I.
INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE
Literature, a body of written works. The name
has traditionally been applied to those
imaginative works of poetry and prose.
Literature may be classified according to a
variety of systems, including language, national
origin, historical period, genre, and subject
matter.
Latin Littera meaning 'letters' and referring to an
acquaintance with the written word)
TYPES OF LITERATURE
Drama
Stories composed in verse or prose, usually for
theatrical performance, where conflicts and
emotion are expressed through dialogue and
action.
Fable
Narration demonstrating a useful truth,
especially in which animals speak as humans;
legendary, supernatural tale.
Fairy Tale
Story about fairies or other magical creatures,
usually for children.
Fantasy
Fiction with strange or other worldly settings or
characters; fiction which invites suspension of
reality.
Fiction
Narrative literary works whose content is
produced by the imagination and is not
necessarily based on fact.
HISTORY
Literature, in the west, originated in the southern
Mesopotamia region of Sumer (c. 3200) in the
city of Uruk and flourished in Egypt, later in
Greece (the written word having been imported
there from the Phoenicians) and from there, to
Rome. Writing seems to have originated
independently in China from divination practices
and also independently in Mesoamerica and
elsewhere.
HISTORY
The first author of literature in the world, known
by name, was the high- priestess of Ur,
Enheduanna (2285- 2250 BCE) who wrote
hymns in praise of the Sumerian goddess
Inanna. Much of the early literature from
Mesopotamia concerns the activities of the gods
but, in time, humans came to be featured as the
main characters in such poems .
For the purposes of study, Literature is divided
into the categories of fiction or non-fiction today
but these are often arbitrary decisions as ancient
literature, as understood by those who wrote the
tales down, as well as those who heard them
spoken or sung pre-literacy, was not understood
in the same way as it is in the modern- day.
History of Philippine Literature
Philippine literature is literature associated with
the Philippines from prehistory, through its
colonial legacies, and on to the present. Pre-
Hispanic Philippine literature was actually epics
passed on from generation to generation,
originally through an oral tradition. However,
wealthy families, especially in Mindanao, were
able to keep transcribed copies of these epics as
family heirloom. One such was the Darangen, an
epic of the Maranaos.
ESSENCE AND FUNCTIONS & VALUES
DERIVED
1. Sparks empathy and understanding -Reading a
book is one of the best ways to fully immerse
your mind into another person's dialogue and
experiences.
2. Learn about past lives -History plays a
fundamental role in shaping literature, every
novel, play, or poem you read has been
influenced by political context, or a time period,
or a relationship from the time it was written
3. Escapism and possibilities -Reading can take
us into different realms and see other people's
creative thought processes.
VALUES DERIVED
1. Entertainment Value
Literature has entertainment value if reading it
gives occasion to enjoy yourself.
2. Political Value
Literature has political value if reading it gives
occasion to change how a person thinks or acts.
Politics is about the management and flow of
power.
3. Artistic Value
Literature has artistic value if reading it gives
occasion to contemplate the nature of beauty and
human creativity.
4. Cultural Value
Literature has cultural value if reading it gives
occasion to think about the place and time of the
author at the time the work was written.
5. Historical Value
Literature has historical value if reading it gives
occasion to think about the past, how things
changes overtime, and how the world has
evolved into what it is today.
6. Philosophical Value
Literature has philosophical value if reading it
gives occasion to explore the nature of human
knowledge,
7. Moral Value
Literature has moral value if reading it gives
occasion to learn a lesson. If a story or poem
TEACHES us how to live, or attempts to teach
us, then it has a moral dimension. Is
8. Ethical Value
Literature has ethical value if reading it
givesoccasion to think about ethical questions. If
a story dramatizes conflicts and dilemmas, it is
not necessarily teaching us how to live, but it
encourages us to contemplate the codes that the
characters live by.
FUNCTION AND VALUES DERIVED
1ST TYPES OF LITERATURE
Literature educates people in the Society
Literature expresses people’s culture
Literature is used to entertain people
Literature is used to influence people in the
society
Literature is used to develop language
Literature is used to liberate people mentally and
physically
Literature is used to criticize the society
II. DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION
OF LITERARY TYPE
POETRY
 Is an imaginative response to an
experience reflecting a keen awareness
of the language.
 is an art form in which human language
is used for aesthetic qualities.
 It is an intricate literary form that
incorporates rhyme, figurative language,
sound devices and meter in order to
evoke a wide array of feelings.
 Poetry is often created from the need to
escape the logical, as well as expressing
feelings and other expression.
Forms of Poetry
Lyric Poetry
 -Form of poetry wherein a speaker in the
poem expresses strong feeling/emotions
and thoughts.
 -Most modern poem is lyric poetry.
Discriptive Poetry
-Can be identified through words used by the
author and manner of writing.
Mood
-The emotions felt by reader from reading
literary piece
-It is the result of the readers interaction with the
author’s tone 

 -A poem that discribes the world that Imagery

sorounds the speaker.
 -It uses elaborate imagery and adjectives
 -It is more “ outward – focused” than
lyric poetry.
Narrative Poetry
-A type of poetry that tells a story.
-The use of figurative words, expressions to help
readers create vivid image of what the writer
wants and see, feel, hear, taste, smell in poetry
Symbolism
-Presentation of a tangible object that actually
represents an abstract or intangible concept or
idea.

-It’s structure resembles the plot story -Can be presented to the readers in a form of a
( Introduction, Conflict of Character, Rising character, object strategically placed in the
Action, Climax and Denounment. narrative, a word or phrase, or even a place.

-It aims to narrate events in the story in a set of Stanza

poetic manner. -Is a fixed number of lines of verse forming a
 Examples: Biag Ni Lam-ang and Homer’s    single unit of poem.

Illiad and Oddesey  -All stanzas areade up of equal number of line in

a single poem
Elements of Poetry
Theme

 -Tells what the poem is all about 

-Based on the number of lines present in a stanza
 -The main focus of the poem itself
they are assigned different names:
 -It contains the message, point of view
and idea of the poem.  2 lines – Couplet
 3 lines – Tercet
 4 lines – Quatrain
 5 lines – Cinquain
Tone and Mood  6 lines – Sestet
 7 lines  – Septet
Tone   8 lines – Octave
-The authors emotions involved in writing a
poem
Meter
Meter is the definitive pattern found in verse. It
is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or a
line in verse.
Basic Rhythmic Pattern In Poetry
Iamb – unstressed / stressed 
      Ex. Today, / we live
Trochee – stressed / unstressed 
      Ex. Captain / it’s gone / hold it
Anapest – unstressed / unstressed / stressed
      Ex. If I cry / if I lived
Dactyl – stressed / unstressed / unstressed
      Ex. Carnage is / horrible / heritage
Rhyme
-Rhyme is the repetitive pattern of sounds found
in poetry.  arguments, and evidence for ur claim.
-Each reccuring pattern is individually call a
FOOT and the number of feet, on identification
can tell as the systematic rhythm or the meter
that the poem follows:
 1 feet (Monometer)
 2 feet (Dimeter)
 3 feet (Trimeter)
 4 feet (Tetrameter)
 5 feet (Pentameter)
 6 feet (Hexameter)
Techniques On Reading Poetry
 Understand the language
 Read Slowly
 Find A Rhythm Through Punctuation
 interpretation  FOUR TYPES OF ESSAYS
ESSAY
It is a piece of composition that Discusses a
thing, a person, a problem, or an issue in a way
that the writer demonstrates his knowledge by
offering a new perspective, anew opinion, a
Solution, or new suggestions or
recommendations.
ELEMENTS OF THE ESSAY
INTRODUCTION
- Introductory of the paragraphs, falls of the
starts of an essay, also called” the Gateway”
- The goal of your introduction is to let your
reader know the topic of the paper.
Main Goal
-Catch the attention
-Give background
Present ur thesis statement
BODY
- Longest part of an essay,
- you guide ur reader to ur thoughts, elaborating
Create an outline of what you want to say and in
what order. Write a draft to get your main ideas
down on paper. Clarify your arguments and
make sure everything fits together.
CONCLUSION
Permits you to have the last word on the topics
you've discussed throughout your paper, to
summarize your views, to highlight their
significance, and to lead your reader to a fresh
understanding of the subject.
A STRONG CONCLUSION AIMS TO:
Leave the reader with the strong impression.
1.ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
An argumentative essay requires a profound
investigation of a topic leading to the collection
and evaluation of evidence.
2.PERSUASIVE ESSAY
Persuasive writing for this style of essay, your
opinion should be the focus.
3.DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY
A descriptive essay is an essay that describes
something – an object or person, an event or
place, an experience or emotion, or an idea.
4.NARRATIVE ESSAY
A narrative essay tells a story. In most cases,
this is a story about a personal experience you
had.
DRAMA
The term “drama” comes from a Greek word
"dráō" meaning "to do or to act" which is
derived from "I do".
Thus, it is one of the literary genres, which is an
imitationof some action.
• Drama is a type of literature that tells a story
and is intended to be performed on stage in front
of an audience.
• Dramas are commonly referred to as plays, and
their authors are referred to as "playwrights" or
"dramatists."
TWO ANCIENT GREEK MUSES
1. MELPOMENE
The Muse of Tragedy
2. THALIA
The Muse of Comedy
THE ELEMENTS OF DRAMA
THEME
A play's theme is its central idea.
• It can be stated explicitly through dialogue or
action, or it can be inferred from watching the
entire performance.
• The theme is the philosophy that underpins the
story or a moral lesson that the characters learn.
It is the message that the play conveys to the
audience.
PLOT
The sequence of events in a play determines the
plot.
• The plot is essentially the story that the play
tells.
• The entertainment value of a play is largely
determined by the story's sequence of events.
• The relationship between the events and the
characters in them is an important part of the
plot.
CHARACTER
The plot of the drama is intertwined with the
characters in the story.
• Each character in a play has their own
personality as well as their own set of principles
and beliefs.
• The actors in the play are in charge of bringing
the characters to life.
• The protagonist is the main character in the
play with whom the audience identifies. He or
she personifies the play's theme. The antagonist
or villain is the character with whom the
protagonist has a conflict.
DIALOGUE
The story of a play is taken forward by means of
dialogs.
• The story is narrated to the audiences through
the interaction between the play’s characters,
which is in the form of dialogs.
• The contents of the dialogs and the quality of
their delivery have a major role to play in the
CLASSIFICATION OF DRAMA
impact that the play has on the audiences.
COMEDY
• It is through the dialogs between characters
that the story can be understood. Comedy is a type or genre of drama that is
intended to make people laugh. However, humor
• Monologues and soliloquies are also as
is not the only quality that signifies a comedy.
important as dialogues are in a play.
TRAGEDY
SETTING
Tragedies are one of the most common and
The time and place where a story is set is one of
popular types of drama. As you can probably
its important parts.
guess, tragedies tend to be sad.
• The era or time in which the incidents in the
TRAGI-COMEDY
play take place, influence the characters in their
appearance and personalities. These complex among the types of drama in
literature.
PERFORMANCE
-They are more than just tragedy and comedy
• It is another important element of drama, as the
blended together.
impact that a story has on the audiences is
largely affected by the performances of the
actors.
• When a written play is transformed into a stage
performance, the actors cast for different roles,
the way they portray the characters assigned to MELODRAMA
them, and the way their performances are
directed are some important factors that Melodramas are an exaggerated kind of drama in
determine the play’s impact. literature, in which conventional one-
dimensional characters such as heroes, heroines,
MUSIC and villains contend with exciting, passionate,
This element includes the use of sounds and and frequently deadly situations.
rhythm in dialogs as well as music compositions
that are used in the plays.
TECHNIQUES FOR READING DRAMA
• The background score, the songs, and the
sound effects used should complement the PREVIEW THE DRAMA
situation and the characters in it.
 Preview the drama by reading the title,
VISUAL ELEMENTS characters, and narrator. Read any
background information provided.
While the dialog and music are the audible
 Read the drama once for overall
aspects of drama, the visual element deals with
meaning.
the scenes, costumes, and special effects used in
it. VISUALIZE THE CHARACTERS
• The visual element of drama, also known as • A playwright will briefly describe a character
the spectacle, renders a visual appeal to the stage as he or she enters the stage. After that point, the
setup. characters might never be described again.
CONTEMPLATE THE SETTING • In Personification, non-living things, abstract
ideas or qualities are mentioned as humans or
Readers should try to imagine the sets and
living things.
costumes as they read.
APOSTROPHE
CLARIFY WORD AND PHRASES
• In this figure of speech, the writer mentions the
• If you are unsure about some words or phrases
absent or inanimate objects as alive and writes
look for the context clues.
about them.
SIT IN THE DIRECTORS CHAIR
OXYMORON
• To visualize the play, the readers should think
• An Oxymoron is when two words are used
like a director.
together in a sentence but they seem to be in
EVALUATE THE DRAMAS THEME contrast with each other.

• Examine the drama's theme by asking yourself HYPERBOLE

what message the play is attempting to send or
• Hyperbole is when you use words to
help you understand. Does it have any
exaggerate what you mean or emphasize a point.
applicability to your life?

PUN
• A pun is generally used in plays where one
FIGURE OF SPEECH
word has two different meanings.
FIGURE OF SPEECH
• It is used to create humor.
• A type of expression used to convey meaning
ALLITERATION
or heighten effect, typically by comparing or
identifying one thing with another that has a • It is a series of words, which commence with
meaning or connotation familiar to the reader or the same letter.
listener.
• Alliteration consists of the repetition of a
SIMILE sound or of a letter at the beginning of two or
more words.
• A simile compares two things that are
completely unlocked to each other. ONOMATOPEIA
• A simile is introduced by words such as like, • it is a figure of speech where the word is used
so, as etc. to describe a sound.
METAPHOR • When we explain any action by putting the
sound into language.
• When you compare two unlike or different
things or ideas, it is known as a metaphor. ANAPHORA
• It is an informal or implied simile in which the • When many phrases or verses start with the
words ‘like’ ‘as’ are avoided. same word.
PERSONIFICATON ASSONANCE
• When we use repetition of vowel sounds.
EUPHEMISM
• It is known as a euphemism when we replace
blunt, offensive, or harsh terms with soft, mild,
vague, or indirect terms.
IRONY
• If you used terms that is contrast with what you
say or what you do,
• it is like difference with what you said and
what is meant.
SYNECDOCHE
• If a part is represented by a whole or a whole is
represented by a part, it is known as synecdoche.
UNDERSTATEMENT
• When you try to say or show something of no
importance or less importance.
I. ORAL LORE FROM PRECOLONIAL
TIMES (--1564)
RIDDLES a question or statement intentionally
phrased so as to require ingenuity in ascertaining
its answer or meaning, typically presented as a
game.
HISTORY
The modern English word riddle shares its origin
with the word read, both stemming from the
Common Germanic verb rēdaną, which meant
'to interpret, guess'. From this verb came the
West Germanic noun *rādislī, literally meaning
'thing to be guessed, thing to be interpreted'.
From this comes Dutch raadsel, German Rätsel,
and Old English *rǣdels, the latter of which
became modern English riddle.
EXAMPLE:
Tinuktok ko ang bangka,
nagsilapitan ang mga isda!
Ano ako?
TWO TYPES OF RIDDLES
ENIGMAS which are problems generally
expressed in metaphorical or allegorical
language that require ingenuity and careful
thinking for their solution.
EXAMPLE:
I have a head,I have a tail,
butI do not have a body.
I am neither a lizard nor a snake.
Then, guess what am I?
CONUNDRAS which are questions relying for
their effects on punning in either the question or
the answer.
EXAMPLE:
Its 3am, the doorbell rings and you wake
up. Unexpected visitors! Its your parents
and they are here for breakfast. You have
strawberry jam, honey, wine, bread and
cheese. What is the first thing you open?
PROVERB
Is a traditional saying or phrase that expresses a
perceived truth. Proverbs often give practical
advice and are based on the shared human
experience.
HISTORY
In fact, some of the earliest recorded proverbs
date back to the ancient Sumerians in 2000 BCE.
According to archaeological studies, nearly 700
tablets containing more than 1,000 proverbs
written by Sumerian scribes were discovered by
researchers. When translated, the researchers
were surprised at how easy it was to understand
these snippets of Sumerian wisdom, showing
how proverbs reach across cultures and time.
EXAMPLES:
“To be merciful is God’s, while to act is man’s."
“It’s difficult to wake up someone who Is
pretending to be asleep.”
LO-AS
-a folk tradition, mirrors the
Ilonggo’s folks’ creative or poetic intuition.
-It encapsulates in a single
form the workings ofthe
creative mind of the Ilonggo
folks or the common tao.
Example:
Rosas, rosas nga kamantigue
Soltero nga waay nobya, agi.
Bulak, bulak sang tangkong
Dalaga nga wala sang nobyo,
bingkong.
Tapakan ko central, gupi
Guwa kalamay, puti.
Didto saBohol
May isa ka lalaki nga manol
Panawag sa kasilyas, City Hall.
MYTHS AND LEGENDS
MYTHS
 derives from the word“mythos” which
means “word of mouth”.
 -Myths may have many versions; It is
shared orally over a span of time by
many different tellers.
 Myths attempts to explain some aspect
of the natural world. It often involves
supernatural events and beings and it
shows the values and beliefs of a
cultural group.
 The truth of a myth is irrelevant. It
arises from the
 Myth is a human desire to understand
the world.
Examples:
 Poseidon
 Medusa
 The Tower of Babel
The universal appeal of my this, in part, a resulf
of elements that are typical or common across
most myths. These repeated elements include
symbols, themes, patterns, and characters.
These elements helps to develop and
communicate a theme of a myth.
Key Elements of Myth
1.TENSION BETWEEN OPPOSING
FORCES IN THE UNIVERSE MYTHS
Are often structured around the tensions
between opposing forces in the universe.
2.A STRUGGLE FOR POWER.
The struggle for power in a myth occurs between
two opposing forces in the universe. This
struggle for power maybe between two
Supernatural forces, a supernatural force and a
mortal, or two members of a single
family.
3.EXPLANATIONS OF THE ORIGINS OF
LIFE AND THE NATURAL WORLD.
Many myths come from humans’ early desire to
explain the origins of life and the natural world.
4.FATEANDPROPHECY.The idea of fate and
its overwhelming power, is a central theme
In many myths. Neither Gods nor humans seem
able to escape fate, despite many attempts to do
so.
5.SUPER NATURAL OR NON-HUMAN
CHARACTERS. Some of the characters in
myths are often non-human even though they
possess human qualities and emotions. These
characters might include gods, goddesses, and
supernatural beings.
6.AQUESTORCOMPLETIONOFATASK.M
ythsoftentellastoriesofhumancharacters who
travel between worlds to complete a task.
LEGENDS
 Comes from Latin word “legenda”
which means “for things to read”.
  Is a narrative–often handed down from
the past–that is use to explain an event,
 Transmit a lesson, or simply entertain
the audience.
 is a story about a real person who
performed great deeds?
Example:
Daragang Magayon
Main Elements of Legend
1.CHARACTERS.As in any narrative text, the
characters play a primordial role in the legends.
These are responsible for performing the actions
that trigger the events of the story.
 Epic is a long, typically novel-length,
poetic work. It is a type of narrative
poem which tells a story, typically in the
third person point of view, through the
typical conventions of poetry. It focuses
on the adventures of a hero who has
qualities that are super human or divine,
and whose fate often depends on the
destiny of a tribe, nation, or sometimes
the whole of the human race.
Example:
- BiagNiLam-ang (Ilocano)

2.PLOT.The plot of the legends usually reflects

the beliefs, customs and values of a community.
In this sense, they are trying to portray the
strengths, virtues, weaknesses and human
defects.

3.ARGUMENT.Thestoryofthelegendshastobefu
llofmanyexcitingandsurprising
events.

4. ENVIRONMENT. The legends are

circumscribed to a specific place. Although you
can find common stories from different places,
geography defines the hero and proposes the
way to explain his actions.

Reminder:
The great myths and legends were not authored
by individuals the way stories are today but were
evolved naturally and instinctively by
unconscious processes in oral traditions. Even if
they started out as made-up or true stories,
revelations or dreams, they still ended up for
long periods of time in oral traditions and that
became the principal dynamic behind their
creation.

EPICS
 The word epic is derived from the
ancient Greek word “epikos” which
means “poetic story”.