I.

Art of Literature

Literature
 any written work that deals with man and his experiences expressed in artistic, imaginative, creative,
and meaningful languages which arouses a noble feeling of pleasure in its interpretation and
commentary on man’s fate and destiny.
 Literature is an essential part of history. It tells us something about our past and our present. It has
been used to inform what is happening in the country and the world. It is also use for entertainment, to
instruct and improve the readers.
 a body of written works.
 The name has traditionally been applied to those imaginative works of poetry and prose distinguished
by the intentions of their authors and the perceived aesthetic excellence of their execution.
 Literature may be classified according to a variety of systems, including language, national origin,
historical period, genre, and subject matter.
 To use the word writing when describing literature is itself misleading, for one may speak of “oral
literature” or “the literature of preliterate peoples.”
 The art of literature is not reducible to the words on the page; they are there solely because of the craft
of writing. As an art, literature might be described as the organization of words to give pleasure.
 Yet through words literature elevates and transforms experience beyond “mere” pleasure. Literature
also functions more broadly in society as a means of both criticizing and affirming cultural values.
 Literature is a form of human expression. But not everything expressed in words – even when
organized and written down – is counted as literature.
 Those writings that are primarily informative – technical, scholarly, journalistic – would be excluded
from the rank of literature by most, though not all, critics.
 Certain forms of writing, however, are universally regarded as belonging to literature as an art.
Individual attempts within these forms are said to succeed if they possess something called artistic
merit and to fail if they do not.

Functions and Importance of Literature

 One of the chief purposes of literature is a means of exploring what it is to be human. It is also a way of
communicating with others about a huge range of ideas and concerns. Put simply, literature helps us to
understand people, societies, events, culture.
 Literature has no official “purpose”, but literature has uses that go far beyond mere entertainment. At its
best, it illuminates the human condition by doing something that sounds quite impossible—it allows us
to share the thoughts and feelings of other people.
 Literature teaches us about life, it helps us understand our emotions and our values. It lays bare the
basis for human relationships, the complications, the barriers, the ties that bind.
 Literature enriches us, deepening our understanding of others, of the world, of ourselves.
 to enlighten, to protest against something, to challenge, to educate, inform, comfort, confront, express
and even to heal in some cultures. Its purpose is to praise, worship, denounce, enact, document history
and preserve it too.

Types and Elements of Literature

A. Classification
 Fiction - is a work with imagined facts which illustrates a truth about life. It may be broadly
defined as any type of narrative – oral or written, poetic or prose, dramatic, mythic, or folk–that
creates an imaginative rather than a factual reality.
  Non-Fiction -  is a work based entirely on facts and true events.
B. Types
 Prose
- is writing in narrative form with sentences and paragraphs. It uses everyday language.
- there is an effective use of grammar
 Poetry
- is writing in form of lines and stanzas. It has rhyme and rhythm, and melodious tone. Ideas are
expressed in aesthetic and meaningful language. It usually uses figures of speech.

Types of Prose

1. Biography - is a life account of a person written by other people.

2. Autobiography - is an author’s written account of his or her own life
3. Anecdote - is an interesting and amusing story. It is a short, entertaining account of an event or incident. It is usually
based on real life.
4. Essay - literally means “a trial or an attempt.” It is a type of prose literature that deals with one subject and
expresses the author’s personal thoughts and feelings on a subject.
5. Folktale - is a story that usually began from the storytellers of ancient villages. These tales are handed down orally
as part of cultural tradition
6. Legend - is a story about the origin of things. It is a long-told story or a group of related stories about a person or a
place that is popularly believed to have some historical truth
7. Fable - is a narrative that uses animals as characters, giving them human attributes. A distinctive feature of fables is
that they convey a moral truth. They teach virtues and values. 
8. Myth - is a story about gods and goddesses.
9. Short story - is a brief fictional narrative that intends to create a strong and powerful impression on the reader. It is
relatively brief and is intended to be read in one sitting
10. Novel - is a work of fiction that is longer and more complex than a short story. In a novel, the setting, character,
conflict, and plot are developed in detail. Because a novel is long, it allows for more complex plots and, consequently,
subplots also emerge.
Epistolary novel - is a literary work composed of a series of letters, diary entries, newspaper clippings, and
other related documents. The term epistolary refers to the older term for a letter, or epistle
11. Parable - is a story that illustrates a moral, religious, or philosophical lesson. It often suggests ways for proper
action in life.

Types of Prose
I. Narrative Poetry – is an account of events, or simply a story, expressed in poetry.
1. Epic - is an adventure of a hero under supernatural elements. It also reflects the values of a
particular group. It promotes unity in a society. An epic is a long narrative poem or prose work, retelling
important events in the life of a central hero or heroine, who is usually seen as representative of his or
her culture
2. Metrical Tale - is the short story of poetry. It deals with any emotion, told in a straightforward manner.
3. Ballad - a narrative poem that is intended to be sung
⸙ II. Lyric Poetry – refers to short, subjective poems that talk about a single idea or theme and are
intended to arouse feelings and emotions. It often involves a speaker who expresses his/her feelings
and thoughts about a particular emotional experience.
1. Psalm - song praise to God
2. Elegy - a poem expressing melancholy, grief, and death. It is a mournful poem that laments the
death of a loved one.
 3. Haiku - a form of poetry famous in Japan. It is composed of only three lines of seventeen syllables
and is arranged in lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. Japanese haikus are noted for their simplicity and
depth despite the seeming lightness.
4. Ode - a poem praising an object which the writer admires. It is the most elevated and dignified kind
of lyric poetry, was originally a ceremonious poem written to celebrate public occasions or exalted
subject.
5. Sonnet - a poem of 14 iambic pentameter lines. Sonnets have been written in various rhyme
schemes, but the most durable pattern has been the Italian, or Petrarchan, sonnet. It consists of an
octave (8 lines) rhyming abbaabba and a sextet (6 lines) using two or three rhymes in various
combinations
III. Dramatic Poetry – is known as a dramatic poem, is an emotional piece of literature which includes a story
which is recited of sung. It refers to the dramatic genre of poetry.
1. Drama - a type of literature that is meant to be performed before an audience. It is made up of one or
more acts. It refers to actions or deeds as they are performed in a theatrical setting for the benefit of a
body of spectators.
2. Melodrama - a sad drama but has a happy ending. It is a rigidly conventionalized genre of popular
drama, theatrical rather than literary in appeal, characterized by rapid and exciting physical action,
sharply contrasted and simplified characters, and colorful alternation of violence, pathos, and
humor. The central situation in melodrama–victimization of helpless innocence by powerful evil forces–
gives rise to four basic characters:  the hero and the heroine, a comic ally who assists them, and the
villain against whom they are pitted.  Instead of tragic inevitability, melodrama utilizes coincidence and
surprise to keep the action constantly at high tension. Striving for staggering effects and powerful
emotional shocks, melodrama builds to frequent climaxes and favors scenes of confrontation, pursuit,
and escape, ending in striking tableaux.  Language and gesture in melodrama are forceful and
impassioned.
3. Social Drama - can be comic or tragic.
4. Tragedy - a drama about a story of a hero’s struggle against dynamic forces. He meets death or ruin
without success or satisfaction. Tragedy represented the sufferings of noble characters in order to stir
pity in the audience
5. Comedy - used to describe a genre of humorous plays that deal with ordinary or domestic events
and end happily.
6. Farce - an exaggerated comedy. It is a dramatic form that derives much of its comic appeal from
broad physical humor, improbable situations, and exaggerated characters.