MODULE 1:

Introduction to Literature

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 INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE
At the end of this module, the learners will be able to:

1. Discuss the definitions and functions of literature

2. Compare the different literary forms and genres
based on its elements and features
3. Appreciate the importance of literature in one’s life
 Definitions of Literature

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What is literature?

• Derived from the Latin word

littera, “a letter of the
alphabet,” literature is first and
foremost humankind’s entire
body of writing; after that it is
the body of writing belonging to
a given language or people;
then it is individual pieces of
writing.
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What is literature?
• It has traditionally been applied
to those imaginative works of
poetry and prose distinguished
by the intentions of their
authors and the perceived
aesthetic excellence of their
execution.
• It is therefore a creation of
human experiences that tells
about people and their world. https://www.pexels.com/photo/bookcase-books-bookshop-bookstore-220326/
What is literature?

• Literature is a form of human

expression. But not everything
expressed in words—even when
organized and written down—is
counted as literature.

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What is literature?
LITERARY STANDARDS (William J.
Long)
• Artistry - aesthetically appealing
and reveals or conveys hidden
truth and beauty
• Suggestiveness - allows the
work to inspire and provoke
thoughts and understanding
beyond the actual words written
on the page https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-eyeglasses-on-top-of-the-book-2908773/
What is literature?
LITERARY STANDARDS (William J.
Long)
• Intellectual Value - promotes
critical thinking that enhances
both abstract and reason-based
thought processes and makes
readers focus on the fundamental
truths of life and nature
• Spiritual Value - lifts the inner
spirit and soul and has the power
to motivate and inspire readers https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-eyeglasses-on-top-of-the-book-2908773/
What is literature?
LITERARY STANDARDS (William J.
Long)
• Permanence - determined by a
written work’s ability to stand
the test of time, which makes it
impossible to determine at the
moment of writing
• Universality - appeals to the
hearts and minds of almost any
reader https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-eyeglasses-on-top-of-the-book-2908773/
What is literature?
LITERARY STANDARDS (William J.
Long)
• Style - refers to the distinct way
the author expresses his or her
thoughts

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What is literature?
FUNCTIONS OF LITERATURE:
• According to Horace:
• Dulce (sweetness) – to
entertain, to delight the
audience
• Utile (usefulness) – to
instruct, to inform the
audience
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What is literature?
FUNCTIONS OF LITERATURE:
• As an art, literature might be
described as the organization
of words to give pleasure. Yet
through words literature
elevates and transforms
experience beyond “mere”
pleasure. Literature also
functions more broadly in
society as a means of both
criticizing and affirming cultural https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-book-from-shelf-1370298/
values.
What is literature?
• “Literature raises life to a new
level of meaning and
understanding, and in the process
restores sanity and justice in an
insane and unjust world.” – Cirilo
F. Bautista
• “Perhaps what makes literature a
more delightful and enriching
study than the rest that deal with
the past is its potential of making
readers identify with what they
read through values learned.” –
J.F. Loria https://www.pexels.com/photo/bookcase-books-bookshop-bookstore-220326/
 Divisions of Literature

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 Divisions of Literature
TYPES FORMS
Oral
Fictional
• Through word Poetry
of mouth Prose

Written Nonfictional
Drama
• Through Prose
writing
 Poetry

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Poetry
• uses metrical language with
lots of rhythm and rhyme to
create word pictures. Poetry
employs all kinds of word play,
figurative language, and
imagery to send its messages,
which are often rather obscure
and need to be dug out with
some effort on the part of the
reader.
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 Types of Poetry
Lyric Narrative

• originally sung or recited • story telling developed from

with a musical instrument, ritualistic chanting of myths
called a lyre • stories were not memorized
• personal experience, close as is generally assumed but
relationships, and instead bards improvised
description of feelings as oral chants, relying on heavy
their material alliterative and assonantal
techniques
Lyric Poems
Elegy Ode
• a reflective poem to • an elevated poem that
honor the dead pays tribute to a
person, idea, place, or
another concept

Sonnet Haiku
• a descriptive fourteen- • a seventeen-syllable
line poem with a poem that uses natural
specific rhyme scheme imagery to express an
emotion
Narrative Poems
Ballad Epic
• narrative poetry set to • a lengthy poem that
music tells a story of heroic
adventures

Metrical Tale Metrical Romance

• topics vary from • also called chivalric
romance, the quest for poems
adventure, love, and
various phases of life
 Fictional Prose

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Fictional Prose
• written in ordinary, non-metrical
language, but it is the product
of the writer's imagination. The
meaning of fictional works can
stretch all the way from
obscure and difficult to clear
and direct.

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 Types of Fictional Prose
Short Story
•marked by relative shortness
and density, organized into a
plot and with dénouement at
the end. The plot may be
comic, tragic, romantic, or
satiric. It may be written in the
mode of fantasy, realism or
naturalism.
Novel
•an extended work of prose
fiction
•denotes a prose narrative
about characters and their
actions in what is
recognizably everyday life
 Nonfictional Prose

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Nonfictional Prose
• written in ordinary, non-metrical
language and communicates
facts or opinions about reality.
Nonfiction meanings are
usually straightforward because
the writer's primary purpose is
to convey information or
persuade readers.

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 Types of Nonfictional Prose

Biography Autobiography Memoir Travelogue

Academic Journalistic
Interview Texts Texts Diary

Speech Letter
 Drama

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Drama
• combines elements of prose and
poetry into plays that are usually
intended to be performed on
stage. Drama joins monologues
and dialogues by characters with
stage directions and occasionally
narrative sections that explain the
action. Like poetry, drama can
feature hidden meanings and
messages that take some work to
decipher.
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Comedy
• Lighthearted tone
• Clever wordplay or turns
of phrase
• Serious topics addressed
in a humorous way
• Comical
misunderstandings
• Happy ending
• Silly, offbeat characters
• Often ends with a
wedding, especially in
romantic comedies
Types of Drama
Farce Musical
• Exaggerated humor • Originally referred to as
• Slapstick gags opera
• Nonsensical storyline • Dramas in which the
• Improbable events characters sing and
dance while performing
• One or two settings
• The entire production is
• Humor is often crude
and inappropriate set to a musical score

Melodrama
• Periods of standard storyline
interrupted by songs
• Dramatic or comedic storylines
• A sensational dramatic piece
with exaggerated characters
and exciting events intended
to appeal to the emotions
Types of Drama
Tragedy
• A protagonist with a tragic flaw
• Circumstances that quickly get
out of control – and not in a
funny way
• Darker themes than a
melodrama, such as human
suffering, hatred, or poverty
• Features the downfall of a
previously heroic or well-liked
character
• An irredeemable ending that
results in one or more
characters’ deaths
• Reaches a tragic catharsis
Tragicomedy
• A serious storyline told in a
humorous, sardonic, or snide
way
• Tragically flawed characters
whose actions don’t result in
death
• An ambiguous theme
• Broad characters who act in
classically comical ways
• Neither a happy nor a comic
ending
 Importance of Literature

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Why is Literature Important?
• Literature is a powerful stress
reliever
• Literature fuels imagination
• Reading literature improves
concentration and focus
• Reading literature keeps the
brain active and healthy
• Literature expands a person’s
vocabulary https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-book-pages-2877338/
Why is Literature Important?
• Reading literature improves a
person’s writing skills
• Literature improves a person’s
communication skills
• Literature encourages critical
thinking
• Literature teaches readers
about history
• Reading literature can
encourage empathy
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References
Gunner, J. (n.d.). Different Types of Drama in Literature. Retrieved from https://examples.yourdictionary.com/different-types-
of-drama-in-literature.html
Halse, K. & Conner, A. (2020). What are the Seven Literary Standards? Retrieved from https://www.reference.com/world-
view/seven-literary-standards-da99877887b7425
Kittelstad, K. (n.d.). Examples of Poetry Genres: Major Styles Explained. Retrieved from
https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-poems.html
Literary Forms & Genres: How They Affect Meaning. (2015, March 25). Retrieved from
https://study.com/academy/lesson/literary-forms-genres-how-they-affect-meaning.html.
Maity, S. (2021). What is Metrical Romance and its examples? Retrieved from https://literaryocean.com/what-is-metrical-
romance-and-its-examples/
Metrical Tale. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.poetrysoup.com/dictionary/metrical_tale
Neziroski, L. (2003). Narrative, lyric, drama. Retrieved from
https://csmt.uchicago.edu/glossary2004/narrativelyricdrama.htm
Rexroth, K. (2020, October 30). Literature. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/art/literature
Soken-Huberty, E. (2021). 10 Reasons Why Literature is Important. Retrieved from https://theimportantsite.com/10-reasons-
why-literature-is-important/
Types of Prose Fiction. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www2.anglistik.uni-freiburg.de/intranet/englishbasics/ProseTypes.htm
 Why Literature?
By Mario Vargas Llosa

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Mario Vargas Llosa
Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, (born
March 28, 1936, Arequipa, Peru),
Peruvian Spanish writer whose
commitment to social change is evident
in his novels, plays, and essays. In 1990
he was an unsuccessful candidate for
president of Peru. Vargas Llosa was
awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in
Literature “for his cartography of
structures of power and his trenchant
images of the individual’s resistance,
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mario-Vargas-Llosa
revolt, and defeat.”
 • According to Llosa’s observations,
what causes the decrease in the
number of people who read?
• How different is the function of
Guide Questions literature from science and
technology in society?
• What are the benefits of reading
literature?
• Why does Llosa regard readers of
literature as ‘free’?
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References

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2021, April 14). Mario Vargas Llosa. Encyclopedia Britannica.
Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mario-Vargas-Llosa
Llosa, M. V. (2001). Why Literature? The premature obituary of the book. Retrieved from
https://newrepublic.com/article/78238/mario-vargas-llosa-literature