes,
plays, novellas, or novels. Although writers may base a character on people they have met in real
life, the characters and the experiences that the character faces in the story are not real.

SIX KEY ELEMENTS FOR WRITING FICTION

Characters

Characters are the people, animals, or aliens in the story. Readers come to know the
characters through what they say, what they think, and how they act.

E. M. Forster, an English novelist, identified that characters are either flat or round. Flat
characters do not play an important role in the stories. They often have only one or two traits
with little description about them. A flat character may even be a stock character, which is a
stereotypical figure that is easily recognized by readers, for example, the mad scientist or the evil
stepmother.

On the other hand, the round characters play an important role, often the lead roles in
stories. They are complex, dimensional, and well-developed. The stories are about them;
therefore, pages of writing will be about them. They often change by going through a life-
changing experience as the story unfolds.

When discussing stories with other readers and writers or when writing an analysis of a
story, fictional characters can be described as static or developing. Static means the character
stays the same throughout the story. They do not change. Developing, also called dynamic,
means the character changes. The change may impact the character’s beliefs, attitudes, or
actions. The change may be small or large. This change occurs because the character experiences
an epiphany, an insight about life.

Setting

Setting is where and when the story takes place. It includes the following:

 The immediate surroundings of the characters such as props in a scene: trees, furniture,
food, inside of a house or car, etc.
 The time of day such as morning, afternoon, or night.
 The weather such as cloudy, sunny, windy, snow, or rain, etc.
 The time of year, particularly the seasons: fall, winter, summer, spring.
 The historical period such as what century or decade the story takes place.
 The geographical location including the city, state, country, and possibly even the
universe, if the writer is writing science fiction.

PREPARED BY: SHEILA MAE P. ARTATES 2

 Setting can function as a main force that the characters’ encounter, such as a tornado or flood,
or a setting can play a minor role such as setting the mood. Often times, the setting can reveal
something about the main character as he/she functions in that place and time period.

Writers write about places they are familiar with. If they aren’t familiar with the place, then
they need to research it in order to be accurate about the place.

Plot

Plot is the order of events in the story. The plot usually follows a particular structure
called Freytag’s Pyramid. Gustav Freytag, a German playwright who lived during the 1800s,
identified this structure.

Freytag’s Pyramid has five parts: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and
denouement, also known as resolution. See Figure 3.1.

Figure 3.1: Freytag’s Pyramid

Freytag’s Pyramid by Gustav Freytag, a German playwright

 Exposition - is an introduction to the characters, time, and the problem. At the point
where exposition moves into rising action a problem, sometimes called an inciting
incident, occurs for the main character to handle or solve. This creates the beginning of
the story.
 Rising action - includes the events that the main character encounters. Each event,
developed in separate scenes, makes the problem more complex.
 Climax - is the turning point in the story. Usually, it is a single event with the greatest
intensity and uncertainty. The main character must contend with the problem at this
point.

PREPARED BY: SHEILA MAE P. ARTATES 3

  Falling action - includes the events that unfold after the climax. This usually creates an
emotional response from the reader.
 Denouement or resolution - provides closure to the story. It ties up loose ends in the
story.

Do writers plan out their stories? Some do, especially if they are an extreme think-write writer.
Some don’t. They have a story idea, begin it, and watch it unfold as they write.

Conflict

Conflict is the struggle between two entities. In story writing the main character, also known as
the protagonist, encounters a conflict with the antagonist, which is an adversary. The conflict
may be one of six kinds:

 Character vs. character

 Character vs. nature or natural forces
 Character vs. society or culture
 Character vs. machine or technology
 Character vs. God
 Character vs himself or herself

Point of View

Stories are generally told in one of two points of views:

 First-person point of view

 Third-person point of view

First-person point of view means that one of the characters in the story will narrate–give an
account–of the story. The narrator may be the protagonist, the main character. Writing in first-
person point of view brings the readers closer to the story. They can read it as if they are the
character because personal pronouns like (I, me, my, we, us, and our) are used.

Third-person point of view means that the narrator is not in the story. The third-person
narrator is not a character.

Third-person point of view can be done two ways:

 Third-person limited
 Third-person omniscient

PREPARED BY: SHEILA MAE P. ARTATES 4

 Third-person limited means that the narrator limits him/herself by being able to be in one
character’s thoughts.  Whereas, third-person omniscient means the narrator has unlimited
ability to be in various character’s thoughts.  Writing in third-person point of view removes
readers from the story because of the pronouns he, she, it, him, her, his, hers, they, them,
and theirs.

Theme

A theme is not the plot of the story. It is the underlying truth that is being conveyed in the
story. Themes can be universal, meaning they are understood by readers no matter what culture
or country the readers are in. Common themes include coming of age, circle of life, prejudice,
greed, good vs. evil, beating the odds, etc.

Symbol

A symbol is a person, object, image, word, or event that evokes a range of additional
meaning beyond and usually more abstract that is literal significance. Universal symbols: Water-
Purity, Black Clouds- Evil Approaching, etc.

MOST POPULAR TYPES OF FICTION

1. Romance. These stories are about romantic relationship between two people. They are
characterized by sensual tension, desire, and idealism. The author keeps the two apart for
most of the novel, but they do eventually end up together.
 Gone with the with by Margaret Mitchell

2. Action/Adventure. Any story that puts the protagonist in physical danger, characterized

by thrilling near misses, and courageous and daring feats, belongs to this genre. It is fast
paced, the tension mounting as the clock ticks. There is always a climax that offers the reader
some relief.
 Life of Pi by Yaan Mantel

3. Science Fiction. This genre incorporates any story set in the future, the past, or other
dimensions. The story features scientific ideas and advanced technological concepts.
 The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

4. Fantasy. These stories deal with kingdoms as opposed to sci-fi, which deals with

universe. Writers must spend plenty of time on world building. Myths, otherworldly magic-
based concepts, and ideas characterized by these books. They frequently take cues from
historical settings like The Dark Ages.
 The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

5. Suspense/Thriller. This genre involves pursuit and escape. It is filled

with cliffhangers and there are one or more ‘dark’ characters that the protagonist must escape
from, fight against, or best in the story. The threats to the protagonist can be physical or

PREPARED BY: SHEILA MAE P. ARTATES 5

 psychological, or both. The setting is integral to the plot. This is often described as a gripping
read.
 The Guardians by John Grisham

6. Young Adult. (YA) books are written, published, and marketed to adolescents and young
adults. The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) defines a young adult
as someone between the ages of 12 and 18, but adults also read these books. These are
generally coming-of-age stories, and often cross into the fantasy and science fiction genres.
YA novels feature diverse protagonists facing changes and challenges. This genre has
become more popular with the success of novels like Five Feet Apart, The Fault in Our Stars,
and Twilight.

7. New Adult. (NA) books feature college, rather than school-aged, characters and plotlines.
It is the next age-category up from YA. It explores the challenges and uncertainties of
leaving home and living independently for the first time. Many NA books focus on sex,
blurring the boundary between romance and erotica. 
 Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

8. Horror/Paranormal/Ghost. These are high-pitched scary stories involving pursuit and

escape. The protagonist must overcome supernatural or demonic beings. 
 The Bird Box by Josh Malerman

9. Mystery/Crime. These are also known as ‘whodunits’. The central issue is a question that

must be answered, an identity revealed, a crime solved. This novel is characterized by clues
leading to rising tension as the answer to the mystery is approached. There are many sub-
genres in this category.
 And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

10. Police Procedurals are mysteries that involve a police officer or detective solving the

crime. The emphasis rests heavily on technological or forensic aspects of police
work, sorting and collecting evidence, as well as the legal aspects of criminology.

11. Historical. These fictional stories take place against factual historical backdrops.

Important historical figures are portrayed as fictional characters. 
 Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

12. Westerns. These books are specifically set in the old American West. Plotlines include
survival, romance, and adventures with characters of the time, for example, cowboys,
frontiersmen, Indians, mountain men, and miners. 

13. Family Saga. This genre is about on-going stories of two or more generations of a family.
Plots revolve around things like businesses, acquisition, properties, adventures, and family
curses. By their nature, these are primarily historical, often bringing the resolution in
contemporary settings. There is usually a timeline involved in these books.

PREPARED BY: SHEILA MAE P. ARTATES 6

14. Women’s Fiction. These plot lines are characterized by female characters who face
challenges, difficulties, and crises that have a direct relationship to gender. This is inclusive
of woman’s conflict with man, though not limited to that. It can include conflict with things
such as the economy, family, society, art, politics, and religion.

15. Literary Fiction. This genre focuses on the human condition and it is more concerned
with the inner lives of characters and themes than plot. Literary fiction is difficult to sell and
continues to decline in popularity.
 Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout

V. ASSESMENT OF TASKS
The Story of an Hour
Author: Kate Chopin
© 1894

Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to
break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death.

It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences; veiled hints that revealed in
half concealing. Her husband’s friend Richards was there, too, near her. It was he who had been

PREPARED BY: SHEILA MAE P. ARTATES 7

in the newspaper office when intelligence of the railroad disaster was received, with Brently
Mallard’s name leading the list of “killed.” He had only taken the time to assure himself of its
truth by a second telegram, and had hastened to forestall any less careful, less tender friend in
bearing the sad message.

She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed
inability to accept its significance. She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her
sister’s arms. When the storm of grief had spent itself, she went away to her room alone. She
would have no one follow her.

There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair. Into this she sank,
pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul.

She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver
with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler
was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which someone was singing reached her
faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves. There were patches of blue sky
showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west
facing her window.

She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except
when a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep
continues to sob in its dreams.

She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain
strength. But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on
one of those patches of blue sky. It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a
suspension of intelligent thought.

There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it?
She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky,
reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, and the color that filled the air.

Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously. She was beginning to recognize this thing
that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will — as
powerless as her two white slender hands would have been. When she abandoned herself, a little
whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath:
“free, free, free!” The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes.
They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed
every inch of her body. She did not stop to ask if it were or were not a monstrous joy that held
her. A clear and exalted perception enabled her to dismiss the suggestion as trivial.

She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in
death; the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed and gray and dead. But she
saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her
absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome. There would be no one

PREPARED BY: SHEILA MAE P. ARTATES 8

to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful
will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right
to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act
seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination.

And yet she had loved him — sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter! What
could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in face of this possession of self-assertion which she
suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!

“Free! Body and soul free!” she kept whispering.

Josephine was kneeling before the closed door with her lips to the keyhole, imploring for
admission. “Louise, open the door! I beg, open the door — you will make yourself ill. What are
you doing, Louise? For heaven’s sake open the door.”

“Go away. I am not making myself ill.” No; she was drinking in a very elixir of life
through that open window. Her fancy was running riot along those days ahead of her. Spring
days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own. She breathed a quick prayer
that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be
long.

She arose at length and opened the door to her sister’s importunities. There was a feverish
triumph in her eyes, and she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory. She clasped
her sister’s waist, and together they descended the stairs. Richards stood waiting for them at the
bottom.

Someone was opening the front door with a latchkey. It was Brently Mallard who
entered, a little travel-stained, composedly carrying his grip-sack and umbrella. He had been far
from the scene of the accident and did not even know there had been one. He stood amazed at
Josephine’s piercing cry; at Richards’ quick motion to screen him from the view of his wife.

But Richards was too late. When the doctors came, they said she had died of heart disease — of
the joy that kills.

TASK 1: GIVE THE MEANING OF THE FOLLOWING WORDS BELOW

ACCORDING TO YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING
1. forestall
2. aquiver
3. peddler
4. eave
5. yonder
6. tumultuously
7. elixir
8. importunities
9. feverish
10. clasped

PREPARED BY: SHEILA MAE P. ARTATES 9

VI. REFERENCES:

Heick, T. (2017) 12 strategies for teaching literature in the 21st century

www.teachthought.com

Kubala, R. (2015). “Philosophy, literature and emotional engagement” (CW).

Retrieved from https://courseworks.columbia.edu.

PREPARED BY: SHEILA MAE P. ARTATES 10