CHAPTER I

NATURE OF LITERATURE AND ITS GENRES

LITERATURE AS SIGNIFICANT HUMAN EXPERIENCE

Module Introduction/Rationale
This module uncovers human experience in literature containing themes about life and society.
Themes related to the human experience encompass any commentary on society
or human nature, such as death, relationships, human rights, or conformity.This also discusses
the different purposes and genres of literature.
Module Outcomes
This module aims to describe literature as essential component in human experience.
Lesson Title
LITERATURE AS SIGNIFICANT HUMAN EXPERIENCE
Purposes of Literature
Genres of Literature
Learning Outcomes: At the end of the course, the students must have:
1. discussed on e ’ s un d e r s t a n d i n g o f l i t e r a t u r e t h r o u g h s h a r i n g

p e r s o n a l experiences;

2.explained the different purposes of literature;

3. identified the different genres of literature;

4. composed a short quotation that has a relation to the personal experiences shared;

and

5. reflected the importance of literature .

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Introduction: What is Literature?

Literature, etymologically, the term was derived from Latin litaritura/litteratura meaning “writing
formed with letters,” .Although some definitions include spoken or sung texts, m ore restrictively,
it is writing that possesses literary merit. Literature can be classified according to whether it is
fiction or non-fiction and whether it is poetry or prose. It can be further distinguished according
to major forms such as the novel, short story or drama, and works are often categorized
according to historical periods or their adherence to certain aesthetic features or expectations
(genre).

Literature is 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.

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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

Other definitions of Literature:

What is Human Experience?

The human experience is a term for the realities of human existence including the
mental, emotional, spiritual and physical characteristics of human life.
Significant human experiences aid in creating characters with challenges for which a reader
might develop sympathy. Resolution of challenge or the introduction of tragedy helps the reader
grow close to the author's characters. Occasionally, the reader may identify with the author's
fictional and nonfictional experiences, such that the reader's own troubled past experience
might be examined or even resolved, or future tragedies avoided.

When viewed through the character's lens, significant human experience also may
change a reader’s perspective. This new perspective can allow a reader to understand the
struggles and backgrounds of others that the reader may not have recognized.
Significant human experiences aid in creating characters with challenges for which a reader
might develop sympathy. The protagonist in Catcher in the Rye is one that does not elicit
sympathy until the book unfolds.

Resolution of challenge or the introduction of tragedy helps the reader grow close to the
author's characters, Occasionally, the reader may identify with the author's fictional and
nonfictional experiences, such that the reader's own troubled past experience might be
examined or even resolved, or future tragedies avoided.

Purposes of Literature

Literature Helps Expand Horizons

An important aspect of literature lies in how it can help expand the horizons of its readers.
It gives its readers an inside look into how cultures from other parts of the world differ from their
own, and how customs from other countries help shape how their citizens view the world. By
opening their minds to what different cultures have to offer, readers of literature become more
accepting of the unique differences of people from around the world. It can also give them
unique insights into their own past or present cultures, and can help them make a stronger
connection to others in their own cultures.

Literature Gives a Look into the Past, Present and Future

Literature provides a window into the past, allowing readers to see how their ancestors
and others dealt with day-to-day life. Readers can see where their own people came from, and
how the country they live in became what it is today. Literature can also let its readers look back
at the mistakes made by their predecessors, and hopefully avoid those same mistakes.

Modern literature gives readers a view into present-day politics, and sometimes gives us
an important view into the lives of the people around us. Fictional literature can also give its
readers special insight into the minds of writers to see how they envision the future might turn
out, including both the good and the bad.

Literature Gives a View into the Human Condition

Literature also helps readers to understand the human condition, and what makes them

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who they are, whether talking about love, war or other important themes throughout life. What
better way to learn about desire than through the pages of a book?

While reading, readers are transported into their own world with their own thoughts, where
they can develop their own ideas on basic human emotions, free of embarrassment and without
the interference of others.

Literature Helps Build Critical Thinking Skills

Literature helps build crucial, critical thinking skills. Readers can learn more about
symbolism within the pages of a book, and it helps them develop the ability to find the hidden
meanings within everyday life. Furthermore, they can make connections between the characters
and the themes of a book, and how that could apply to real life.

Definition of Genre

Genre means a type of art, literature, or music characterized by a specific form, content,
and style. Literature has four main genres: poetry, drama, fiction, and non-fiction. All of these
genres have particular features and functions that distinguish them from one another. Hence, it
is necessary on the part of readers to know which category of genre they are reading in order to
understand the message it conveys, as they may have certain expectations prior to the reading
concerned.

Types of Genre

There are five types of genres in literature, which include:

Poetry

Poetry is the first major literary genre. All types of poetry share specific characteristics. In
fact, poetry is a form of text that follows a meter and rhythm, with each line and syllable. It is
further subdivided into different genres, such an epic poem, narrative, romantic, dramatic,
and lyric. Dramatic poetry includes melodrama, tragedy, and comedy, while other poems
includes ode, sonnet, elegy, ballad, song, and epic.

Popular examples of epic poems include Paradise Lost, by John Milton, The
Iliad and The Odyssey, by Homer. Examples of romantic poems include Red Red Rose,
by Robert Burns. All these poetic forms share specific features, such as they do not follow
paragraphs or sentences; they use stanzas and lines instead. Some forms follow very strict
rules of length, and number of stanzas and lines, such as villanelle, sonnet, and haiku. Others
may be free-form, which is devoid of any regular meter and rhyme scheme. Besides that, often
poetry uses figurative language, such as metaphor, simile, onomatopoeia, hyperbole,
and alliteration to create heightened effect.

Poetry is a form of literary art that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language to
evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, prosaic ostensible meaning (ordinary intended
meaning). Poetry has traditionally been distinguished from prose by its being set in verse;prose
is cast in sentences, poetry in lines; the syntax of prose is dictated by meaning, whereas that of
poetry is held across metre or the visual aspects of the poem.

Drama

Drama is a form of text that is performed in front of an audience. It is also called a play.
Its written text contains dialogues, and stage directions. This genre has further categories such
as comedy, tragedy, and tragicomedy. William Shakespeare is known as the father of English
drama. His well-known plays include Taming of the Shrew, Romeo & Juliet, and Hamlet. Greek
playwrights were the pioneers in this field, such as Sophocles’ masterpiece Oedipus

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Rex, and Antigone, while modern dramas include Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller.

Prose

This type of written text is different from poetry in that it has complete sentences organized into
paragraphs. Unlike poetry, prose focuses on characters and plot, rather than focusing on
sounds. It includes short stories and novels, while fiction and non-fiction are its sub genres.
Prose is further categorized into essays, speeches, sermons, and interpretations.Prose is a
form of language that possesses ordinary syntax and natural speech rather than rhythmic
structure; in which regard, along with its measurement in sentences rather than lines, it differs
from poetry.[9] On the historical development of prose, Richard Graff notes that ”

 Novel: a long fictional prose narrative.

 Novella:The novella exists between the novel and short story; the publisher Melville
House classifies it as “too short to be a novel, too long to be a short story.”[10]

Short story: a dilemma in defining the “short story” as a literary form is how to, or whether
one should, distinguish it from any short narrative. Apart from its distinct size, various theorists
have suggested that the short story has a characteristic subject matter or structure;[11] these
discussions often position the form in some relation to the novel

Fiction

Fiction has three categories that are realistic, non-realistic, and semi-fiction. Usually,
fiction work is not real and therefore, authors can use complex figurative language to touch
readers’ imaginations. Unlike poetry, it is more structured, follows proper grammatical pattern,
and correct mechanics. A fictional work may incorporate fantastical and imaginary ideas from
everyday life. It comprises some important elements such as
plot, exposition, foreshadowing, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Popular
examples of literary fiction include, James Joyce’s novel A Portrait of an Artist as a Young
Man, Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and harper
lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.

Non-Fiction
Non-fiction is a vast category that also has sub-genres; it could be creative like a
personal essay, or factual, like a scientific paper. It may also use figurative language, however,
not unlike poetry, or fiction has. Sometimes, non-fiction may tell a story, like an autobiography,
or sometimes it may convey information to readers.

Other examples of non-fiction include biographies, diaries, memoirs, journals, fantasies,

mysteries, and romances.

Drama is literature intended for performance.

Apply
Create a quotation capturing the essence of literature as a human experience .
Assess
Choose one purpose of literature presented in the acquire part of the module and develop an
essay containing 3-paragraphs about it. Create a catchy title of your essay composition.