Lesson 5: Writing a Close Analysis and Critical Interpretation of
Literary Texts Applying a Reading Approach
Reading Approach:
Teachers use the reading approach as one of the methods in teaching
English. This approach is one way of solving students’ reading problems. Students
are demanded to read more to improve their knowledge and get new ideas.
Inferencing, guessing, and predicting are important skills developed in reading. By
reading, students will know about the difference of culture by reading across cultural
understanding, and they will learn how to pronounce the words correctly. In the
reading approach, students are expected to improve their English skills.
Reading Approaches
1. Skimming:
In skimming, the main idea of a text is quickly identified. The goal is to
read shorter texts to extract accurate detailed information. Skimming is done at a
speed three to four times faster than regular reading. People often skim when
they have lots of material to read in a limited amount of time. Some students will
read the first and last paragraphs using headings, summarizes and other organizers
as they move down the page or screen. Some might also read the title, subtitles,
subheadings, and illustrations. Other people consider reading the first sentence of
each paragraph. Skimming works well to find dates, names, and places. It might be
used to review graphs, tables, and charts. This technique is useful when you are
seeking specific information rather than reading for comprehension.
2. Scanning:
Scanning is quickly reading a text to get the summary of it. It is a
technique wherein students search for keywords or ideas. Scanning involves
moving eyes quickly down the page seeking specific words and phrases. Scanning
is also used for the reader to find answers to questions. Once a student scans the
document, they will go back and skim it.
3. Extensive reading:
Extensive Reading is an approach to language learning, including foreign
language learning, by means of a large amount of reading. The reader’s view and
review of unfamiliar words in a specific context will allow the reader to infer
the word’s meaning, to learn unknown words. Extensive Reading is the free
reading of books and other written material that is not too difficult for readers.
Extensive Reading is sometimes called Free Voluntary Reading.
Lesson 6: Asian and North American Literature
Asian Literature, Defined
Asian literature is diverse in that it showcases a selection of styles
and themes, but as it progressed over time, common ideas have been
identified between the texts from the various regions of the Asian continent.
Perhaps the most similar trait of all Asian texts is their religiosity and
spirituality. Asian literature is known to be a philosophical and contemplative art,
pondering on major matters in life such as our origins and our death: where we
come from and where we go, how we come alive and how we die, as well as how
we should live in between.
Related to the spiritual feature, the involvement of nature is evident.
Besides these, Asian literature greatly talks about race, injustice, power,
nationalism, struggles, love—and in all things at all times, there are morals to be
learned.
The most common styles in this type of literature are poetry or verse and
dramatic prose. Asian poetry is typically lyrical, as in it deals with the grand scheme
of emotions. A sub-type of lyrical poetry is the ode, which we can see in some
religious texts. Asian poetry is also usually formed in narratives or story-telling
verses like epics. As for the process of Asia, there are collections of short stories,
legends, orally transmitted sayings, and dramas.
Importance of Asian Literature
The historical experiences of people in Asia have been interwoven for
centuries if not millennia, owing to their close and vast geography as well as years
of trade and conquests.
Naturally, while each Asian country has a unique literary style, their
literature also reflects the similarities in their customs and traditions, struggles and
successes, even their philosophies in life, giving the rest of the world a better
understanding of Asian culture.
This is hugely important especially to Western people in the past since
they did not know a lot of Asia, much less its people’s ways of living, due to both
their geographic and cultural distances.
The differences between Western and Eastern culture manifests even
until today. However, Asian literature brings their people’s lives straight from reality
to the pages that then take their stories into the hearts of others worldwide, where
they somehow find a common ground of shared experiences. Asian literature goes
to show that despite the distance and differences, we are all connected through the
tales that we have in common with each other.
Not only does Asian literature give us an original and fresh take on
people’s experiences, but it also contributes to our collective perception of life
through the morals and philosophies that their literary pieces embody. One
Thousand and One Nights, a collection of Arabian folk tales, is the epitome of the
value-centered pieces of Asian literature. In its hundreds of stories, just as many
moral lessons can be gleaned. To name a few, Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp teaches
us the meaning of identity and how it is based on merit, not wealth; Ali Baba and the
Forty Thieves characterizes loyalty, honesty, and generosity; The Tale of the
Hunchback calls out to the persistence of truth and our conscience.
Asian literature has also aided the spread of Asian spirituality, heightening
the major religions that we know and are a part of until today—all of which started in
the continent itself: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam having originated from West
Asia, Hinduism and Buddhism from the South, and Confucianism and Taoism from
the East. Examples of literary texts that support religions range from the Tao Te
Ching that exemplifies Taoism, the Analects that epitomizes Confucianism, to the
Sanskrit epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata that are important to Hinduism,
amongst many others that knit the patchwork of Asian religions.
Asian literature has impacted our lives, whether we know it or not. It is
there in the way that we view certain aspects of life—such as struggles, injustices,
death—, and it is there in the way that we treat life itself. Throughout the years and
until today, all over the world, Asian literature has helped shape our ideals and
lifestyles. It is only right that we trace the origins of such a powerful medium that has
moved our minds.
Development of Asian Literature
In the general sense of literature, the oldest known written piece is the
Epic of Gilgamesh. This in fact originated in Asia, particularly in ancient
Mesopotamia, which is now found in the Western region of the continent. The Kesh
Temple Hymn and the Instructions of Shuruppak are two other examples of the
earliest written literature that came from Mesopotamia, brought about by their
development of writing at around 3400 BC.
From these earliest writings, we can already see Asian literature taking
shape. Its defining traits have been present as early as in the first recorded literary
pieces. For instance, the Epic of Gilgamesh embodies the narrative feature of Asian
literature; it is a tale that explores the notions of life and death, love and loss, all of
which are prevalent themes in Asian literature. The Kesh Temple Hymn is an
ancient manifestation of the Asian literature’s lyrical nature, as it is an ode to the
deities of Kesh Temple. Even the Instructions of Shuruppak represents Asian
literature in its wisdom literature style that contemplates and gives advice.
As civilizations grew and developed—in the whole world and within Asia—, so have
literature.
In Asia, literary pieces developed according to its various regions. And
while every country in these regions has their own unique style and story to offer,
there are major advancements in Asian literature that represent the continent.
Typically, researchers of literature classify Asian literary artworks into only three
categories despite the many regions; we have Chinese, Japanese, and Indian
literature to characterize the growth of Asian literature because they are the ones
with withstanding influence and recognition.
North American Literature
In studying American literature, it is important to understand that after
having been politically and culturally dominated by England, it became necessary
for Americans to develop a means of expression which could reflect American
habits, thoughts and ambition. American society demanded literature expressed in a
new style. American culture offered characteristics which greatly differed from those
of the old cultures of Europe: democracy, the frontier, and a new concept of
humanity. By its very nature, American society lacked a definite structure about
which to write. Search for identity has always been an outstanding trait in
American literature.
It is necessary to remember that the American population has never been
homogeneous, since it is composed of people of European, African, and Asian
ancestry. America has always been a land in which one looked to the future for
fulfillment of his expectations. The emphasis has been upon individualism,
dynamism and innovation, rather than upon moderation or respect for an
established social hierarchy. American literature has always reflected the double
consciousness of its parent cultures and its own youthful ambition. Up to the
first part of the twentieth century, there had been a trend to avoid topics such as the
imperfection of humanity or the nation. The literature reflected the process of
settlement, the conquering of a continent, the growth of political, social and spiritual
ideals.
Although trends do exist, American literature is by no means static. Its
temperament changes from decade to decade and it has been subjected to violent
shocks through war, economic changes and criticism generated by changes in the
intellectual climate. The sentiments of optimism and pessimism mix when America
ideals find themselves contradicted by reality.
 Lesson 7: Literature from Europe, Latin America, and Africa
European Literature
European literature refers to the literature of Europe. It includes literature
in many languages; among the most important of the modern written works are
those in English, Spanish, French, Dutch, Polish, German, Italian, Modern Greek,
Czech and Russian and works by the Scandinavians and Irish. Important classical
and medieval traditions are those in Ancient Greek, Latin, Old Norse, Medieval
French and the Italian Tuscan dialect of the renaissance.
European literature, also known as Western literature, and can also
be defined as the literature written in the context of Western culture in the
languages of Europe, as several geographically or historically related
languages. Diverse as they are, European literatures, like Indo-European
languages, are parts of a common heritage belonging to a race of proud nations
which boast the likes of Homer who wrote Iliad and Odyssey, Virgil who wrote the
Aeneid, Dante who wrote Divine Comedy, Chaucer who wrote Canterbury Tales.
These, and other literary masterpieces form part of what we call as Western Canon.
Latin American Literature
The twentieth century saw an unmatched period of artistic
accomplishment in Latin American literature. Though it is nearly impossible to
choose only a few writers to highlight, the following Latin American authors must be
noted for their contributions to the richness of modern literature and poetry.
In the early portion of the 1900s, poets like Gabriela Mistral, Pablo Neruda
and César Vallejo, as well as Cuban novelist Alejo Carpentier, and Argentine prose
writer Jorge Luis Borges laid the foundation for the Latin American Boom. The Latin
American Boom was a period of literary flourishing in the 1960s and 70s that
brought much of the area’s literature to an international audience. Famous Boom
authors include Julio Cortázar, Carlos Fuentes, Octavio Paz, Mario Vargas Llosa,
and Gabriel García Márquez.
Moreover, Latin American writers like García Márquez, Mistral, Vargas
Llosa, Paz, and Neruda) have won the Nobel Prize. They are among the fortunate
international authors who no doubt signify legions of worthy Latin Americans waiting
for an audience. The region's literature is often associated solely with this style, with
the 20th Century literary movement known as Latin American Boom, and with its
most famous exponent, Gabriel García Márquez. Latin American literature has a
rich and complex tradition of literary production that dates back many
centuries.
21st Century Canon of African Literature
African literature of the 21st century is defined by their long history of
colonization, to gaining independence and now, the rise of present-day
globalization. When one is studying African literature, one can’t get away without
studying the works of South African writer Nadine Gordimer. She is a contemporary
novelist known for July’s People and Burgher’s Daughter.
Aside from Gordimer is Chinua Achebe whose works also represents
African literature to world literature. He is best known for his novel Things Fall Apart.
The novel deals about how African countries are a product of colonization.
Many contemporary artists describe modern African literature as
“astonishing and vibrant body of work, produced in multiple languages and
from every part of the continent, including memoir, oral literature, poetry,
short fiction, novels and more.”
Lesson 8: 21st Century Literary Genres Across the Globe
Modern literary genres gain popularity due to the advent of
technologies such as the internet and other virtual media which become the
major platforms of most modern literary texts like graphic and flash fictions.
Graphic fiction and flash fiction are two different genres of modern literature.
Graphic fiction or a graphic novel is a comic book narrative that is
equivalent in form and dimension to the prose novel (Campbell 200, 81). The
pictures are arranged sequenced in image panels and dialogues are written in
speech bubbles. The illustrations allow the readers to imagine and experience the
characters and events in the story.
Here are some of the features of graphic fiction or graphic novels
according to Singh (2012).
1. Autographic forms are the marks of author’s handwriting which creates
an impact that the whole novel is a manuscript and thus provides a sense of
intimacy.
2. Graphic novels encourage interactivity in the minds of the reader as he
fills in the blank image panels.
3. Filling in the blanks between image panels makes the reader imagine
the actions portrayed in the story.
4. The language, syntax, and meaning of a graphic novel spring primarily
through the relationship between images rather than words.
5. Graphic fiction combines book and screen.
Some of the examples of graphic novels are the following:
1. “In the Shadow of No Towers: 9/11” by Art Spielgelman in 2004 which
tells the story about the terrorist attack on September 11, in America. This also
depicts the traumatic and tragic experience of American people during the 9/11
terrorist attack.
2. “The Barn Owl’s Wondrous Capers” by Sarnath Banerjee in 2009
portrays 18th Century Calcutta exploiting the myth of the “Wandering Jew.”
3. “Louis Riel” by Chester Brown in 2003 is a fictionalized violent rebellion
in the 19th Century on the Canadian prairie led by Riel.
Flash fiction is imaginative literature of extreme brevity. It could
range from a word to a thousand (Gacusan 2018). It is known for micro
stories, postcard fiction, nanotales and short shorts.
According to Sustana (2020), most of the flash fictions have these
common characteristics.
1. Brevity. Flash fiction presents the story with the fewest words
possible.
2. Complete plot. Flash fiction emphasizes the development of plot. It
has a beginning, middle, and ending of the story.
3. Surprising ending. The successful hallmark of a flash fiction is its
twist at the end of the story.
Here are some of the flash fictions:
1. “Angels and Blueberries” by Tara Campbell is a story of various
explanations for the color of the sky that involves angels and blueberries. First line:
“Why is the sky blue?” you ask. Well, it all depends on who’s answering.
2. “Taylor Swift” by Hugh Behm-Steinberg tells a weird story of how
anyone can order a perfectly clone of Taylor Swift at his doorsteps. First line: “You’re
in love; it’s great, you swipe on your phone and order: the next day a Taylor Swift
clone shows up at your house.”
3. “Unnecessary Things” by Tatyana Tolstaya is a story of finding an old
and torn teddy bear, “unnecessary things” (items that do not serve any useful
purpose), that she adored as a child.
First line: This Teddy bear once had amber eyes made from special glass- each one
had a pupil and an iris. The bear itself was gray and stiff, with wiry fur. I adored him.
Lesson 9: Self- and/or Peer-Assessment of the Creative
Adaptation of a Literary Text
Importance of Peer and Self-Assessment
As a student, it is important that one must know how to do peer and self
assessment. Here are the reasons according to the University of Reading:
1. It encourages you to take responsibility for your learning by encouraging
engagement with assessment criteria and reflection of your own performance and
that of your peers. Through this, you can learn from your previous mistakes, identify
your strengths and weaknesses and learn to target your learning accordingly.
2. It makes you more active in your learning which in this way, it can help to change
the perception that learning is a passive process whereby students simply listen and
absorb information for the sake of compliance. In this way, students are more likely
to engage with their learning as participants instead of just spectators.
3. It enables you to better understand assessment expectations and work towards
improving your own performance. Getting yourself more actively involved in your
assessment can make assessment itself a means by which you can develop.
Thus, Peer and Self-assessment are important to learn for a student like
you, and in order to achieve this, it is essential that your assessment criteria are
clear and fully described through the help of your teacher. Taking this step further
and allowing you to contribute to the assessment criteria can serve to transfer
ownership, fostering deeper engagement with the assessment and learning.
Literary Text Adaptation
Literary adaptation is a process of adapting a literary source (e.g. a
novel, short story, and poem) to another genre or medium such as a film,
stage play, or video game. It involves adapting the same literary work in the
same genre or medium just for different purposes, e.g. to work with a smaller
cast, in a smaller venue (or on the road), or for a different demographic group (such
as adapting a story for children).
Personally, a good example of this is the “Hana Yori Dango” a manga
series written by Yoko Kamio. It was set in Tokyo, Japan, and told the story of a
middle class teenage girl named Makino Tsukushi who starts attending a prestigious
high school called Eitoku Academy. The school is *ruled* by F4 (aka Flower Four), a
group of hot guys from the country's richest families! The group's leader Domyouji
Tsukasa bullies her and later develops feelings for her, but Tsukushi falls for his BFF
Hanazawa Rui instead. The rest of the F4 members are named Nishikado Sojirou
and Mimasaka Akira. As the years have gone by, several adaptations were made for
this manga. The following are its adaptations:
What do we want in a literary adaptation?
According to Watts (2020) in the article entitled “What do we want in a
literary adaptation?”, there is complexity and difficulty to commit as regards to
determining: What makes a good adaptation? Which matters more: the quality of the
film itself, or how “accurate” it is to the book it’s based on?
Literary text and literary adaptation are different art forms such as in
the case for instance between novels and films. Instead, she noticed four
different types or “levels” of adaptation. Each has varying degrees of adherence to
their source material.
1. The “Museum” adaptation. This type is concerned with preserving every
possible detail of the book exactly how it exists in the book, just transferred to the
film as a medium.
2. The Artful adaptation. It is concerned with finding balance between being true to
its own as a work of art. Accordingly, it is like a conversation between the book and
audience. Rather than preserving every detail like a museum, an Artful Adaptation
finds the essential elements of the book and interprets them in ways that are
meaningful for the audience.
3. The Loose Adaptation. This type is concerned about keeping a few elements or
some semblance of the premise of the book it’s based on, but then more or less
does its own thing with them. Often, this type of adaptation is discussed in negative
terms, as if its lack of exact similarity to its source material is somehow a failure.
4. The Transformative Adaptation. This type of adaptation seeks to highlight the
timelessness and universality of their source works’ messages and themes.