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    Gabriel Literary

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    Gabriel Mendoza Jole

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    PREFACE textbook usually has a "reason fo rb supplies a vital need or reveals fresh insights, a tee ue oF clarifies a theory, or accomplishes some oth Fae bpjectives one can hardly see the reason for Preparing a eee In the present case, the faculty members to write and to select thelr materials for " i Rasa Pete ‘Types and Forms’ are expected to furnish the college een sophomores the proper preparation and guidance for th en or other subjects in Literature which are generally Steen higher years. Specifically, the aim of this book is to ; foundation for the study of various ins oe ieee acquainting and familiarizing students with different forms and types used in literary works. Would it not be sufficient to incorporate what amounts to an introduction in the analysis and interpretation of literary selections? Experience has proved the inadequacy of the time allotted for the teachers to tackle both the introduction to form and types and the study of the poems, essays, stories and other works themselves. But what is the relevance of the study of forms and types to Literature itself? The students may understand and even enjoy Literature, but familiarity with the forms and types employed heightens and deepens both understanding and appreciation. A literary work consists of form and content. Understanding the handling of that content and theme is partly de] dent on content as evident in the Panes and the style of the writer, the choice of form and structure, and a grasp of the literary devices employed by the author. first publication omitting a few more timely put also ts. Selecting from 2 __ _ In this second edition of the in 1986, we have changed some © and adding some which may a more direct appeal to presen} lication was xs for this publ a rich and extensive mine often y ea use we were jimited, ae ot somewhat cimcult and SP" Practical cones iw cag selections, however, we Have tried, ee include only works originally written Not translations. . We the teache, bei initiative in 8 to betty oi to formu my; 7 vaeerch Bs form and oe poe ee tate the a their own res‘ ie ways ‘ao tere creative a itis ee eellet that what we discover for Ourselye he, works, for it is more Vv ive than i 8 ha mere theories. a) value and incentive th : viii nition or explanation of By giving a ae oe perrie) pou various literary eee this book seeks to ae an the deni, enjoyment: c.U.G, P.G.R, C.G.B, INTRODUCTION verhaps the best way to understand human nature fully and pemsfation completely, short of going into a formal study of o know & Gociology and history, is to study Literature. Throw petolOe’ we learn the innermost feelings And thoughts of people iteratvRTeat and most real part of themselves. Thus we gain an a ing not only of others, but more importantly, of d of life itself. Spaerstand umgelves a WHAT IS LITERATURE? Webster gives two definitions: terature is the total of preserved writings belonging to a given Hnavage or people. And: Literature is the class or the total of terfings, of a given country oF period, which is notable for literary Bn or expression, as distinguished, on the one hand, from Rorks mercly technical or crudile and, on the other, from journalistic or other ephemeral writings, More precisely, Henry Van Dyke defines it thus: Literature consists of those writings which interpret the meanings of nature and life, in words of charm and power, touched with the personality of the author, in artistic forms of permanent interest WHY DO PEOPLE WRITE? The most compelling reason that moves a person to write is sclf-expression. When one’s heart is full with emotion, happy or he wants to tell others about it Or one may have a lively and creative imagination and wishes to entertain and give pleasure to others with stories, real or imagined. Sometimes, he may have ideas and values that he wishes to pass on in order to form attitudes. At other times, it may be because he wants to spread knowledge and information which is worth recording and remembering. In this way truth is preserved One's love for truth, accuracy and evaluation is another Teason for writing. This kind of literature enables others to analyze, evaluate, form valid judgments, and make wise decisions. Every piece of writing then, is the "reaction of au original heart and mind upon life” and all that it includes. WHAT ARE THE AIMS OF LITERATURE? Literature @Ppeals to man's higher nature and its necds — cemasony Spiritual, intellectual, and creative. Like all other forms of art, 2 literature entertains and gives pleasure; it fires th and arouses noble emotions, It enriches man by engyt™ reflect on life and by filing him with new ideas, 7 "4! gina ng im ot Therefore, the study of Literature gives h cope with life because of the tinderetadiogg paced ability tg whieh It imparts, This new pereeption of life ad peo ple ature dimensions to his life in the form of greater sensitive: 2 ss, refinement of feclings, lofty i ity of pus avareness, finn ings, lofty ideals, nobility of pup WAYS OF STUDYING LITERA’ aii oestupiNe TURE. A literary selection can From ahistorical crea! point of view, a work can outcome of erlain evens and asthe producer of ceain cies ra tain ete ae certain effet lke Dr. Zhtoago by Boris Pasternak and War and Pesce Gy is A tterary work can also be S a also be the reflection ofthe national Of a people. 'such asthe epics are and as recon o the cok customs of an era. Journals and per 2 -xamples of the latter. Penitieals On the other hand, literature can be pression of gre: |. litera the ie ex movements (The French Revolution in A Tale of Tivo Cites oY Gharles Dickens) or an expression of the author's personality (the ‘ ression of the auth ity ( Other works enabl le the readei movements t to discover great social mgements and tendencies (slavery in the United States as shown towe's Uncle Tom's Cabin) tates as shown ‘At other times, cert Otter times, a work may be studied sh con ainment value, forthe richness of ls plot ere OF ls 'Y Movements and techniques, and always, for its “be man feels before he thinks. a LITERARY STANDARDS. How can we tell if literary work is greal? Literature, like all the other arts, has certain standards by which all selections can be measured for evaluation. Great Inerature is distinguished by the following qualities: 1. Artistry. This Is a quality which appeals (o our sense of beauty. 2, Intellectual value. A literary work stimulates thought. It enriches our mental life by making us realize fundamental truths ‘about life and human nature. 3, Suggestiveness. This is the quality associated with the ‘emotional power of literature. Great literature moves us deeply Ghd stirs our fecling and imagination, giving and evokiag visions Above and beyond the plane of ordinary life and experience. Literature elevates the spirit by bringing 4, Spiritual value. out moral values which make us better persons. The capacity (0 Inspire Is part of the spiritual value of literature. 5. Permanence. A great work of literature endures. It can be read again and again as cach reading gives fresh delight and new insights and opens new worlds of meaning and experience. Its appeal is lasting. 6. Universality. Great literature is timeless and timely. it appeals to one and all, anytime, anywhere Forever relevant. feelings, fundamental truths, and because it deals with elemental universal conditions. + way in which a writer sees life, 7. Style. This is the pecull re marked as forms his ideas and expresses them. Great works ar much by their memorable substance as by their distinctive style. Style should suit content. ‘THE DIVISIONS OF LITERATURE. All Literature falls under’ two main categories: Poetry and Prose. In the literary development of man, poetry developed first, perhaps because emotions are more clemental than reason, and Let us now consider Poetry, its elements or characteristics. and its divisions, 4 POETRY lle . Poetry may be described as rhythmic imagina expressing the invention, thought, imagination, taste, peg . asec ed insight of the human soul. Its purpose is "enthrali my insight of he numan sul ls Purpos i enthralinen yi feelings” taking lls origin from “emotion reccllected in teaeo*°*Ud For Edgar Allan Poe, poetry is "the rhythmical creation of Sau” auty. 1. CHARACTERISTICS OF POETRY: Critics, teachers, and poets themselves have tried often and long to age ine poctry and to distinguish it from prose. Perha; Perhaps the be Ginerentiate these two major literary types is to speak wry? unique features of poetry which set it apart from prose: rhytn 86: rhythm, (imagery, and sense or meaning. A. RHYTHM. Rhythm is the regular o ular recurrence of sires and unstressed, long and short, or high-pitched and low-pltehed syllables creating a pattern in the lines of a pocm. This gives the Poem its melodious quality and makes it grand, solemn and majestic; sonorous and full; slow and mournful; rapid and light; airy and whimsical; or crystalline. stag Ote? 84 Rhyme have often been regarded as essentials of 1. Meter (Organized Rhythm) is the measured wired patter grouping of syllables, called metrte fot, according to accent ind fength. A group of metric feet forms poetic line or verse. A gFoUp of pocte lines or verses is called a stanza According to the placement of accent . thee Patterns or feet of which the four ' basics are. on ated oh 2. The lamb (lambie fot) whe sual followed by an accented eylabes te) ns mceente 7 7 as ie Gira gy) The curfew tolls the knell of parting day. — Gray, Elegy in a Country Churchyard b. The An apest (Anapestic foot) unaccented syllables fac lables followed by an accented syllabic, teint xis Preaek Did you fail in the race? oe Le Did you faint in the spurt —Robins, The Best ¢. The Trochus (Trochale foot) which consists of an accented syllable followed by an unaccented syllable. x) 5 his the airy mountain up L cL Lika. h Down the rushy glen —Allingham, The Fatries d. The Dactyl (Dactylic foot) which consists of an accented syllable followed by two unaccented syllables. (/ x X) px x(x xd Xf Fhial ome eid ® ‘this is the forest primeval, the murmuring pines and the hemlocks, — Longfellow, Evangeline one must remember though, that if the pattern is strictly followect throughout the poem, monotony may result. Many poets therefore combine or interchange metric patterns, thus achieving “enough Gniformity to maintain the rhythmical patterns, and enough variely to prevent monotony’ a poetic line, the principal sf one foot): ‘According to the number of fee! verse lengihs are: monometer (line consisting of Uumeter (2 feet); trimeter (3 feel); tetrameter (4 feel): pentareter (5 fect); hexameter (6 feet}: heptameter (7 fect: doctameter (8 fect); and nonameter (9 fect) re the more frequently ‘The tetrameter and the pentameter at rely used verse lengths. Lines longer than the pentameter are rai used today. ominantly lambie and contains 5 fect, then it is described as lambic Pentameter. Refer to the lines taken from Gray's Elegy. The second example (from Robins) would be ‘Anapestic Dimeter; the third example (from Allingham) would be Trochaic Trimeter; and the fourth example (from Longfellow) would be Dactylic Hexameter. Ifa line is pred Soo ‘The system by which a poem is describeq metrical structure by identifying its accents ang *°din, Verse 1 10 4, called scansion. i hat Many medern poets, however, have tended to for a *higher law" of rhythm which is called free yore™0n my Ring conventional metrical structures and emeees® Hstege® fesorts to the natural flow of cadenced rhythms ses JTee va Cee at lian ce cater eae tscs his own unique structural devises: paralichec® "O¥tvee Phrasings, particular rhythmic patterns, and even hyve“ Pte 2. Rhyme and other "Sound Devices". regular re ; prices. Ris egular recurrence of similar sounds usually at the eax ol the {end rhyme) or also within one line (internal rhyme). the Ff Lines or sequence in which the rhyme words occur ina stanza oe tet {s-alled the riyme scheme, To find the rhyme scheme, the Poo e alphabet is usually a : the ena a stanza. Thus: ly assigned to each similar sounds With rue my heart isa laden a For golden friends I had b For many a rose-lipped maiden a ‘And many a lightfoot lad b Houseman, With Rue My Heart s Laden To avoid undue monot Feading, pots make use ofa variety of rine sehen A gret umber of hem, especally in more rent mes, use Dik Sse inrymed verse Blank verse unrhymed ambi paneer fed i com jong poems. It Is especially adapted to Other cor commonly used sound devices aside from rhyme are: a. Alliteration: 4 ont # A repetition of initial identical founds. “Ex: Full fathom Mee ty Tah es ema consonant ene r lies. — Shakespeare, b. Onomat : words used Bo nmePoelt! A devise whereby the sound of the Poct suggests the things itself. Some onomatopoeic pes Words are: tink fash, zoom, murmur. Kle, ooze, whisper, buzz, hiss, bang, Afr this by elements of meter and tice sion of vine Te ney ythm and Its essential lay be Worthwhile to consider 7 the following point which ts very often claimed: "Poetry (s never truly poetry until ( ts read aloud.” B. IMAGERY. Imagery refers to expressions evocative of jects of sensuous appeal. They are products of the writer's ive imagination and result in making an impression or SKperience more precise and vivid. Imagery may be in the form of Girect description or may be figurative, which latter involves the (se of figures of speech and symbols. obj creall 1. Figures of Speech. Some of the most important types are’ a. Simile: an expressed comparison between two things. petonging to different classes, with the use of the conjunctions ras" and “like”. ‘The winged seeds, where they lic cold and low, Each like a corpse within its grave, ‘Shelley, Ode to the West Wind As I read it in the white, morning sunlight, ‘The letters squirmed like snakes. ‘Lowell, Patterns b. Metaphor: an implied and not an expressed comparison. It identifies one object with another, giving to one the qualities of the other. The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, The road was a ribbon of mooniight over the purple moor, Noyes, The Highwayman c. Personification: the giving of human attributes and functions to inanimate objects, animals, and even ideas. A tree whose hungry mouth is prest Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast Kilmer, Trees a direct address to a person or thing, d. Apostrophe Helen, thy beauty is to me Like those Nicean barks of yore, Poe, To Helen 2, Symbols: These are images or conerete references that stand for something cise in reality and suggest another level of ymbol for the meaning, For example, the flag is used as a 5\ 8 1 ly; the serpent, fo country; the rose, for beaut 7 popular but overused symbols). (Thea E © wina, Ir Winter comes, can Spring be far behinci? Shelley, Ode to the West Wing ¢. SENSE OR MEANING: A poem must say so, must enlighten, reveal a ruth, Open new vise’ perepions, enable ufo derstand the World around fy ~ deeply, and see things beyond our physical senses, meth ive tt I, 1RYING TO UNDERSTAND A POEM. 1t goes wit saying that poetry is not always easy to understand. Yet we ett be the poorer if we allowed the world of verse to be closed tort When reading a poem, it would help much £0 100k up the meaning of unfamiliar words; to keep in mind that a poem" never purely literal; and to remember that the poct means ang feels more than what he actually says. Imagine yourself in the situation of the poet and try to see and feel as he does, give free rein to your imagination and feelings, and use all of your life experience to enlighten you so that the poem can acquire meaning for you II. KINDS OF POETRY. The major classes of poetry are Lyrte Poetry, Narratlve Poetry, and Dramatic Poetry. A modern genre Prose Poetry is also considered. A. LYRIC POETRY is the “utterance of the human heart ia Poetic form. Holman and Harmon describe a lyric poem as "brief and subjective, marked by imagination, melody and emotion, and creating a single unified expression’. In earlier times, lyric pocms Were meant to be sung to the accompaniment of a musical instrument Known as the lyre. (This older meaning has been retained in referring to the words of a song as its "lyries”) for gevTIC Poetry has been a popular form used by world posts ousandls of years up to the present. Generally, ite subjects ger MOMs dwell on love (especially romantic love), death and eictrer uMlous and patriotic feelings, the beauly and love of caviar He Past, the world of faney and Imagination, the ind inany more. Because it is subjective, it is not only the expression Pression of the poet's feelings, but also of his thoughts. 9 Lyric poetry includes a great variety of verse types: the simple lyrte, the song, the sonnet, the elegy, the ode, the hymn, the ballade, the rondel, and the rondeau, The following are the more popular types: 1. The Simple Lyric. This classification includes all those lyrical poems that do not properly belong under any of the other types of Iyries. It embraces a wide variely of poems, with even a wider variety of subjects, and is characterized by subjectivity, Imagination, melody, and emotion. 2. The Song. This is a short lyric pocm which has a particularly melodious quality and is intended primarily to be ‘sung, or can casily be set to music. It is said to be the most spontaneous lyric form. The song, whose history can be traced to the ancient past, can be either Sacred or religious and secular. Sacred songs Include /ymns, anthems, and oratortos. Secular songs deals with different ‘themes and emotions, including present-day protest. 3. The Sonnet. This is a lyric of 14 lines with a formal rhyme scheme or pattern. This verse form was devised in Italy in the 1220's and Francesco Petrarca was the first important poet to popularize and perfect it. In the sixteenth century, Sir Thomas Wyatt and the Earl of Surrey popularized it in England. By tradition, the lines are in iambic pentameter, but the rhyme scheme determines the sonnet type, of which there are three: a. The Italian or Petrarchan Sonnet named after the Italian poet Francesco Petrarch who perfected it. It consists of an octave (eight lines) which develops the theme, followed by a sextet (six lines) which recapilulates the Idea. The octave has a rhyme scheme of abba abba and the sextet, cde cde or cdeded, or some other combination. b. The English, Elizabethan or Shakespearean Sonnet named after William Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth I. It is divided into three quatrains (four lines) plus a couplet (two lines) with a rhyme scheme of abab cded efef gg. The idea is developed in the three quatrains, and is summarized and reinforced in the closing couplet. c. The Spenserian Sonnet named after the English poet Edmund Spenser. It is divided, like the Shakespearean sonnet, 10 info three quatrains and a closing couplet with a, rp of abab bebe cded ee. IYI sete Tie 4. The Elegy: This is a lament or an ¢ mourning for the dead. It may voice the personal mcss!on author over the loss-of a loved one, or it may be a ch or int death in general. By its very nature, the pocm’s moog 4"! and sorrowful, yet It usually contains suggestions of ie Solem faith to allay the sorrow. Pe ang ion og 5. The Ode. The most majestic type of lyri a Iycie exalted in tone and expresses lolly praise for sone poet weno Idea, Since it projects deep feelings, what It says ios It is elaborately designed and i ti ly designed and is formal in structure The ode is an old form dating back to ancient Gr the poet Pindar perfected it. The original Plieianc eu Performed by a chorus, and was made up of a sirophe, sung ae the chorus moved to one side of the stage, the nasties ‘ential in structure tothe stropie, and sug as the clone ee Back to its original position; and’ the epode, with a diferent uucture, and sting while the chorus stood stil. or ui et: Poets have usd ler te regular verse pate indarle ode, or modified I ein freedom in the use of structure. ena er, le B. = coi hARRATIVE POETRY tells a story, following a chronology fale the metecipltionally divided into the ballad, the metrical end of the Toga, romance, and the eple. However, towards the Boets felt fee to aay used with a spirit of individualism, Thus there sre © TEvise oF modify these narrative poetic forms, be readily cineeingy ea umber of narrative poems that may not Within wiget the conventional types, untess they are dened scope of the metrical tale. Some 1. The pee cae: ee ballad 4s @ short simple narrative pocm fee Gece se. altered as it was orally transmitted Seishin a yg fo ch “feadern inonymou he most ular ‘a u for which reason a poem would sometimes have many variations such as the old English ballad Two Sisters, which had twenty-seven. ‘The other kind of ballad is the literary or art ballad which has a known author, and although an imitation of the folk ballad, is written with more artistry, craftsmanship, and sophistication. Also, most of the literary ballads are not meant to be sung. ‘Among the favorite subjects of the ballad are hapless love, domestic tragedy, a cruel family, a humorous incident, a tale of the sea, a historical event, a legendary character, revenge. death, and the supernatural. Sometimes, a series of ballads may deal with Just one character and his adventures. Such a collection is called a ballad cycle. 2. The Metrical Tale. This narrative poem relates real or imaginary events in simple streight forward language. It can choose from a wide range of subjects, characters, lile experiences, ‘emotional situations, and may project a mood that is serious or light. It is similar to the ballad, although usualiyjonger. has a well-developed plot and uses characterization and setting to a fuller extent, While the ballad’s story develops in a spirited way, the metrical tale unfolds evenly and is usually concerned with ordinary events. 3. The Metrical Romance. This is a long rambling love story in verse revolving around the adventures of knights and lords and their highborn ladies during the age of chivalry. Heavily flavored with romance, fantastic events, supernatural ‘occurrences, magic, and the ideals of the medieval period such as honor, truth, courage, justice, and reverence for woman, the story Is often rich in allegory and permits a great play of fancy and the conflict between the forces of good and of evil. Like the ballad, there are old traditional metrical romances without a known author centeritjg on King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, Robin Hood and his merry men, and Charlemagne and his warriors. There are also modern romances such as those written by Sir Waller Scott, Alfred Lord Tennyson. Edmund Spenser, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Keats, and Robert Browning. 12 4, ‘The Epie. The epic is a long, majestic nary, Walch tells of the exploits of a traditional erg Boog development of a nation. "0 and 3s Babette Deutsch in Poetry Handbook: A Dictiona, defines it as ‘a narrative poem, noble in conception a2 Tem which treats ofa series of herole explolts or sigaideant at Ste Usually centers upon the adventures and accomplishmevct" ang hero, such as Odysseus in the Odyssey. ts of, Joseph T. Shipley in his Dictionary of World Literary 7, describes the eple thus: 7Y Terms an epic is a narrative poem large in effect, In the characters, the events, the sciting. The epie scale of being transcends at every point that of ordinary life, Trivial details (c.g., dressing, undressing), presented leisurely and in detail, take on dignity and importance because they make part of an existence ampler than our own. Moreover, the chief character or hero does not ‘ower alone, a solitary mountain in a plain of mediocrity He has fellows of like nature, foemen worthy of his steel. The natural and usual setting for an epic is a time commonly thought of as marked by greatness of achievement: "there were giants in those days.” ceria he Ballad, the epic may be traditional or folk, without certain authorship, or iterary, with a known author. Some of the Getler Known fot epics are Homer's Mad and. Odyssey rom Greece. Beowulf from ancient England, the Mahabharata and Ramayana from India, El Cid from Spain, The Song of Roland from France, the Nlebelungenited from Germany, Some of the mor gil, The Dlotns on pomulat literary epics are the Aeneld of medy of Dante, and Paradise Lost of Milton. an epic should be. For exanne ney SeFVE as models of what Characters te rg, Fo example, the iniroduction of supernatural Homer and lates, eo ie Conspicuous part they were given by Middle Ages, poe al in imitation of Homer. During the eples witoet Mavewe?. writers felt more free to compose their Renaissance and ig Necessarily bound by the classical models. ‘more modern writers have felt freer still, A 13 Both the folk and the literary eple have certain general characteristics: 1. The epic story is broad in scope and theme; Its subject matter Is often a mixture of legend, history, myth, religion and tradition, 2. The action Is grand and on a huge scale, the supernatural clement is highly pronounced, the characters are larger-than-life (gods, deml-gods and highborn mortals). 3. The source of conflict Involves clemental passions. ‘The events center on a prodigious struggle or effort to achieve a great purpose or carry out a great task against powerful forces. 4. The plot consists of numerous episodes and sub-plots peopled by numerous characters, each with his own adventures and story; but all these are held together by a unifying theme. 5. The plot often begins in media res (in the middle or near the end of the action) and the story is completed by a series of flashbacks. This plot as recounted in the epic poem is often Justa portion of a much larger story which Is found In the mythology of the nation 6. Finally, the style is solemn and majestic in keeping with the grandeur of the subject matter In the epic Is found practically all that has been given to a elvilization at that particular stage of development. ©. DRAMATIC POETRY has clen.ents that closely relate it to drama, either because it is written in some kind of dramatic ferm, or uses a dramatic technique. It may also suggest a story: but there Is more emphasis on character rather than on the narrative, Some forms of dramatic poetry are the dramatic monologue, the soltloquy, and the character sketch. 1. The Dramatic Monologue. This is a combination of drama and poctry which presents the speech of a single character "in a specific situation at a critical moment’. The speaker addresses one or more persons who are present and who are listening to the speaker, put remain silent. The speaker's personality and character, his rclationship to others, his sense of values and attitude towards lile are indirectly gleaned from tonal | uM ;, Like the monologue, the Soli 2. Te Soipy a speaker in a poem OF by a characie’ 4 Phat tere fo no ote PFESEDL 10 hear him (ag a ay, except oat pence, of course). Therefore, the yet the the emotions displayed. and the revelations Ms creme, the emotion EWE deep nelghta Ae ‘ter The soliloquy is often used in poetic dramas (9 oy! see miy characterization, and also to inform the audienee about other developments in the play. ‘The Character Sketch. This is a particular ty ited ty Laurence J. Zillman in The Art and Craft of Poet Gnder aramatic poctry. Tt isa poem in which “the write’ concerned less with matters of story, complete or implied, thas he is with arousing sympathy, antagonism, or merely interest fen an individual". The poet serves as observer and commentator ‘The difference between the character sketch and the usual poem written about people, is the “element of suspense, conflict, or tension” incorporated in the former. D. PROSE POETRY. Prose Poetry is defined by Holman and Harmon in A Handbook to Literature as ‘a form of prose with marked (although preferably not too regular) cadence and frequently with extensive use of figurative language and imagery." A prose poem is therefore mainly prose in form but reflecting imaginative, vivifying and enriching features of poctry. It is a modern literary genre developed by American and French Poets, although examples are cited from the Bible and ‘Shakespearean prose dialogue. PROSE Frome a dacourse which uses sentence ich uses sentences usually formin Peragrphe io cxprean cas, falinge and selon eine matter. prose generally concentrates on th ic ‘i neentrates on the famillar and th ordinary. A rigid dividing line in the « 5 y ose D longer eit" dividing line in the contents of poctry and prc nger exists. Prose is mainly Faron mainly concerned with the ordinary, but Sal with subjects such as herolem, beauty. love acl ire ‘spirit which usually find the most elo B poetry. On the ne Hal, ld the moot eloquent expression a poetry 4 ¥ may be inspired by the = many poems by Wordsworth, iter. Carl Sandburg and countless 15. other poets who have sought and discovered beauty and meaning in simple, everyday existence. I. DISTINCTION BETWEEN POETRY AND PROSE: Poetry expresses a strong emotion or a lofy thought in a compressed aiid Intense utterance. Prose is generally concerned Sin" the presentation of an lea, concept or point cf view in a Thore ordinary and Ielsurly manner, The main purpose of poetry eit provide pleasure and delight; that of prose, to fernish inrormation, instruction or enlightenment, The two objectives of instruction and pleasure would be found in a single work: but in general the appeal of prose Is primarily to the intellect that of Eretry to the emotion and the Imagination Poetry may or may not use rhyme, as ordinarily it does not in blank and free verse. Prose does not make use of rhyme at all Prose possesses rhythm, but it is not as marked and regular as in poetry. Both prose and poetry can stir the emotion as well as the intellect. Both can convey information as well as pleasure. I, DIVISIONS OF PROSE. Prose is usually divided into fletion and non-fletion. A. FICTION. Fiction has been defined as ‘a series of facts which illustrates truths about human life." It is imagine misleading to oppose fiction to truth and to call it false or untrue, Rather, fiction is opposed to the actual and to the historically true. It is not contrary to truth at all. Incidents that have not happened in real life, characters that may not actually have existed, could be created by fiction to illustrate what may and can happen, as long as the laws of probability and necessity are not violated. Fiction does not deal with what has happened. but with What could happen within the scope of the possible and the probable. In this way, fiction extends our view and awareness of the different phases of life, of the various types and manifestations of human character and personality, of the complex motives and impulses behind human behavior. ne principal types of fiction are the short story and the now 1. The Short Story. The short story is a brief, artistic form of prose fiction which is centered on a single main incident and is intended to produce a single dominant impression. Such an St ie 16 . be one of sadness, surprise, sympathy, Ingenio ay 9 pn A oy Shuegeterize the short story: Thus,it has a definite time ¢™Phagi, ara cre development of the StOFy OCCUTS Within a qat” Plage setting. ually at one place. Only the essentiaty & to hours, us Stxion are narrated and are so compressed as {0 alloy. the a a: ‘ F Sn a alo ct oS and indispensable are included in the narration, mptage ine, is conspicuously placed on the essential qeia pts, Gente time and. place selling for characters and a’ developed central ation, leading (0 definite outcome exeenty the ease of the problematic ending as in The Lady or the Treg! ‘an apt illustration is Later by Michael Foster, which has only important characters, a definite background and a limited’ i2° for its. setting The narrative flows smoothly from the. ya exposition fo te development of ation and the dramatic ending The short story may emphasize plot as in the stories of 0, Henry and Guy de Maupassant. The chief source of interest Is the unfelding of the plot, the development of action through complication which leads to the resolution. On the other hand, a short story may prominently portray a character whose personality and temperament dominiate and even determine the course of the narrative. The treatment of the story |s psychological, focusing attention on the inner life of the {ndividual, the workings’ of his mind. Markhelm by. RL. Stevenson illustrates this type. The narrative Is centered in the indecision and hesitation of Markhelm, the turmoil in his mind Rich fnally leads toa dramatic denouement. The main purpose Behind this use of emphasis is the analysis and revelation of vacter, since the scope of the short story docs not afford the Spportunity for developing character. reco fo the emphasis on action and character, a third So 5 emis on sting Tie far ny cera at 8, does hah ges" peainene cet coer usually Includes ‘superficial elements of setting. dialeet, customs 28 decoration: “UMOM®. not as a basle element of the story bal 2h fourth element that a short stor theme, which haw bent ry may emphasize Is the aptly described as a significant truth 7 about life and human nature which is illustrated in the actions, preoccupations and decisions of the fictitious characters. It is this use of theme, which lends meaning and significance to the wriler’s interpretation of life. Hemingway's The Short Happy Lye of Pranels Macomber is a clear illustration, ‘The short story has long remained the favorite type or form of literature in modern times, specia::’ with people affected by the accelerated tempo of living This fact accounts for the tendency among writers to further shorten and compress this short form of narrative into the short short story and even the minute-short story. 2. The Novel. The novel is an extensive prose narrative. ‘The modern novel is a type of fiction which is rather clastic in form. Its length ranges from the barely onc hundred pages of a stream-of-consciousness novel like Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Daloway to the epical novel like War and Peace by Tolstoy. Far from sticking to the original aim of narrating a lengthy story, the novel has expanded its scope to include a variely of iypes and objectives. OF the laticr, these are the aims to recapture the past ina historical novel, to discuss ideas, to propose theories, etc. The length of a novel permits a greater number and variety of characters, a more complicated plot, a more claborate use of setting, a greater complexity of theme than the short story. The novel has the opportunity for character development which the limited scope of the short story cannot afford. The novel is capable of revealing both a broader and decper view of human. nature and human experience, The breadth of a novel requires a skillful organization of its materials into an artistic unity. An organic plot structure in which incidents are casually related (that Is, by cause and effect), a central character on whom the action is centered, a. single Predominant theme or a definite setting in which the most significant actions take place are devices for unifying the diverse elements in a novel, The novel admits of many bases for classifications: a. The novelist's vision of life. This involves his attitude towards experience which may be romantic, realistic. naturalistic, etc, 8 1) Romantic fiction. The romanti a place, the adventurous ani™, remote in time ab the dashing in the case of charne’ting' crs, S fetion, the heroie and dashing 1) ("case of interpretation of life is optl usually lade ‘or a happy ending, istic preference is (2) Realistic fiction. Realistic fiction familiar and commonplace in setting, characters’ wer® the Boinary men and women like those whom We meet daily {pa Steording to theme and other features, they may rise to the at tion itself is limited to facts of daily experiaa! ce of heroism. The act Ghich are observed thoroughly and recorded faithfully as" in Sinclair Lewis, Main Street. novel is exaggerated and extreme realism dominated ei Serene ce eee ee ona sk aan a a ee at einen oe Hemingway. ». The writer's choice of materials. This may be historical, psychological, social, etc. chooses an {i {Ime hstorieal novel. The historical novel ‘chooses an age of era in the past. It recaptures the spirit and almosphere of that period and chooses historical events and haraciers to give authentilty to the narration. But the novelist gully creates characters and situations of his own devising to ae a clactnaat objectives: Examples of the histarical nove Paint ale hd Be ane dean iescesegia Psychological novel. The psychological te spneanafers ils setting from the outside world to the mind and mes nacriat Me of the individual, Tt focuses is Insights on the Incl ace, Yaetings and impulses of the characters sa ial action is considered only for its Impact on the character aid their subsequent reactions. The seam of consctousness 1s plied 10 the method of externalizing the thoughts, 19 pt rent lla oe opt srs tas plies ch apna eee one = fn cave oa ca eo coe oe Ge a ee eaten a aera sin ie a eesti cea Tg feiss eerie Gate orn c. The structure of the novel. According to structure, the novel may be panoramic or dramatic. (2) The panoramic novel. The panoramic novel usually follows a linear development of a loosely constructed plot and portrays a broad scction of life, It gives relatively tittle importance (o character and action as motivating forces, hence they do not greatly influence the leisurely development of the narrative. The chronicle novel is of this type. Willa Cather’s Death Comes for the Archbishop Is often placed in this category. (2) The dramatic novel. The dramatic novel emphasizes the interaction of character and action. As Henry James, the distinguished novelist who formulated theories of modern fiction, asked in The Art of Fiction "What is character but the determination of incident? What is incident but the illustration of character?" This type employs the principle of causalily in the unfolding of plot, in the relationship of character and action, in the influence of environment and heredity both in tion to action. Some of the the growth of character and ils rclal world’s greatest novels belong to this category. Examples are War and Peace by Tolstoy; The Red and the Black by Stendahl; The ‘Magtc Mountain by Thomas Mann. ignificant clement in fiction ts angle or vantage point terials. It is THE POINT OF VIEW. A s known as the potnt of vfew which is the from which the writer views and interprets his oflen divided into the (nternal and the external 20 .f View is used when thy 1. The Internal Point o! inca ennely involved inthe story, that is, when the important ef oceans involve him dircelly. This narrative becomes fet Seer story with the principal character narrating peat. Perettenees, There are several modifeations ofthis point greta a. The narrator Is himself he Protagonist oF py important character. b. The story Is told by a minor character who supposed to be present at the time of the important incidents, c. Several characters may narrate the story from a so-called composite point of view. The reader is given comprehensive view of the different aspects of the action and the different angles from which the plot develops. 2. The External Point of View is usually termed omniscient, 1K reveals characters, events and setting from the vantage point of an all-knowing but detached observer. He has a superior mind which not only perceives, hears, and understands everything but can also interpret them unerringly. Both points of view have strong as well as weak as weak points. In the story using the Internal point of view, the plot may emphases unusual, strange or even supernatural evens, but the reader may Be more inclined to blew the story Ifthe person concerned Ie tar Nina Te rare otros gain reli. tha is the slory aequires vividness and sympathy, by being tld at fst ‘hand bythe petson invalied. also fioiches the lcwelopment of plot a simple coherence since the" cn unifies and binds the incidents narrated. Salty SMP ae i pe ied aniacee are obvious: the narrator can express Cann etQughts, not those of others. Selfanalysis is limited. He him, Selfcharscus eet 0oks to others or how they feel towards aoe ion does not allow the first-person narrator imself as heroic or good-looking, The disadvantage i te lack of lume an il mniscent) pont of view the stony, THe gSetESS and therefore vividness in the telling of ney ts partly compensated for by limiting other characters sce ine plot Of action. Henry gai Plot development and the interpretation ofien makes use of this devise, For aa ‘example, in The Ambassadors, the reader sees the action and the Other characters through the eyes of Strethers. B, NON-FICTION 1. The Essay. In gencral, the essay is a prose composition of moderate length, usually expository in nature, which aims to Explain or elucidate an idea, a thcory, an impression or a point of view. In the process, it may empioy narrative and descriptive Clements to serves ‘ils objectives, but its main purpose is expository. ‘The essay Is conveniently classi and informal (personal or familiar). das formal (Impersonal) a. The Formal Essay deals with a serious and important topic, usually derived from philosophy, theology, science, politics, morality etc, It Is authoritative and scholarly in treatment, and reveals the writer's mastery of his subject. Ils interest is in the intellectual, The tone is objective and impersonal. The style is clear and straightforward. Its main purpose is to teach or to Instruct. b. The Informal or Familiar Essay may deal with any subject, even the commonplace and ordinary, which it raises to the level of the literary through technique and style. Hence, where the formal is objective, the familiar is subjective in the handling of the topic. The main source of interest is the personality of the author revealed in the style and the treatment of his subject. Most successful familiar essayists posses a charming, interesting, distinctive personality. Familiar examples are Montaigne, Charles Lamb, Chesterton and Christopher Morley. The main interest of this essay is in the imaginative. The primary purpose of the familiar essay is to entertain and amuse; therefore, its tone is light, friendly, offen humorous like that of a person talking among friends, sure of (heir interest and affection, ‘The essay may have other forms. The critical essay secks to analyze and evaluate a literary work or any other work of art. The biographical essay deals with a person's life and achievement. ‘This essay ranges from a mere character sketch to a lengthy, detailed account of a person's experience: his growth from youth to maturity. It includes the forces which have shaped his character and personality, his impact on his fellowmen, An essay os 2 of travel ifort af various exper 1 as well as entertains by its person, erlences in a given place and time, P {reattnen, 2. The Oration. Oflen contrasted 10 the essay structure and purpose, the oration represents anotnes’ 2 te prose. Is language Is carefully chosen to convey ideas cieg™ of forcefully. tis usually inspired by @ significant eyeng"Y &d important issue. Its language Is meticulously chosen tg pp, 2 the desired impact on the audience. The style of the ora ottee its delivery must therefore be eloquent, forceful, ever 1.0 tone. Its purpose isto convince and persuade. Tt is meant expressed orally, not to be merely read. be 3. The Biography. A biography is a record of human i an account, written by someone else, ofan individual's signified experiences, their elects on him, and his personal reacieng an Fesponse to them. John Dryden, who rt used isa teen writing in 1689, defined it as "the history of particular rent lives. In “A Handbook to Literature’, Holman aud Harrion des Diography as “ihe accurate presentation of the life history ten birth to death of an individual, along with an honest eto lolerpret the life so as to offer a unified expression of tte character, mind, and personality ofthe subject”

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