MODULE: CREATIVE WRITING

LITERATURE

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

 identify the various elements, techniques, and literary devices

in various modes of fiction
 appreciate some literary pieces which used various identify the
various elements, techniques, and literary devices.

Literature
Literature, in its broadest
sense, is any written work;
etymologically the term derives from
Latin literatura/litteratura "writing
formed with letters", although some
definitions include spoken or sung
texts. More restrictively, it is writing
that possesses literary merit, and
language that foregrounds
literariness, as opposed to ordinary
language.

Importance of Literature
 Serves as an art form used for expression
 preserves cultural ideals, customs, and morals.
 gives us a deeper context into the lives and livelihood of people
distinct from ourselves.

"Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the
necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect,
it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become."
- C.S. Lewis, a British scholar and novelist.
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What is a genre \zhän-rə\

is a French word for "kind" or "sort is the term for any category of literature
or other forms of art or entertainment, e.g. music, whether written or spoken,
audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria.

What is Prose?

Prose is a form of language that possesses

ordinary syntax and natural speech rather than
rhythmic structure; in which regard, along with
its measurement in sentences rather than lines, it
differs from poetry.
Normal everyday speech is spoken in prose,
and most people think and write in prose form.
Prose comprises of full grammatical sentences,
which consist of paragraphs, and forgoes
aesthetic appeal in favor of clear, straightforward
language. It can be said to be the most reflective
of conversational speech. Some works of prose do have versification, and a blend
of the two formats that is called “prose poetry.”

Example of a Poetry Verse vs. the Prose Form

Following is a poetry verse from a popular work of Robert Frost:

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”

(Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, by Robert Frost)

Prose Form

Following is the same sentiment written in prose form:

“The woods look lovely against the setting darkness and as I gaze into the
mysterious depths of the forest, I feel like lingering here longer. However, I have
pending appointments to keep, and much distance to cover before I settle in for the
night, or else I will be late for all of them.”
The above paragraph is conveying a similar message, but it is conveyed in
ordinary language, without a formal metrical structure to bind it.
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Function of Prose
While there have been numerous
basic discussions over the right and
substantial development of composition,
the explanation behind its selection can
be credited to its inexactly characterized
structure, which most authors feel great
utilizing when communicating or passing
on their thoughts and considerations. It
is the standard style of composing utilized
for most spoken exchanges, anecdotal
just as effective and genuine composition,
and talks. It is additionally the normal
language utilized in papers, magazines, writing, reference books, broadcasting,
theory, law, history, technical studies, and numerous different types of
correspondence.

Some Common Types of Prose

Nonfictional Prose: A literary work like essays, biographies and
autobiographies that are mainly based on fact, though it may contain fictional
elements in certain cases.
Fictional Prose: Holistically or partially imagined stories like novels and
stories.
Heroic Prose: A literary work that might be recorded or recounted, and
which utilizes a significant number of the standard articulations found in oral
custom. Models are legends and stories. Epics and Legends may be examples of
this.
Prose Poetry: A literary work that shows poetic characteristics and nature
and utilizing passionate impacts and elevated symbolism. However these are
written in exposition rather than section.

Examples of Prose in Literature

Prose in Novels
This is usually written in the form of a narrative and may be
entirely a figment of the author’s imagination.
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Example #1: David Copperfield (By Charles Dickens)

“Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether
that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must
show.”

Example #2: Anna Karenina (By Leo Tolstoy)

“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy
in its own way.”

These examples of prose have been taken from novels, where

the writers have employed their imaginations. They are examples of fictional
prose.

Prose in Speeches
Prose used in speeches often expresses thoughts and
ideas of the speaker.

Example #3: Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech

(By Mother Teresa)
“The poor are very great people. They can teach us so
many beautiful things.”

Example #4: Equal

Rights for Women
speech (By U.S.
Congresswoman Shirley
Chisholm)
“As for the marriage laws, they are due for a
sweeping reform, and an excellent beginning
would be to wipe the existing ones off the books.”
These prose examples have been taken from
speeches where the writing is often crisp and persuasive and suits the occasion
to convey a specific message.
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Prose in Plays
Prose written in plays aims to be dramatic and
eventful.

Example #5: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (By Tennessee

Williams)
“You can be young without money, but you can’t be old
without it.”

Example #6: As You Like It (By

William Shakespeare)
“All the world’s a stage, And all
the men and women merely
players.”

Prose in plays is frequently in

conversational mode and is conveyed by a character.
Notwithstanding, its style remains the equivalent all
through the play as indicated by the character of the
character. Fiction incorporates short stories, books,
fantasies, anecdotes, sentiments, and legends. For the
most part, center around one or a couple of significant
characters that manage issues or challenges in their lives.

A. Elements of Fictional Prose

I. SETTING - The time and location in

which a story takes place is called the
setting. There are several aspects of a
story's setting to consider when
examining how setting contributes to
a story (some, or all, may be present in
a story):
a) place - geographical location.
b) time - When is the story taking
place?
c) weather conditions - Is it rainy,
sunny, stormy, etc?
d) social conditions - What is the daily life of the characters like?
e) mood or atmosphere - What feeling is created at the beginning of the
story?
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II. CHARACTER
– People who take part in the story
– Individuals that do the action in
the story
– The representation of a person in
the story
– Is revealed by the tone of voice
– Occasionally, it could be an
animal or object given human
qualities
– There are two meanings for the
word character:
The person in a work of fiction.
The characteristics of a person.

Protagonist – the chief figure who struggles against opposing forces

Antagonist – the force, most often another character, that opposes the
protagonist
Dynamic Character – one whose attitudes and values are affected by the events
in the story
Flat Character – a character having only a single trait or quality
Round Character – a multi-dimensional or a complex character
Static Character – one whose personality, attitudes, and beliefs remain fixed,
no matter what kinds of situations he encounters

Characterization - The development of characters as done by the short story

writer. The way in which an author presents and reveals his/her characters.

Ways to do Characterization
– Direct presentation
– the author makes explicit/outright statements or explanations
about the characters
Examples:
 As the years passed, Makato grew tall and handsome.
 He never idled. He never complained and was always satisfied.
 He did every kind of work—carrying heavy things, clearing away the
forest, or feeding pigs.

– Indirect presentation
– the author reveals the characters through actions and dialogues
Example:
 “I would like to go on a journey for an adventure,” said Makato.
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III. PLOT
The plot is the logical
arrangement of events in a story
or play. The plot is a organized.
logical series of events having a
beginning, middle, and end.

Kinds of Plot
1. Linear Plot
In literature, a linear plot begins at a certain point, moves through a
series of events to a climax and then ends up at another point.
Also known as the plot structure of Aristotle, it is possible to represent a
linear plot line with the drawing of an arc.
The primary advantage of using a linear plot is that the reader knows, or
at least has an idea, of where the plot goes next, and the reader is guaranteed to
get a beginning and ending.
a) Introduction - The beginning of the story where the characters and the setting
is revealed.
b) Rising Action - This is where the events in the story become complicated and
the conflict in the story is revealed (events between the introduction and climax).
c) Climax - This is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the
story. The reader wonders what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or
not?
d) Falling action - The events and complications begin to resolve
themselves. The reader knows what has happened next and if the conflict was
resolved or not (events between climax and denouement).
e) Denouement - This is the final outcome or untangling of events in the story.

1. Modular Plot
Nonlinear narrative, disjointed narrative or disrupted narrative is a
narrative technique, sometimes used in literature, film, hypertext websites and
other narratives, where events are portrayed, for example out of chronological
order, or in other ways where the narrative does not follow the direct causality
pattern of the events featured, such as parallel distinctive plot lines, dream
immersions or narrating another story inside the main plot-line. It is often used
to mimic the structure and recall of human memory, but has been applied for
other reasons as well.
It is a story that does not follow a linear narrative. That is, it doesn’t move
in a chronological order, instead jumping around within the story or between
different stories. Sometimes, the different sections don’t even feature the same
characters or world. Instead, they are united by thematic meaning.
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2. Episodic Plot
Made up of a series of chapters or stories linked together by the same
character, place, or theme but held apart by their individual plot, purpose, and
subtext.

IV. CONFLICT - Conflict is essential to

plot. It is the opposition of forces
which ties one incident to another and
makes the plot move. Within a short
story there may be only one central
struggle, or there may be one dominant
struggle with many minor ones.

There are two types of Conflict:

1) External - A struggle with a force

outside one's self.
2) Internal - A struggle within one's
self; a person must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper,
resist an urge, etc.

There are various kinds of Conflict:

1) Man vs. Man (physical) - The leading character struggles with his physical
strength against other men, forces of nature, or animals. A character struggles
with another character.
Protagonist vs. Antagonist
The classic “good guy” vs. “bad guy” situation.

Example: - Spiderman. This is the story of Peter Parker who is nerdy high-
schooler.
One day while on an excursion to a laboratory a runway radioactive spider
bites him... And his life changes in a way no one could have imagined. Peter
acquires a muscle-bound physique, clear vision, ability to cling to surfaces and
crawl over walls, shooting webs from his wrist... But the fun isn’t going to last.
An eccentric millionaire Norman Osborn administers a performance
enhancing drug on himself and his maniacal alter ego Green Goblin emerges.
Now Peter Parker has to become a Spider-Man and take Green Goblin to the
task... Or else Goblin will kill him. They come face to face and the war begins in
which only one of them will survive at the end

2) Man vs. Circumstances (classical) - The leading character struggles against

fate, or the circumstances of life facing him/her.
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3) Man vs. Nature - A character struggles with a force of nature (natural disaster,
desolation, animal, etc.) Usually, the character is struggling to survive.
Example: San Andreas. In the movie, A series of massive earthquakes hits
Nevada and California. Caught in the middle is a helicopter rescue pilot,
Raymond Gaines. Flying his helicopter, he must first rescue his ex-wife, Emma,
and his daughter, Blake. Meanwhile, a pre-eminent seismologist, Dr Lawrence
Hayes, is trying to predict where the next earthquake will hit.

4) Man vs. Society - In this conflict, a character, or a group of characters fight

against the society in which they live. The character fights against social
traditions or rules (fight for freedom, rights, for a cause etc.) Society becomes a
“character” of its own. Usually used to comment on positive or negative aspects
for real society. (SATIRE)
Example: Avatar. In the movie Avatar a man is put into an army to get rid of a
civilization of blue creatures. They want the civilization to move to another
location cause their town is built over rich treasures. But the civilization prays
to their God in that one location. Jake Scully (main character) is told to go into
a replica of a body from civilization. After getting used to how they live he wants
to help them fight for their land, so he starts a war to help keep their land.

5) Man vs. Self - The character’s Struggle takes place in his/her own mind.
Usually has something to do with a choice (choosing between right or wrong), or
it may have to do with overcoming emotions or mixed feelings.
Example: Tangled (Rapunzel). In the movie Tangled Rapunzel, experiences man
vs. Self throughout the movie. She cannot decide if she want to stay in the tower
or defy her “mother’s wishes and leaved the tower. When she finally decides to
leave, she is very hesitant and does not know if what her “mother” has told her
is true or not. She goes back and forth with herself wondering what will happen
if she continues.

6) Man vs. Supernatural - is a conflict between a character and something that

is not normal in some way. Supernatural elements include ghosts, omens, and
superstitions.
Example: Predator
- The U.S government hires a team of commandos. The group of goes to
Guatemala. There they battle and invisible extraterrestrial with superhuman
strength.

7) Man vs. Fate - This type of Conflicts occurs when is trapped by an inevitable
destiny, freedom and free.
Example: Example: Fahrenheit 451
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-In part of Fahrenheit 451, “Burning Bright,” Montag’s Fate is to be hunted and
killed. The Hound, programmed to kill Montags, is chasing him, and has the TV
says, “The Mechanical Hound never fails” (page numbers vary by edition)..

8) Man vs. Technology - The protagonist must overcome a machine or

technology. Most often the encounter with the machine or technology is through
the character's own doing. For example, it may be technology or a machine that
they created, purchased, or owned with the assumption that it would make their
life easier. Over time the protagonist must overcome the technology, in some
instances, even destroying it before it destroys them.
Example: The Matrix. Thomas A. Anderson is a man living two lives. By day he
is an average computer programmer and by night a hacker know as Neo. Neo
has always questioned his reality, but the truth is far beyond his imagination.
Neo finds himself targeted by the police when he is contacted by Morpheus, a
Legendary computer hacker branded a terrorist by the government.

V. POINT OF VIEW
Point of view, or P.O.V., is defined as
the angle from which the story is told.
1. Third Person P.O.V – The narrator
does not participate in the action of the
story as one of the characters but let
us know exactly what the characters
feel. (uses third personal pronoun he,
she, it, they)
2. First Person - The story is told by
the protagonist or one of the
characters who interacts closely with the protagonist or other characters (using
pronouns I, me, we, etc).
The reader sees the story through this person's eyes as he/she experiences it
and only knows what he/she knows or feels.
3. Omniscient- A narrator who knows everything about the characters is all
knowing or omniscient.
a) Omniscient Limited - The author tells the story in third person (using
pronouns they, she, he, it, etc). We know only what the character knows and
what the author allows him/her to tell us. We can see the thoughts and feelings
of characters if the author chooses to reveal them to us.
b) Omniscient Objective – The author tells the story in the third person. It
appears a camera is following the characters, going anywhere, and recording
only what is seen and heard. No interpretations are offered. The reader is placed
in the position of spectator without the author there to explain. The reader must
interpret events on his own.
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VI. THEME - The theme in

a piece of fiction is its
controlling idea or its
central insight. It is the
author's underlying
meaning or main idea that
he is trying to convey. The
theme may be the author's
thoughts about a topic or
view of human nature. The
title of the short story
usually points to what the
writer is saying, and he
may use various figures of
speech to emphasize his theme, such as: symbol, allusion, simile, metaphor,
hyperbole, or irony.
Some simple examples of common themes from literature, TV, and film are:
- things are not always as they appear to be
- Love is blind
- Believe in yourself
- People are afraid of change
- Don't judge a book by its cover

Presenting the theme of the prose:

• the feelings of the main character about the subject written about
through the thoughts and conversations of different characters
• the experiences of the main character in the course of a literary work
• the actions and events taking place in a narrative

Theme Vs. Subject

• A poem’s subject is the topic of the poem, or what the poem is about
• The theme is an idea that the poem expresses about the subject or uses
the subject to explore
• Example: So, for example, in the Edgar Allan Poe poem “The Raven”, the
subject is the raven, who continually repeats a single word in response
to the speaker’s questions.
• The theme of the poem, however, is the irreversibility of death—the
speaker asks the raven, in a variety of ways, whether or not he will see his
dead beloved again, to which the raven always replies “nevermore.”
Motifs
• Look for meaningful repeated elements in the poem, or motifs.
• An example from the poem “The Raven” is the repeated word “nevermore.”
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• Whenever an element is repeated in a poem, you should assume it is both

intentional and meaningful.
• Motifs are often connected to the theme of the poem, as is the case
with “nevermore.” This connection is so close that many people use the
words “theme” and “motif” interchangeably.

VII. TONE

• When you speak, your tone of voice suggests your attitude.

• In fact, it suggests two attitudes: one concerning the people you’re
addressing (your audience) and the other concerning the thing you’re
talking about (your subject).
• That’s what the term tone means when it’s applied to poetry as well. Tone
can also mean the general emotional weather of the poem.
Example: “And the trees all died. They were orange trees. I don’t know why they
died, they just died. Something wrong with the soil possibly or maybe the stuff we
got from the nursery wasn’t the best. We complained about it. So we’ve got thirty
kids there, each kid had his or her own little tree to plant and we’ve got these
thirty dead trees. All these kids looking at these little brown sticks, it was
depressing.”

B. TECHNIQUES AND LITERARY DEVICES

A literary device is a technique that shapes narrative to produce an effect
on the reader. It is a literary or linguistic technique that produces a specific
effect, esp. a figure of speech, narrative style, or plot mechanism.

Plot Device - an object, character or a concept introduced into the story by the
author to introduce its plot.

1. Flashing arrow- technique used to focus the reader’s, but not the
characters’ attention on an object, or location.
Example: The Shutter
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A man wonders on his consistent neck ache without knowing that he is

carrying the ghost all those times.
2. Red herring- it distracts the reader’s attention from the plot twist. It is
used to maintain tension and uncertainty.
Example: Professor Snape of Harry Potter
In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Severus Snape is a red
herring, sneaky and behaving suspiciously but not, eventually guilty. In
fact, Snape's chequered path through the books is littered with red
herrings. Less ambiguously, Sirius Black is painted as an evil character,
to be feared, which is undermined when he finally meets Harry.
3. Deathtrap- device that the villain uses to try to kill the protagonist and
satisfy his own sadistic desires.
Example: Different Death scenes in Final Destination stories
4. Reverse chronology- is a technique where the story begins at the end and
works back toward the beginning.
Example: The White House Story where the story begins at the end and
progressed the story while taking the story backward.
5. ‘In medias res’- the narrative starts in the middle of the story instead of
from its beginning. Other events are often introduced through a series of
flashbacks.
Example: The Odyssey of Homer. The story started in the middle instead
of the beginning of the story. Flashbacks were used to introduce the initial
events in the story.

VISION - character share with the reader visions of the past or the future to
explain a character’s motives.

1. Dream sequence- series of dreams which allows the character to see

events that occur or have occurred in another time
Example: The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Ebenezer Scrooge had a series of dreams which allowed him to see the events
happened in another time with the help of the Christmas ghosts of the past,
present and future and led him to change his attitude.
2. Analepsis (flashback)- prevents events from before the current time
frame. Flashbacks are usually presented as characters’ memories and are
used to explain their background.
Example: Titanic. The story used Rose, the main character, to tell the events
happened to Titanic.
3. Prolepsis (flash-forward)- presents events that will occur in the future.
Example: Final Destination seeing what will happen in the future.
4. Prophecy- is often used in science fiction to underline their futuristic
structures.
Example: Breaking Dawn’s Final Rival Scene between the Volturi and Bella
Swan and Edward Cullen’s family. Alice who has a premonition supernatural
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presented the prophecy, the possible event that can be happened once the
action will be continued.
5. Foreshadowing- is a premonition, muck like a flash-forward, but only
hints at the future.
Example: Toy Story 2. The use of Buzz’s glass space helmet to ignite the rocket
string was foreshadowed when Buzz was accidentally burnt because of the
glass lens.

ENDING - refers to story endings

1. Cliff-hanger- an abrupt ending that leaves the plot incomplete, without
denouement, it often leaves characters in a precarious or difficult situation
which hint at the possibility of a sequel. Films with sequel are examples of
this.
2. Twist ending- is an unexpected finale that gives an entirely new vision on
the entire plot. It is a powerful technique but may leave the reader
dissatisfied and frustrated.
Example: Planet of the Apes. Twist: As Taylor escapes with mute
companion Nova (Linda Harrison), he is stunned to discover that he didn't
land on a distant planet, he was back on Earth, centuries into the future.
3. Happy ending- a finale when everything ends in the best way for the hero.
Example: Since the target audience are the children, Disney Movies have
Happy endings.
4. Deus ex machina- plot dating back to ancient Greek theater, where the
conflict is resolve through a means (god, or dues) that seem unrelated to
the story. This allows the author to end the story as desired without
following the logic and continuity of the story.
For a plot device to be a Deus Ex Machina, it has to satisfy the
following conditions:
 The plot is facing an impossible and hopeless problem, no existing
characters can solve.
 A new element is introduced.
 The element itself usually doesn't have any plot/character development to
set it up.
 Even if the element was previously mentioned, it was never used in such
fashion, or never explained to have such power.
 The element is here to solve this problem and disappear again. The
element's power was never used to solve other problems, even the situation
is similar.
 The element is independent of character choices made in the story.
Perfect example of Deus ex machina is the Fairy Godmother of Cinderella
who helped her during the moment that the reader thought that no one
could help the main character.
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For further reading please refer to the link provided:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMlZD3Mf2-0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ibCtsHgz3Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nJv8sxpUKU

References:
 https://schoolworkhelper.net/importance-of-literature-essay/
 https://courses.lumenlearning.com/sanjacinto-
englishcomp2kscope/chapter/reading-a-short-story/