MODULE 3 – LITERARY STANDARDS

Learning Objectives
At the end of the lesson, the student shall be able to:
1. Identify and define the seven (7) literary standards
2. Demonstrate the ability to evaluate literary works based
on the standards
3. Explain the importance of each standard
4. Apply the literary standards in studying different literary
works

Introduction:
Studying different forms and genres of literature is often based on a person’s
evaluative criteria. It is based on this set of evaluative criteria that we choose, study,
and appreciate specific literary works especially during our leisure time. The choices
we make based on these given criteria eventually determine our choice in studying
different literary works that help us mold our character.
Reflective Questions:
 Why do we need to study literature?
 What are the certain qualities of literature that make it stand above the rest?
 What do we gain by studying classic literary works?

The definition of a classic piece of literature can be a hotly debated topic; you
may receive a wide range of answers depending on the experience of the person you
question on the topic. However, there are some tenets that the classics, in the
context of books and literature, all have in common. These qualities of classic
literature make them appropriate for study. (Esther Lombardi, 2019)
We also call these qualities as literary standards.
Input

The seven literary standards are: artistry, suggestiveness, intellectual

value, spiritual value, permanence, universality and style. These are a set of
characteristics to determine whether or not a work is literary. The criteria were
developed by writer William J. Long in his textbook "English Literature: Its History and
Its Significance for the Life of the English-speaking World."
1. Universality
– Literature appeals to everyone, regardless of culture, race, gender, and times
which are all considered significant.
When a theme is relatable by a wide range of readers, we call this a universal
theme. These are themes that many people can relate to for a number of reasons,
whether it's because they incorporate common life experiences or are simply
concepts of human nature that most readers can understand. Universal themes allow
readers to connect to the story emotionally.
Some of the more common universal themes found in literature include
individual struggle towards a personal goal, a person's struggle with humanity,
falling in love, life cycles, karma, coping with tragedy, adolescence and
discovering the world around us. These are universally understood by a majority
of readers due to how easily they can be applied to their own lives.
2. Artistry
– Literature has an aesthetic appeal and thus possesses a sense of beauty.
It must be of high artistic quality, at least for the time in which it was written.
Although different styles will come and go, a classic can be appreciated for its
construction and literary art. It may not be a bestseller today due to pacing and dated
language, but you can learn from it and be inspired by its prose.
3. Intellectual Value
– Literature stimulates critical thinking that enriches mental processes of abstract and
reasoning, making man realize the fundamental truths of life and its nature.
4. Suggestiveness
– Literature unravels and conjures man’s emotional power to define symbolisms,
nuances, implied meanings, images and messages, giving and evoking visions
above and beyond the plane of ordinary life and experience.
5. Spiritual Value
– Literature elevates the spirit and the soul and this has the power to motivate and
inspire, drawn from the suggested morals or lessons of the different literary genres.
6. Permanence
– Literature endures across time and draws out the time factor: timeliness, occurring
at a particular time, and timelessness, remaining invariable throughout time.

In classic literature, a work is usually considered to be a representation of the

period in which it was written—and it merits lasting recognition. In other words, if the
book was published in the recent past, it is not a classic; while the term "modern
classic" may apply to books written after World War II, they need longevity to achieve
the designation of a simple "classic." A book of recent vintage that is of high quality,
acclaim, and influence needs a few generations to determine whether it deserves to
be called a classic.
7. Style
– Literature presents peculiar way/s on how man sees life as evidenced by the
formation of his ideas, forms, structures, and expressions which are marked by their
memorable substances.
In literature, style is the way in which an author writes and/or tells a story. It’s
what sets one author apart from another and creates the “voice” that audiences hear
when they read. There are many important pieces that together make up a writer’s
style; like tone, word choice, grammar, language, descriptive technique, and so on.
Style is also what determines the mood of a piece of literature.
Truthfully, style can be hard to define because it varies so much from each piece of
literature to the next. Two authors can write about the exact same thing, and yet the
styles of the pieces could be nothing like each other because they would reflect the
way each author writes. An author’s style might even change with each piece he
writes. When it comes to style, what comes easy for one author might not work for
another; what fits one genre may not fit for others at all; what thrills one group of
readers may bore another. A reader might love a certain genre or subject, but dislike
an author’s style, and vice versa. In fact, it’s not unusual to hear people say about a
novel or a movie, “it was a good story, but I didn’t like the style.”
Rather than merely sharing information, style lets an author share his content
in the way that he wants. For example, say an author needs to describe a situation
where he witnessed a girl picking a flower:
1. She picked a red rose from the ground.
2. Scarlet was the rose that she plucked from the earth.
3. From the ground she delicately plucked the ruby rose, cradling it in her hands as
if it were a priceless jewel.
As you can see, there are many ways to share the same basic information. An
author can give a short and simple sentence, like #1. Or, he could use more
descriptive words and a poetic sentence structure, like in #2, with phrases like
“scarlet was the rose” instead of “the rose was red.” Finally, an author could
use imagery to paint a picture for the audience and add feeling to the sentence, like
in #3.

Here are some key parts that work together to make up a piece of literature’s
style:
 Diction: the style of the author’s word choice
 Sentence structure: the way words are arranged in a sentence
 Tone: the mood of the story; the feeling or attitude a work creates
 Narrator: the person telling the story and the point-of-view it is told in
 Grammar and the use of punctuation
 Creative devices like symbolism, allegory, metaphor, rhyme, and so on
A particular literary piece must possess these seven literary standards in order
To be called an epitome of artwork capable of enduring the inexorable gusty tides of
alteration. To criticize it is to consider the seven literary standards. Be critical. Ask
yourself once in a while:
 Does it move you?
 Does it tickle your imaginations?
 What does it suggest?
 What moral lessons can be drawn out?
 Would it still be read and make a good reference hundreds of years from now?
 Does it possess multifaceted natures for all sorts of audience?
 Does the style fascinate you? Is the style used unique or forgery?