Teaching Guide in 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World

Second Quarter

Topic: The Singularity Over the Plurality of Literature

Content Standard: The learner will be able to understand and appreciate the elements and
contexts of 21st century Philippine literature from the regions.
Performance Standard: The learner will be able to demonstrate understanding and appreciation
of 21st Century Philippine literature from the regions through:

 written close analysis and critical interpretation of a literary text in terms of form and
theme, with a description of its context derived from research; and
 an adaptation of a text into other creative forms using multimedia.

Most Essential Learning Competencies: Compare and contrast the various 21st century literary
genres and the ones from the earlier genres/periods citing their elements, structures and traditions
Specific Objectives
At the end of the lesson, students are expected to:

 define assumption; and

 discuss the first assumption about the nature of literature.
Materials: PowerPoint presentation and laptop
References: Beyond Borders, Reading Literature in the 21st Century
Time Allotted: 45 minutes
Introduction:
The first assumption about the nature of literature is the common use of the singular term
“literature” over the plural “literatures.” It gives the impression that there is only one kind of
literature governed by so-called timeless standards that are universally applicable, that is, despite
very high degrees of contextual differences in cultures and timeframes.
Motivation
Answer the following questions.
1. What is assumption?
2. Do you believe in your assumption? Why or why not?
Possible Answers:
1. It is a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof.
2. Answers will vary.
Instruction
The Singularity Over the Plurality of Literature
It is typical of any serious discussion of literature (or anything at all, for that matter) to
start by asking what it is, or how it has been variously defined. However, this time let’s look at
how the question itself is put across or phrased; in this case, why is the singular term “literature”
used rather than the plural “literatures”? “Why Literature with the big letter “L”? And why is the
word enclosed in double quotation marks?
The question is phrased this way—with the word “Literature” in the singular, with the big
L, and enclosed in quotation marks—to call attention to three common assumptions that lie
unnoticed or unchallenged whenever attempts are made to discuss the nature of literature. By
“assumptions” we refer to deeply seated ideas that we have unconsciously accepted as timeless
or universal truths, but actually carry unexamined values. In fact—as in the case of drawing from
western-inspired assumptions for understanding non-Western texts, or drawing from patriarchy-
inspired assumptions for understanding literatures written by women—we do ourselves and our
own literatures a disservice when we leave these overarching assumptions unidentified and
unexamined.
Let’s begin by looking at the assumptions behind the common use of the singular term
“literature” over the plural “literatures.” (By all means, we can use the singular term for
convenience’s sake, let’s just be aware of the baggage that comes with the habit.) It gives the
impression that there is only one kind of literature governed by so-called timeless standards that
are universally applicable, that is, despite very high degrees of contextual differences in cultures
and timeframes. “World literature” is conventionally understood this way, as a collection of the
best writings from all over the world—and doesn’t this sound as commonsensical as it gets? Yet
when we try to go beyond what appears to be commonsensical and ask probing questions like
“What exactly are the criteria for selecting the ‘best writings’?” “Who set the criteria, and who
gets to judge?” “How are differences in style, themes, and conditions for writing accounted for?”
“How come certain texts and authors are deemed representative of a people, country, or region,
while others are not?” “Has the criteria ever adjusted, and why?” and so on, we will soon
understand that more often than not, what we have come to absorb as “universal” definitions of
good literature are not universal at all, but cherished ideals held by select (usually dominant)
group/s of people with context-specific views.

The same logic applies to the formation of "national literature," which goes hand-in-hand
with articulations of national identity. While national self-definition can be empowering, it is
also important to examine the body of works that constitute the national canon: what sort of
works were included and excluded? Review Lesson 1. In what way are debates about national
vs. regional literature similar to debates about the presumed universality of world literature?

When we speak of context, we don’t just mean the social or cultural context in the setting
of a story, or the biographical details of the author. Context also includes the genre, mode, or
form in which the work was written (we will take up the genres later in this lesson), or the set of
conventions an artist grapples with in producing a work of art. As will be made clear later,
genres are like frameworks that carry particular views about reality and the world. Context also
includes the historical, cultural, social, economic, political, affective, and other material
conditions that have bearings on the writing, publishing, and reading of literary texts. When a
dominant view about literature develops the aura of universal applicability, such multifaceted
contextual conditions can be naively forgotten (or worse, deliberately ignored).
 What is "context"? Review Lesson 2. What sorts of contexts affected the reception of Rizal's
novels and the Pasyon Pilapil? Which dominant view about the Philippine Revolution
persisted to the point of overshadowing alternative but just as valid views?

On a more political note, decontextualized views and values are usually not propagated
innocently, but are used to serve the interests of a dominant group or to keep them in positions of
power or influence. As in the often-cited example of colonial mentality among dominated
natives, a colonial power through the public education system may instill in young minds a
notion of literature that celebrates the world’s (actually, the colonizer’s) literary masterpieces as
more “evolved” and sophisticated compared to native traditional forms and writings, which are
not included in the curriculum for students to read appreciatively. This view accustoms the
natives not only to look up to the colonial power as the epitome of greatness but more
devastatingly, to look down upon oneself and one’s own people as inferior. The effects of this
view, unfortunately, lasts well beyond the colonial years: not only does it help sustain the power
differential between colonizer and native, it also devalues the natives’ vast cultural wealth of
centuries’ worth of traditional and literary forms. Part of the work of postcolonial criticism is the
undoing of the effects of this destructive view and the study, recovery, and reappreciation of
cultural treasures.
Similarly, contexts surrounding the writing, reading, and rereading of a particular piece
of literature tends to get effaced when an assumed “universal” evaluative standard is uncritically
set upon it. This happens, for example, when we apply modern literary concepts in approaching
traditional oral forms like myths and epics in the mistaken assumption that newer and more
“advanced” ideas are necessarily better. Modern literature and traditional forms should be
approached on their own terms, not least because oral culture (which sustained traditional forms)
has its own set of conditions that are vastly different from print culture (from which modern
literature emerges). The same critical care should be observed when looking at newer forms of
artistic expression coming out of online culture. It also has to be said that oral culture was not
obliterated by print culture (brought about by the technology of the printing press, journalism
and the growth of the public sphere, realism as a literary mode in contrast to the predominantly
mythical or romantic modes of earlier forms, capitalism as an economic mode and its political
spin-offs in modern imperialism and postmodern globalization). Oral culture persisted and co-
existed with print culture, dynamically producing new forms with new features that incorporate
new cultural elements. At present, oral, print, and online cultures co-exist and influence one
other in the production and reception of literary and other artistic works.
What we are simply trying to say is that critical thinking about literature begins with
looking at it in the plural, as “literatures” that are as incredibly various in textual forms, themes,
and concerns as they are in their extratextual conditions of writing and reading.
Practice
Briefly discuss the first assumption about the nature of literature.
Possible Answers:
Answers will vary
Enrichment
Critical thinking about literature begins with looking at it in the plural, as “literatures” that are as
incredibly various in textual forms, themes, and concerns as they are in their extratextual
conditions of writing and reading.
Evaluation
TRUE OR FALSE. Read the statements carefully. Choose the word TRUE if the statement is
correct and FALSE if otherwise.
1. By “assumptions” we refer to deeply seated ideas that we have unconsciously accepted as
timeless or universal truths, but actually carry unexamined values.
2. The plural term of literature gives the impression that there is only one kind of literature.
3. “Philippine literature” is a collection of the best writings from all over the world.
4. Context includes the genre, mode, or form in which the work was written.
5. Content also includes the historical, cultural, social, economic, political, affective, and
other material conditions that have bearings on the writing, publishing, and reading of
literary texts.
6. First assumption gives the impression that there is only one kind of literature governed by
so-called timeless standards that are universally applicable, that is, despite very high
degrees of contextual differences in cultures and timeframes.
7. Baybayin is a body of written works, especially those considered of superior or lasting
artistic merit.
8. Context is not confined to the sociocultural setting that grounds the action in the text, but
also extra-textual matters like the author, the readers, and the world.
9. Context can also be the backstory of a character, provided to inform their behavior and
personality.
10. World literature is a collection of the best writings from all over the world.
Possible Answers:
1. True
2. False
3. False
4. True
5. False
6. True
7. False
8. True
9. True
10. True
Topic: The Canon
Content Standard: The learner will be able to understand and appreciate the elements and
contexts of 21st century Philippine literature from the regions.
Performance Standard: The learner will be able to demonstrate understanding and appreciation
of 21st Century Philippine literature from the regions through:

 written close analysis and critical interpretation of a literary text in terms of form and
theme, with a description of its context derived from research; and
 an adaptation of a text into other creative forms using multimedia.

Most Essential Learning Competencies: Compare and contrast the various 21st century literary
genres and the ones from the earlier genres/periods citing their elements, structures and traditions
Specific Objectives
At the end of the lesson, students are expected to:

 discuss the second assumption about the nature of literature.

Materials: PowerPoint presentation and laptop

References: Beyond Borders, Reading Literature in the 21st Century
Time Allotted: 45 minutes
Introduction:
The second assumption, which is connected to the first: Literature with the big “L” brings up the
concept of the literary canon, the idea that some works deserve to be included in a kind of
literary hall of fame, hence the big “L,” while others are relegated to “literature” or “literatures.”
Review

 What is the first assumption about the nature of literature all about?

Possible Answers:

 It gives the impression that there is only one kind of literature governed by so-called
timeless standards that are universally applicable, that is, despite very high degrees of
contextual differences in cultures and timeframes.
Instruction
The Canon
On a more political note, decontextualized views and values are usually not propagated
innocently, but are used to serve the interests of a dominant group or to keep them in positions of
power or influence. As in the often-cited example of colonial mentality among dominated
natives, a colonial power through the public education system may instill in young minds a
notion of literature that celebrates the world’s (actually, the colonizer’s) literary masterpieces as
more “evolved” and sophisticated compared to native traditional forms and writings, which are
not included in the curriculum for students to read appreciatively. This view accustoms the
natives not only to look up to the colonial power as the epitome of greatness but more
devastatingly, to look down upon oneself and one’s own people as inferior. The effects of this
view, unfortunately, lasts well beyond the colonial years: not only does it help sustain the power
differential between colonizer and native, it also devalues the natives’ vast cultural wealth of
centuries’ worth of traditional and literary forms. Part of the work of postcolonial criticism is the
undoing of the effects of this destructive view and the study, recovery, and reappreciation of
cultural treasures.
Similarly, contexts surrounding the writing, reading, and rereading of a particular piece
of literature tends to get effaced when an assumed “universal” evaluative standard is uncritically
set upon it. This happens, for example, when we apply modern literary concepts in approaching
traditional oral forms like myths and epics in the mistaken assumption that newer and more
“advanced” ideas are necessarily better. Modern literature and traditional forms should be
approached on their own terms, not least because oral culture (which sustained traditional forms)
has its own set of conditions that are vastly different from print culture (from which modern
literature emerges). The same critical care should be observed when looking at newer forms of
artistic expression coming out of online culture. It also has to be said that oral culture was not
obliterated by print culture (brought about by the technology of the printing press, journalism
and the growth of the public sphere, realism as a literary mode in contrast to the predominantly
mythical or romantic modes of earlier forms, capitalism as an economic mode and its political
spin-offs in modern imperialism and postmodern globalization). Oral culture persisted and co-
existed with print culture, dynamically producing new forms with new features that incorporate
new cultural elements. At present, oral, print, and online cultures co-exist and influence one
other in the production and reception of literary and other artistic works.
What we are simply trying to say is that critical thinking about literature begins with
looking at it in the plural, as “literatures” that are as incredibly various in textual forms, themes,
and concerns as they are in their extratextual conditions of writing and reading.
This leads us to consider the second assumption, which is connected to the first:
Literature with the big “L” brings up the concept of the literary canon, the idea that some works
deserve to be included in a kind of literary hall of fame, hence the big “L,” while others are
relegated to “literature” or “literatures.” While delimiting a reading list to a canon certainly has
its conveniences (for example, it cuts down your reading to a preselected list of “great works”), it
also pays to question, again, what sort of criteria were used to make the list. From the liberal
humanist perspective, the criteria would be likely based on Matthew Arnold’s famous phrase
from his book Culture and Anarchy, “the best that is known and thought in the world” (1869,
viii). This phrase is usually understood to be quite inspirational, seeing literature as a “powerful
and beautiful application of ideas to life—to the question: How to live.” Unlike Plato who
wanted poets banished from the Republic because poetry for him was a product of fanciful or
untruthful thinking, for Arnold and adherents to the liberal humanist vision, literature actually
serves a civilizing function: to raise cultured individuals capable of deriving moral and spiritual
guidance from reading literature. According to this view, you can turn to literature as a kind of
substitute religion (or “philosophy” in Plato’s Republic) if you want to learn “how to live.”
Incidentally, however—and here we will look at the political context of Arnold’s writing—
Arnold voiced these out at a moment of “anarchy” in English history when there were riots and
social unrest among the masses as a result of their not being allowed to vote. As may be gleaned
from this context, beneath Arnold’s seemingly inspirational counsel is actually a warning against
what were perceived to be acts of political fanaticism, or resorting to unreflective, impulsive, and
destructive measures when clamoring for change, prejudicially im-plying the masses’ lack of
culture and restraint as the root of the problem rather than their economic, social, and political
dispossession.

Plato certainly came from an earlier historical period. Compare and contrast Plato's and
Matthew Arnold's views about the value of literature. Note that Arnold's universality thesis is
itself not universal at all.
 While there can be no doubt that reading the canon of great works is a deeply enriching
experience, it also pays to look at noncanonical works. Till recently, women writers, ethnic
minorities, and the LGBTQ were minimally (if not at all) represented, with the Western canon
being severely charged of exclusivity to “dead white males.” Typically excluded as well from
great “Literature” are works thought to have very little or no artistic value like those created for
popular consumption, e.g., romance novels, suspense thrillers, comics, radio and television
dramas, etc. These works are thought to provide its incredibly large fan base of ordinary readers
and followers with nothing more than aliw and libangan, cheap thrills, and escapist
entertainment. Illuminating studies of Philippine popular culture and literature, for instance, as
carried out by scholars like Soledad Reyes among, many others, show that despite the
commercial demands that tend to limit artistic freedom in such works, they just as well shed light
on the local and folk traditions and sensibilities from which such works derive not only their
inspiration but also their enduring popularity.
Practice
Briefly discuss the second assumption about the nature of literature.
Possible Answers:
Answers will vary
Enrichment
The literary canon is accepted as authentic (as for example in the context of distinguishing
canonical from apocryphal works in relation to the Bible or to Shakespeare), but it is usually
defined more broadly as that which is assumed to be ‘good’ literature, in fact the ‘best’ literature:
that which is worth preserving and passing on from one generation to the next.
Evaluation
TRUE OR FALSE. Read the statements carefully. Choose the word TRUE if the statement is
correct and FALSE if otherwise.
1. Literature with the big “L” brings up the concept of the literary canon, the idea that some
works deserve to be included in a kind of literary hall of fame.
2. From the liberal humanist perspective, the criteria would not be likely based on Matthew
Arnold’s famous phrase from his book Culture and Anarchy.
3. Plato wanted poets banished from the Republic because poetry for him was a product of
fanciful or untruthful thinking.
4. The impulsive, and destructive measures when clamoring for change, is not prejudicially
implying the masses’ lack of culture and restraint as the root of the problem rather than
their economic, social, and political dispossession.
5. Arnold voiced these out at a moment of “anarchy” in English history when there were
riots and social unrest among the masses as a result of their not being allowed to vote.
6. Canon refers to a collection of rules or texts that are considered to be authoritative.
7. Socrates certainly came from an earlier historical period.
8. Women writers, ethnic minorities, and the LGBTQ were minimally represented, with the
Western canon being severely charged of exclusivity to “dead white males.”
9. Illuminating studies of Philippine popular culture and literature, for instance, as carried
out by scholars like Agapito Flores among, many others.
10. “Dead white males” means a man whose importance and talents may have been
exaggerated because he belonged to a historically dominant gender and ethnic group.
Possible Answers:
1. True
2. False
3. True
4. False
5. True
6. True
7. False
8. True
9. False
10. True
Topic: The Contextual Dimensions of the Various Definitions of Literature
Content Standard: The learner will be able to understand and appreciate the elements and
contexts of 21st century Philippine literature from the regions.
Performance Standard: The learner will be able to demonstrate understanding and appreciation
of 21st Century Philippine literature from the regions through:

 written close analysis and critical interpretation of a literary text in terms of form and
theme, with a description of its context derived from research; and
 an adaptation of a text into other creative forms using multimedia.

Most Essential Learning Competencies: Compare and contrast the various 21st century literary
genres and the ones from the earlier genres/periods citing their elements, structures and traditions
Specific Objectives
At the end of the lesson, students are expected to:

 discuss the third assumption about the nature of literature.

Materials: PowerPoint presentation and laptop

References: Beyond Borders, Reading Literature in the 21st Century
Time Allotted: 45 minutes
Introduction:
The third assumption, which has something to do with putting the word “literature” between
quotation marks. Putting quotation marks around words foregrounds the constructedness of their
meanings, such as when earlier in this essay we put quotation marks around the word “universal”
to mean not what universal means in the dictionary, but to highlight the fact that what we tend to
think of as universally applicable were actually not. Rather, they are context-bound constructions
that appear to be context-free. The radical importance of looking at the contexts of texts cannot
be stressed enough.
Review

 What is the third assumption about the nature of literature all about?

Possible Answers:

 Literature with the big “L” brings up the concept of the literary canon, the idea that some
works deserve to be included in a kind of literary hall of fame, hence the big “L,” while
others are relegated to “literature” or “literatures.”
Instruction
The Contextual Dimensions of the Various Definitions of Literature

Let’s now consider the third assumption, which has something to do with putting the
word “literature” between quotation marks. Putting quotation marks around words foregrounds
the constructedness of their meanings, such as when earlier in this essay we put quotation marks
around the word “universal” to mean not what universal means in the dictionary, but to highlight
the fact that what we tend to think of as universally applicable were actually not. Rather, they are
context-bound constructions that appear to be context-free. The radical importance of looking at
the contexts of texts cannot be stressed enough.
 The same goes for definitions of literature—there is no one correct or essential or natural
definition. “What we have at best are several pro-visional definitions that emphasize certain
aspects while deemphasizing others. We have already examined notions of literature as a canon
of great works and authors; other definitions you may have encountered include literature as
artistic expression, literature as mirroring the real world, literature as a repository of moral
lessons and other kinds of good teaching (in technical language: the expressive, mimetic, and
didactic theories of literature respectively). As schematized in M.H. Abrams’s The Mirror and
the Lamp (1953), the first emphasizes the relation between the text and the artist, the second
emphasizes the relation between the text and the world, the third emphasizes the relation
between the text and the audience.
We will move on from here to focus on the relation between the text and itself (the
formalist theory of literature), which is a good place to start as it provides foundational
knowledge of the textual form of literary works as set by conventions—the different (modern)
genres (fiction, poetry, drama, essay) and their respective elements. Conventions associated with
each of the genres make them recognizable as such and provide authors not only with building
blocks for their art, but boundaries to flex, play with, reflect on, or transcend.
Practice
Briefly discuss the third assumption about the nature of literature.
Possible Answers:
Answers will vary
Enrichment
There is no one correct or essential or natural definition of literature. “What we have at best are
several pro-visional definitions that emphasize certain aspects while deemphasizing others.
Evaluation
TRUE OR FALSE. Read the statements carefully. Choose the word TRUE if the statement is
correct and FALSE if otherwise.
1. Putting quotation marks around words foregrounds the constructedness of their meanings,
such as when ear we put quotation marks around the word to highlight the fact that what
we tend to think of as universally applicable were actually not.
2. For literature being context-bound, constructions that appear to be context-free shows the
radical importance of looking at the contexts of texts cannot be stressed enough.
3. For the definitions of literature—there is one correct or essential or natural definition, we
have at best are several pro-visional definitions that emphasize certain as examined
notions of literature as a canon of great works and authors.
4. Literature as artistic expression, literature as mirroring the real world, literature as a
repository of moral lessons and other kinds of good teaching (in technical language: the
expressive, mimetic, and didactic theories of literature respectively were schematized in
M.H. Abrams’s The Mirror and the Lamp (1953).
5. The formalist theory of literature, which is a good place to start do not provide
foundational knowledge of the textual form of literary works as set by conventions—the
different (modern) genres (fiction, poetry, drama, essay) and their respective elements.
6. Conventions associated with each of the genres make them recognizable as such and
provide authors not only with building blocks for their art, but boundaries to flex, play
with, reflect on, or transcend.
 7. Expressive theories of literature focus on how literary works reflect or depict the real
world.
8. Didactic theories are concerned with what literature teaches its readers.
9. Mimetic theories are concerned with authorial intentions and expressions.
10. Formalist theories concern the aesthetic structure or form of literary works according to
their elements and genres.
Possible Answers:
1. True
2. True
3. False
4. True
5. False
6. True
7. False
8. True
9. False
10. True
Topic: Literariness
Content Standard: The learner will be able to understand and appreciate the elements and
contexts of 21st century Philippine literature from the regions.
Performance Standard: The learner will be able to demonstrate understanding and appreciation
of 21st Century Philippine literature from the regions through:

 written close analysis and critical interpretation of a literary text in terms of form and
theme, with a description of its context derived from research; and
 an adaptation of a text into other creative forms using multimedia.

Most Essential Learning Competencies: Compare and contrast the various 21st century literary
genres and the ones from the earlier genres/periods citing their elements, structures and traditions
Specific Objectives
At the end of the lesson, students are expected to:

 identify the four major literary genres; and

 describe literariness.

Materials: PowerPoint presentation and laptop

References: Beyond Borders, Reading Literature in the 21st Century
Time Allotted: 45 minutes
Introduction:
Literariness is the organization of language which through special linguistic and formal
properties distinguishes literary texts from non-literary texts (Baldick 2008). The defining
features of a literary work do not reside in extraliterary conditions such as history or
sociocultural phenomena under which a literary text might have been created but in the form of
the language that is used. Thus, literariness is defined as being the feature that makes a given
work a literary work. It distinguishes a literary work from ordinary texts by using certain artistic
devices such as meter, rhyme, and other patterns of sound and repetition.
Motivation
Watch the video and answer the questions that follow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVsRc5VDKKw
Guide Questions:
1. What was the video about?
2. According to the video, what are the different genres of literature?
Possible Answers:
1. The video was about genres of literature.
2. The different genres of literature are fiction, nonfiction, poetry and drama.
Instruction
Literary Genres and Their Elements
A. Literariness
We will look at the distinctive qualities of each of the four literary genres. But first, let’s
discuss what we mean by “literary.” By “literary” we strictly mean artistic written expression as
opposed to traditional forms like myths, epics, folktales, legends, ballads, proverbs, folk drama
which had oral culture as their life and basis. When we “read” such verses and narratives from
print sources, what we’re reading are versions or variations that were recorded from selective
moments in their highly dynamic oral circulation in the communities that originated them. In
their purely oral state, these tales and songs constantly evolve as members of the community
retell them countless of times among one another. As for epics, a bard composes as he or she
performs, or recites from memory but freely recomposing at times and drawing from a rich stock
of communal tropes and knowledge. They don’t originate content in the way we understand
modern authors do—bards and storytellers of the oral universe defer to tradition and are self-
effacing and anonymous. In contrast, modern authors of print culture are self-expressive, have
bylines, and hold copyrights to their individual works.

Note!
Strictly speaking, an "author" is a modern concept tied to the notion of "authority" and a
culture of possessive individualism. That is, an author is an individual who asserts himself and
holds authority over the meaning of his composition. How different is this concept of
authorship compared to older and more communal understandings of storytelling?

Because print culture encourages the solid formation of words on the page rather than the
creative flux of oral and communal composition, literary authors are likelier to develop their own
voice and style, a self-conscious view of the world and their own art. It is in this context that
fiction emerged as a modern genre in contrast to older forms of narrative in the oral tradition.
Fiction—aside from its being written down rather than orally transmitted, and it’s being
attributed to a named author rather than communally composed—differs from older forms of
narrative in its status as imaginative writing, whereas myths, epics, and the like are thought of by
their communities as circumstantially true (that is, not the “fictive” product of the someone’s
imagination). The content of myths, epics, and folktales appear marvelous to us only because we
tend to contrast it to the “realism” of our daily ordinary lives, but in the consciousness of those in
the oral communities who shared these myths and tales, reality is just that, marvelous. (We will
pursue this point later in Unit 3 Lesson 4 on magical realism or the “marvelous real” in Latin
American literature.)
As imaginative writing, fiction (as well as modern poetry and drama) is written by
authors who self-consciously make use of creative techniques and devices to render their theme
(the intended meaning of the poem or story, the main point or insight) in the best way possible.
Ironically, it is in creative distortion and the use of figurative rather than plain language that the
truth for a literary author is most clearly expressed. Even works of fiction written in plain
language will, when analyzed, reveal itself to have been creatively distorted too, with the use of
plain language itself just another device for producing the author’s intended truth effects.
 Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best: “Fiction reveals the truth that reality obscures.”
Fiction, rather than plainly reflecting reality, creatively refracts it to show something that would
have otherwise escaped our attention (and this is true even in realism, the mode of fiction that
aspires to verisimilitude).
In the formalist view, literariness is the apt use of devices, techniques, and figurative
language in the careful shaping of the elements of a poem or story to communicate a point or
insight. The use of creative techniques must not feel forced or artificial; verbosity or shallow,
decorative applications of figurative language do not qualify as literariness.
Practice
Briefly discuss literariness.
Possible Answers:
Answers will vary.
Enrichment
Literariness is the feature that makes a given work a literary work. It distinguishes a literary
work from ordinary texts by using certain artistic devices such as meter, rhyme, and other
patterns of sound and repetition.
Evaluation
TRUE OR FALSE. Read the statements carefully. Choose the word TRUE if the statement is
correct and FALSE if otherwise.
1. Literary is an artistic written expression as opposed to traditional forms (oral tradition).
2. An educator is an individual who asserts himself and holds authority over the meaning of
his composition.
3. Myths, epics, folktales, legends, ballads, proverbs, folk drama are examples of literary
works.
4. Novels and short stories are examples of oral tradition.
5. As for epics, a bard composes as he or she performs, or recites from memory but freely
recomposing at times and drawing from a rich stock of communal tropes and knowledge.
6. Modern authors of print culture are self-expressive, have bylines, and hold copyrights to
their individual works.
7. Fiction is written down rather than orally transmitted.
8. The content of myths, epics, and folktales appear ordinary to us only because we tend to
match it to the “realism” of our daily ordinary lives.
9. As imaginative writing, fiction is written by authors who self-consciously make use of
creative techniques and devices to render their theme in the best way possible.
10. Fiction reveals the truth that reality obscures.
Possible Answers:
1. True
2. False
3. False
4. False
5. True
6. True
7. True
8. False
 9. True
10. True

Topic: Fiction
Content Standard: The learner will be able to understand and appreciate the elements and
contexts of 21st century Philippine literature from the regions.
Performance Standard: The learner will be able to demonstrate understanding and appreciation
of 21st Century Philippine literature from the regions through:

 written close analysis and critical interpretation of a literary text in terms of form and
theme, with a description of its context derived from research; and
 an adaptation of a text into other creative forms using multimedia.

Most Essential Learning Competencies: Compare and contrast the various 21st century literary
genres and the ones from the earlier genres/periods citing their elements, structures and traditions
Specific Objectives
At the end of the lesson, students are expected to:

 define fiction; and

 enumerate the elements of fiction.

Materials: PowerPoint presentation and laptop

References: Beyond Borders, Reading Literature in the 21st Century
Time Allotted: 45 minutes
Introduction:
Fiction is a genre of literature created from the imagination, not presented as fact, though it may
be based on a true story or situation. Types of literature in the fiction genre include the novel,
short story, and novella. The word is from the Latin fictiō, “the act of making, fashioning, or
molding.”
A work of fiction implies the inventive construction of an imaginary world and, most commonly,
its fictionality is publicly acknowledged, so its audience typically expects it to deviate in some
ways from the real world rather than presenting only characters who are actual people or
portrayals that are factually true. Fiction is generally understood as not fully adhering to the real
world, which consequently leaves its themes and its context, such as if and how it relates to the
real world or real issues, open to various interpretations. Characters and events within some
fictional works may even exist in their own context entirely separate from the known physical
universe: an independent fictional universe.
Review
Answer the following questions.

 What are the four genres of literature?

 What is literariness?

Possible Answers:
  The four genres of literature are fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.
 Literariness is the feature that makes a given work a literary work. It distinguishes a
literary work from ordinary texts by using certain artistic devices such as meter, rhyme,
and other patterns of sound and repetition.

Instruction
B. Fiction
Fiction is basically prose narrative, its distinctive feature being the centrality of plot
action. The propeller of plot action is the presence of conflict (a disturbance in the status quo or
the way things are), and the narrative proceeds as complications arising from the conflict add up
and reach a climax wherein the situation becomes finally unbearable and begs to be resolved.
This is the turning point of the story, when the protagonist arrives at a very important
realization or makes a decision that changes the course of events, and the conflict is resolved. A
critical question to ask is the nature of the conflict’s resolution—what insight is offered by the
particular way the conflict was resolved? In realism with fully fleshed-out, well-developed
complex characters, the resolution is accompanied by psychological insight into the depth of
human personhood. In social realism, an oppressive social issue is critiqued as played out in the
characters’ personal circumstances, usually ending with an insight intended to raise awareness in
the readers. There are also problematic resolutions as those pointed out by Resil B. Mojares in
Origins and Rise of the Filipino Novel (1983): according to him, at an early point in the
development of the Filipino novel (early 20th century), when writers in the vernacular languages
rooted in the rich tradition of romance in the awit and corrido were learning the ropes of writing
social realism, there came hugely popular serialized novels in local magazines that were of the
uneasy realist-romantic hybrid kind, dealing with new historical anxieties but using tropes
familiar to the common folk.
In these transitory novels situated between two traditions of differing conventions
(romance and realism), a social issue is raised as plot conflict, but the resolution tends to be
romantic rather than realist in nature, in effect not resolving the social issue at all. For example,
in a conventional plot that is still very much used in its many permutations in today’s television
dramas, a pair of lovers who come from conflicting social classes and whose families object to
their union are in the end either married, because one of them turns out to be a long lost heir, or
unable to marry because they turn out to be siblings or cousins (or, if the conflict turns out to be
totally unresolvable, they both die and are united in the afterlife). In the happy ending of a
marriage, the status quo initially disturbed is restored with the social structure and its injustices
still intact; at best, there is hope that the heir who experienced class mobility is now in a better
position to create some change but from a new position of power and influence in the same
social structure. In the unhappy ending of the lovers finding out that they are relatives, the
conflict is resolved by invoking a moral taboo rather than by constructive social means. Yet,
however problematic these resolutions might be, Mojares reads in them a nascent resistance that
comes from realist elements adjusting a romantic framework: “The mere act of dramatizing these
conflicts is already a [form of] criticism…in that it shows that this order has ceased to be stable
and monolithic. By stressing the individual sensibility, it weakens the absolute claims of dogma.
By showing the triumph of love over parental authority, of the individual over social custom, it
points the way to the subversion of this order” (1983, 198).
Fiction is not just about plot, however. Fiction is an interplay and interlayering of other
elements like character, setting, point of view, and tone. Like the other genres, fiction makes use
of figurative language, especially symbol (when an ordinary object in the story acquires great
significance, for example a house whose physical features are symbolic of what the family
members are like) and irony (or a disparity, which is usually a site of complexity or critical
insight, for example characters whose words conflict with their actions, or events that turn out to
be the opposite of expectations).

 Plot is the element that shapes how the events are told in a sequence or a pattern.
 Classic Plot is a type of plot wherein events are chronologically sequenced (beginning,
middle, and end).
 A plot in medias is one that begins in the middle of the story’s action.
 A plot device called flashback is used when what is happening in the present is explained
by recalling an event in the past.
 A plot device called foreshadowing is used when a hint is provided about what will
happen later in the narrative.
 Exposition is the part of the plot where the initial state of things is being described.
 That which disturbs the initial state of things is called the plot’s conflict.
 Events that increase the intensity of the disturbance comprise the rising action and
subsequent complication of the plot.
 Climax is the turning point of the plot, the point of its highest intensity. This is where a
kind of decisive crisis is reached such that whatever decision made at this point changes
the course of events and determines the ending.
 Falling action refers to the unraveling of the consequences of the major decision made at
the turning point of the plot. Sometimes, a new state of things is created, a return to
equilibrium as ending.
 Episodic plot is a type of plot that doesn’t follow a typical chronological sequence but
orders events in a fragmentary way.
 Setting is the time and space or the physical and social contexts where a story takes place.
 Atmosphere is the mood or general feeling evoked by the setting.
 The narrator is the person or persona (as distinguished from the author) who is telling the
story. An omniscient narrator knows and reveals everything, including what’s in the mind
of the characters.
 An intrusive narrator gives his or her comments or opinions, in contrast to an objective
narrator who does not.
 An unreliable narrator cannot be trusted for some reason (because he or she is lying, mad,
prejudiced, etc.). Narrators tell the story using the first, third, or in rare instances second
person.
 The feeling hovering over the story is not only created by the setting, but also by the
narrator’s attitude toward the characters or story that he/she is telling. The narrator’s
attitude sets the tone of the story.
 Narrative perspective, also called point of view, refers to the “eyepiece” or angle from
which readers witness the events as told by the narrator.
 In many stories, a godlike, omniscient narrator shows everything, but in stories with
narrators of limited omniscience, the perspective is restricted to one character (the
narrator or somebody else), or angled to the way that one character sees it.
 Characters (human or not) are the movers of the plot. Characters can be major or minor,
complex or simple, dynamic or static. A character’s motivation explains his or her actions
or decisions.
 A symbol is an object that is literally present and serves a literal purpose in the story but
also seems to have a deeper, layered, or figurative meaning.
  A situational irony occurs when the opposite of what is expected to happen is what
actually happens.
 A verbal irony is created when the intended meaning is the opposite of what is stated.
 Dramatic irony refers to the disjunct between what a character knows, and what you as
reader is made to know or understand about the story.
 The story’s theme is its critical point, its unique in-sight about its chosen subject.

Modes of Fiction: Realism and Romance

Aside from the elements, we also have what we call the modes of fiction: realism and
romance (which we had briefly touched on and will discuss a little bit more later), a wide range
of modes under speculative fiction (marked by the presence of fantastical or elements that don’t
belong to this world we consider “rear —fantasy, science fiction, futurist fiction, horror, gothic,
magical realism, traditional/modern/retold fairy tales and folktales, slipstream, and many more),
and metafiction (which is best approached not as a mode but as a tendency in fiction to reflect
upon the fictional [or constructed] quality of the “real” lives we live). For the sake of brevity,
we’ll focus on realism (but will discuss its opposite, romance) and touch on a bit about
metafiction because these will be the main generic concerns when we read the literary texts
selected for this lesson (for fantasy as a variant of speculative fiction, refer back to Lesson 2).
In studies of the modes of fiction, realism and romance are considered opposites (not
realism and fantasy, as one might expect). At this point, it’s going to be helpful to think of modes
as versions of reality that skillful authors self-consciously choose as frameworks through which
their narratives will unfold.
In the romance mode, according to Northrop Frye “the ordinary laws of nature are
slightly suspended” (1973, 33). It’s like looking at reality through rose-tinted glasses. The
characters are rendered superior to other people and the environment: for instance, the characters
are able to overcome conflicts and restrictions posed by social or environmental structures. The
romance mode is empowering—it idealizes, aggrandizes, positively exaggerates; it enables us to
look at the banal or ordinary with a sense of wonder; it reconfigures the flatly normal as infused
with rich symbolisms. (Note that the romance mode is different from Romanticism as literary
movement, and a story in the romance mode need not always be a love story.) In romance mode,
a story may or may not have fantastical elements; in stories without fantastical elements, the
setting is realistic but presented in a highly imaginative way, in very strong and perhaps poetic or
symbolic imagery.
The romance mode, however, is also escapist. Nonreflexive stories in the romance mode
are unapologetically escapist—that is, there is no indication in the story whatsoever of any
critical attitude to the escapism espoused in it. On the other hand, the more sophisticated stories
in the romance mode tend to betray a self-consciousness about the escapism that is built in it (an
example of a metafictional tendency). This is called the “romantic paradox,” or the motif of the
failed ideal. In a story with a romantic paradox, the romantization appears only as a translucent
veil over a reality that is still shown to be less-than-ideal. For example, in the Palanca winning
short story “The Apartment” (1996) by Clinton Palanca, the setting is overlaid with a dreamy,
golden glow, but the ugliness of the apartment and the eccentricity of the tenants are also
stressed rather than denied. The romance mode thus comes across as an outlook, a choice to see
beauty in the unsightly, the unattractive, the repulsive.
Another example of the romantic paradox at work: in trauma fiction that uses the
romance mode, a past traumatic event that keeps on haunting the present and opening old
wounds finds closure in a therapeutic choice to see the good or beautiful in the traumatic event.
Romantic closure in the realm of the imaginary, in this case, crosses over to the painful reality of
unresolved trauma. Fictive closure gives way to the real, and healing becomes possible.
Realism, by its very name, claims to be the most transparent in its imaginative depiction
of reality. If stories in the romance mode are told in expressive, hyperbolic language, stories in
the realist mode are told in sparse, clinical, straightforward, rational, plain, and prosaic language.
Realism aims for verisimilitude, or the empirical and objective depiction of ordinary people
living in the everyday world.
However, it’s also worth questioning how “real” is the reality depicted in realism. How
does realism define reality? Is it possible to think of realism as an outlook rather than as the most
“truthful” of all the modes of fiction? Is it possible that what we assume to be the “everyday
world” mirrored in realist fiction is actually an ideologically shaped reality?
Moreover, is it possible to think of “objectivity” as not reality itself but another version of
it? The truth claim in realism sets the rational outlook as the standard, as though magical
thinking is less valid or inferior in value.
There is a variety of realism called “naturalism” or “social realism” that makes apparent
this ideological nature of perceived reality. Stories in this mode take up themes generally
considered disturbing: extreme poverty, horrible crimes, victimization, social inequality; the aim
is to shock readers into realizing that their comfortably sheltered life is just a version of reality,
and that horribly unthinkable realities happen in the everyday for some people who live outside
their realm of “real” experience. In fact, at closer inspection, stories in the realist mode are
almost always ideologically oriented towards this direction—while claiming to be objective and
clinical in its dissection of everyday reality, realist fiction actually aims to present life as worse
than it is: a disillusioned, demystified, disenchanted take on life as filled not just with banality or
boredom, but with violence, inequality, injustice, and brutality.
Opposite the romance mode, the realist mode involves the shattering of (false) idealism.
As an outlook, the realist mode looks at life in its bleak materiality, its harshness. The characters
are typically constrained or overwhelmed by societal, cultural, or environmental limits. Stories in
the realist mode are usually devoid of a moral center, though characters are driven to make moral
choices in a seemingly amoral universe.
Like the romance mode with its “romantic paradox,” realism has its “realist paradox” too,
which can go in either of two directions, or both. Realist stories depict life in its ordinariness, its
boredom, but also its horrid monstrosity: for example, in Timothy Montes’s “The Housemaid”
(2007), 16-year-old Cirila’s very ordinary life in the province is shattered when she is sold by her
father to an older man who can take sexual liberties with her. Such disturbing events are depicted
as ordinary. In the other direction of the paradox, residual beauty is found in starkly
disconcerting environments. In the same story, Cirila who has all her life felt abandoned finds a
genuine friend in a prostitution house, of all places, in the person of a prostitute named Gina.
Practice
Identify what is being described in the following sentences.

1. __________ is the element that shapes how the events are told in a sequence or a
pattern.
2. A type of plot wherein events are chronologically sequenced (beginning, middle, and
end) is called __________.
3. A plot __________ is one that begins in the middle of the story’s action.
 4. A plot device called __________ is used when what is happening in the present is
explained by recalling an event in the past.
5. A plot device called __________ is used when a hint is provided about what will
happen later in the narrative.
6. The part of the plot where the initial state of things is being described is called
__________.
7. That which disturbs the initial state of things is called the plot’s __________.
8. Events that increase the intensity of the disturbance comprise the __________ and
subsequent complication of the plot.
9. The turning point of the plot, the point of its highest intensity, is called the
__________. This is where a kind of decisive crisis is reached such that whatever
decision made at this point changes the course of events and determines the ending.
10. __________ refers to the unraveling of the consequences of the major decision made
at the turning point of the plot. Sometimes, a new state of things is created, a return to
equilibrium as ending.

Possible Answers:

1. Plot
2. Classic Plot
3. In medias res
4. Flashback
5. Foreshadowing
6. Exposition
7. Conflict
8. Rising action
9. Climax
10. Falling action

Enrichment

"Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth," wrote Albert Camus. It remains an important
social and political tool. Reading fiction has been shown to increase empathy and understanding.
In the Instagram age, novels are still a necessary form of communication.

Evaluation
Identify what is being described in the following sentences.

1. A type of plot that doesn’t follow a typical chronological sequence but orders events in a
fragmentary way is called __________ plot.
2. The time and space or the physical and social contexts where a story take place is called
the __________.
3. The mood or general feeling evoked by the setting is called the __________.
4. The narrator is the person or persona (as distinguished from the author) who is telling the
story. An __________ narrator knows and reveals everything, including what’s in the
mind of the characters.
 5. An __________ narrator gives his or her comments or opinions, in contrast to an
objective narrator who does not.
6. An __________ narrator cannot be trusted for some reason (because he or she is lying,
mad, prejudiced, etc.). Narrators tell the story using the first, third, or in rare instances
second person.
7. The feeling hovering over the story is not only created by the setting, but also by the
narrator’s attitude toward the characters or story that he/she is telling. The narrator’s
attitude sets the __________ of the story.
8. Narrative perspective, also called __________, refers to the “eyepiece” or angle from
which readers witness the events as told by the narrator.
9. In many stories, a godlike, omniscient narrator shows everything, but in stories with
narrators of __________ omniscience, the perspective is restricted to one character (the
narrator or somebody else), or angled to the way that one character sees it.
10. Characters (human or not) are the movers of the plot. Characters can be major or minor,
complex or simple, dynamic or static. A character’s __________ explains his or her
actions or decisions.

Possible Answers:

1. Episodic plot
2. Setting
3. Atmosphere
4. Omniscient narrator
5. Intrusive narrator
6. Unreliable narrator
7. Tone
8. Point of view
9. Limited
10. Motivation
Topic: Creative Nonfiction
Content Standard: The learner will be able to understand and appreciate the elements and
contexts of 21st century Philippine literature from the regions.
Performance Standard: The learner will be able to demonstrate understanding and appreciation
of 21st Century Philippine literature from the regions through:

 written close analysis and critical interpretation of a literary text in terms of form and
theme, with a description of its context derived from research; and
 an adaptation of a text into other creative forms using multimedia.

Most Essential Learning Competencies: Compare and contrast the various 21st century literary
genres and the ones from the earlier genres/periods citing their elements, structures and traditions
Specific Objectives
At the end of the lesson, students are expected to:

 discuss creative nonfiction; and

 enumerate the different types of creative nonfiction texts.

Materials: PowerPoint presentation and laptop

References: Beyond Borders, Reading Literature in the 21st Century
Time Allotted: 45 minutes
Introduction:

Creative nonfiction encompasses texts about factual events that are not solely for scholarly
purposes. Creative nonfiction may include memoir, personal essays, feature-length articles in
magazines, and narratives in literary journals. This genre of writing incorporates techniques from
fiction and poetry in order to create accounts that read more like a story than a piece of
journalism or a report. The audience for creative nonfiction is typically broader than the
audiences for scholarly writing.

Review

Answer the following questions.

 What is fiction?
 What are the elements of fiction?

Possible Answers:

 It is a narrative form, in any medium, consisting of people, events, or places that are
imaginary—in other words, not based strictly on history or fact.
 Plot, Setting, Character, Conflict, Symbol, and Point of View are the main elements
which fiction writers use to develop a story and its Theme.
Instruction
C. Creative Nonfiction
Before we move forward to discussing poetry, let’s talk about this hybrid genre that
incorporates elements of fiction and poetry in the retelling of a personal experience. In
autobiography, biography, autobiographical narratives, memoir, and essays in the tradition of
“new journalism” or “literary journalism,” literariness (as explained above) is considered in the
depiction of real events and people. It is through the use of literary devices that insight about real
people (oneself included) and events are best teased out.
Memoirists understand that in unearthing memories of the past, we can’t help being
selective in the details to include in or exclude from the memory. Nobody can fully remember
the past; nobody can access the past in its pure objectivity. To some degree, then, narrating a
memory inevitably involves fictionalization of the past; memories are constructions of past
events rather than objectively retrieved data from the past. It inescapably involves reimagination
and revaluation of the past based on who we are at present. Of course, to say that memories are
fictional constructs does not mean they did not happen; the events actually happened, but our
recall of them is heavily mediated by our interpretation of them. Works of creative nonfiction
like the memoir are built on this idea which is similar to metafiction.
In another short story by Clinton Palanca titled “In Days of Rain” (1996), the first few
paragraphs establish not only the romance mode of the story as a nostalgic recollection of
childhood. It is also metafiction that works around the fine lines dividing nonfiction, fiction,
poetry (and to some extent, cinema). It is a work of action that possibly uses actual childhood
memories as material for creative but truthful reconstruction. In the story, the past is remembered
as poetic imagery, with a “cinematic soundtrack” underscoring the narrative. The narrator sees
his younger self and his childhood friends as though they are living in a novel or film. This
brings up the idea (or fact?) that we tend to remember the past in cinematic or novelistic terms,
i.e., we see it as a movie playing in our heads, complete with soundtrack, characterizations of the
people in the memory, symbolization of the setting, reconstruction of dialogue, and other literary
devices. 
Here are some examples of types of creative nonfiction texts.
1. Biography – provides details regarding the life of a person or a thing in an entertaining but
informative manner. By the end of biography, the readers feel like they are well acquainted with
the subject.
2. Autobiography – tells the story of the writer’s won life. Authors of autobiographies often
want to make sense of events in their lives and to communicate an important personal statement
about life. They may also want to give credit to people who influence them. Controversial
individuals often write autobiographies to explain or justify their actions.
3. Memoir – focuses on an event or series of events that evoke a change of view or feelings in an
entertaining way. It helps the audience to understand the author.
4. Travel Writing – records the experience of travelers in some interesting places and
circumstances. It includes vivid descriptions, illustrations, historical background, and possibly
maps and diagram.
5. Food Writing – focuses on communicating information about food. It lets readers experience
the relationship of food to man, to agriculture, nature, climate, nation-building, culture, tradition,
and even religion.
6. Profile – takes us behind the scenes of similar places and gives a glimpse of the inner
workings of a person. The writer conveys an interpretation or perspective. It introduces unusual
professions, hobbies, and personalities.
7. Personal Essay – focuses on a topic through the lens of the personal experience of the
narrator. It can be narrative or nonnarrative—it can tell a story in a traditional way or improvise a
new way. Ultimately, it should always be based on true, personal experience.
8. Literary Journalism – uses the techniques of journalism (such as interviews and reviews) in
order to look outside of the straightforward, objective world that journalism creates. It uses
literary practices to capture the scene/setting of the assignment or the persona of the person being
interviewed. It can be often be narrative or heavily imagistic.
9. Movie Review – provides a short description of a film and includes the reviewer’s opinion
about it. It assesses the movie’s overall quality and determines whether or not the film is worth
recommending. A film review can be formal or informal. When writing a scholarly film review,
formal language should be used.
Practice
Briefly discuss creative nonfiction.
Possible Answers:
Answers will vary
Enrichment
Creative nonfiction writers write about themselves and others, capturing real people and real life
in ways that can and have changed the world. What is most important and enjoyable about
creative nonfiction is that it not only allows but also encourages the writer to become a part of
the story or essay being written.
Evaluation
MULTIPLE CHOICE. Identify the different types of creative nonfiction text described in the
following statements. Choose the letter of the correct answer.
1. It provides details regarding the life of a person or a thing in an entertaining but
informative manner.
2. It tells the story of the writer’s won life.
3. It focuses on an event or series of events that evoke a change of view or feelings in an
entertaining way.
4. It records the experience of travelers in some interesting places and circumstances.
5. It focuses on communicating information about food.
6. It takes us behind the scenes of similar places and gives a glimpse of the inner workings
of a person.
7. It focuses on a topic through the lens of the personal experience of the narrator.
 8. It uses the techniques of journalism in order to look outside of the straightforward,
objective world that journalism creates.
9. It provides a short description of a film and includes the reviewer’s opinion about it.
10. It is a nonfiction prose which utilizes the techniques and strategies of fiction.

Possible answers:
1. Biography
2. Autobiography
3. Memoir
4. Travel Writing
5. Food Writing
6. Profile
7. Personal Essay
8. Literary Journalism
9. Movie Review
10. Creative Nonfiction
Topic: Poetry
Content Standard: The learner will be able to understand and appreciate the elements and
contexts of 21st century Philippine literature from the regions.
Performance Standard: The learner will be able to demonstrate understanding and appreciation
of 21st Century Philippine literature from the regions through:

 written close analysis and critical interpretation of a literary text in terms of form and
theme, with a description of its context derived from research; and
 an adaptation of a text into other creative forms using multimedia.

Most Essential Learning Competencies: Compare and contrast the various 21st century literary
genres and the ones from the earlier genres/periods citing their elements, structures and traditions
Specific Objectives
At the end of the lesson, students are expected to:

 discuss poetry; and

 enumerate the different types and forms of poetry.

Materials: PowerPoint presentation and laptop

References: Beyond Borders, Reading Literature in the 21st Century
Time Allotted: 45 minutes
Introduction:
Poetry is a type of literature based on the interplay of words and rhythm. It often employs rhyme
and meter (a set of rules governing the number and arrangement of syllables in each line). In
poetry, words are strung together to form sounds, images, and ideas that might be too complex or
abstract to describe directly.
Poetry was once written according to fairly strict rules of meter and rhyme, and each culture had
its own rules. For example, Anglo-Saxon poets had their own rhyme schemes and meters, while
Greek poets and Arabic poets had others. Although these classical forms are still widely used
today, modern poets frequently do away with rules altogether – their poems generally do not
rhyme and do not fit any particular meter. These poems, however, still have a rhythmic quality
and seek to create beauty through their words.
Review
Answer the following questions.

 What is creative nonfiction?

 What are the different creative nonfiction texts?

Possible Answers:
  Creative nonfiction is a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create
factually accurate narratives.
 Popular types of creative nonfiction include the personal essay, memoir, autobiography,
literary journalistic essay, travel writing, and food writing.

Instruction
D. Poetry
Mina Roy defines poetry as “prose bewitched.” If fiction is mainly concerned with plot
action, poetry is “life distilled” (says Gwendolyn Brooks) through words and language. (This is
of course not to say that action is not present in poetry, and that language play is not used in
fiction.) Poetry works via suggestion, implication, and ambiguity rather than via literal,
straightforward communication—which, though clear and singular in meaning, is too rigid or flat
for the rich, multifarious, fresh, intense, complex, even unusual ways of looking at the world that
poetry is mainly concerned to express. Poems are primarily relished as words as the building
blocks of this art—how their meticulous selection, arrangement, and calculated interplay deliver
ideas, feelings, perspectives, shades, flavors, and layers of meaning.
There are three general types. Lyric poetry expresses the thoughts, ideas, or feelings of
the speaker or persona. It is often in the first person, with the speaker either directly involved in
the dramatic situation or speaking from a detached observation point. Whereas lyric poetry
tackles a condensed moment, draws a single scene, or focuses on a single event, narrative poetry
deals with a series of events (i.e., plot action). In dramatic poetry, the speaker is an imaginary
character addressing another imaginary character who remains silent; this is also called dramatic
monologue. If the listener replies, or if there is a conversation, the poem is called a dialogue.
Elements and Forms of Poetry
Theme: the main point or the insight to ‘be derived from the poem.
Speaker/persona: the fictitious character whose voice we hear in the poem. In the same way
that a narrator is not necessarily the author, the speaker is not necessarily the poet and not
necessarily human (though usually possessing human traits). The speaker may either be an
observer or a direct participant in the dramatic situation that he/she/it is speaking about.
Dramatic situation: the moment (in lyric poetry) or series of events (in narrative poetry) that the
speaker speaks about in the poem.
Diction: the poem’s choice of words, with each word suggestive in terms of its meaning, sound,
and placement together with other words. Words may be abstract/concrete, general/specific,
formal/informal, denotative/connotative. An allusion is a word chosen for its direct reference to a
well-known historical or fictitious person, place, thing, or event. Typically used as shortcuts,
allusions convey compressed ideas in a single reference.
Figurative language/figures of speech: comparisons or substitutions that, for the sake of
freshness, emphasis, or surprise, depart from the usual denotation of words. In other words,
nonliteral use of language.

 Simile and metaphor: express similarity between dissimilar things (whereas literal
language would express similarity between obviously similar things). Simile focuses on a
single aspect of the likeness and uses connectives (like, as, than, such as, resembles, etc.).
 Metaphor does not use connectives but states that one thing is something else, imply-ing
a likeness in nature. Metaphors suggest several aspects of likeness. A conceit is an
elaborate and complicated metaphor.
 Metonymy: a word is substituted by another closely associated with it, e.g., “between the
cradle and the grave” (between birth and death), “the pen is mightier than the sword”
(pen is a metonym for writing, sword for fighting). In synecdoche, a part stands in for the
whole (or vice versa), e.g., “sail” standing in for ship; asking for one’s “hand” in
marriage.
 Paranomasia/pun: a form of wordplay involving two similar sounding words but with
different meanings. In “Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man” (a line
in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet), two meanings of the word “grave” are used: “grave”
which means serious, and grave as a metonym for death.
 Personification/anthropomorphism: human qualities are given to inanimate objects,
animals, or abstract terms (like love, nature, truth, death, etc.).
 Apostrophe: the speaker addresses someone or something who is absent, dead, does
not/cannot respond, or is not ordinarily spoken to.
 Hyperbole: an overstatement or an exaggeration for the sake of emphasis. An
understatement, on the other hand, implies more than what is said.
 Oxymoron: a combination of contradictory words or ideas, e.g., “wise foolishness,”
“bittersweet.”
 Paradox: a strange or self-contradictory statement that is apparently (or surprisingly)
true.
Image: word or words that appeal to any of the five senses (nor just visual as the term “image”
may suggest) to convey a Hash of understanding. Imagery refers to a cluster of sensory
perceptions, all the images in a poem taken to mean something together rather than separately; in
most cases, the sequencing of the images is significant as well. In sensory crossovers called
synesthesia, one sensory perception is expressed in terms of another, e.g., “loud shirt.” A symbol
is an object with literal presence in the poem but whose meaning or significance is greater and
beyond the literal.
Tone: the manner of the poem, could be the speaker’s attitude toward a subject
(himself/herself/itself, an object, another character, an event, or an idea). Tone is usually an
effect of diction and may be affectionate, hostile, earnest, playful, sarcastic, respectful, serious,
humorous, surprised, angry, nostalgic, tender, expectant, etc.
Irony: saying one thing but meaning another; a manner of speaking that implies a discrepancy
between words and their meanings, actions, and their results, between appearances and reality.

 Ironic point of view: the speaker’s tone differs from the poet’s (i.e., the intended
meaning contradicts the tone).
 Verbal irony: a word is used to actually mean the opposite. Sarcasm is a type of verbal
irony with a bitter or mocking tone.
 Dramatic irony: a character says, does, or encounters some-thing whose significance is
greater than what he/she understands—and the reader is aware of this. In tragic irony, the
reader is aware of the impending downfall of a tragic hero who does not foresee it.
 Situational irony: discrepancy between what is expected to happen and what actually
happens. Cosmic irony or irony of fate is a type of situational irony wherein there is a
discrepancy between a character or speaker’s aspiration and what is actually received at
the hands of fate.
Sound: patterns of consonants and vowels, in tandem with meaning, that contribute greatly to
the poem’s effect. For example, the sibilant “s” in “calm is the sea, the waves work less and less”
suggests the sound of swishing water.

 Euphony: the sound of the words are harmonious together.

 Cacophony: the sounds are harsh or discordant, e.g., the grating sound in “Grate on their
scrannel pipes of wretched straw.”
 Onomatopoeia: a word that imitates the sound it denotes, e.g. “zoom,” “crash,” “bang,”
“buzz.”
 Alliteration: the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of or inside
successive words (e.g., “so smooth, so sweet, so silvery is thy voice”).
 Assonance: the repetition of the same vowel sound at the beginning or inside successive
words (e.g., “eager beaver”).
 Rhyme: two or more words contain the same combination of vowel and consonant
sounds.
Rhythm: the recurrence of stresses and pauses in a poem. A stress or accent is a greater amount
of force (breath, loudness, pitch) given to one syllable. Meter refers to stresses that occur at fixed
intervals. Poems that follow a rhyme scheme, stanza pattern, or a particular meter are said to
have fixed forms (blank verse, sonnet, limerick, villanelle, rondeau, triolet, sestina, haiku, tanka,
ghazal, pantoum, sapphics). Poems that don’t follow the conventions of fixed forms are called
free verse or open form. However, open forms still follow internal organizing principles in terms
of spacing, lineation, repetitions, indentations, pauses and stresses, visual effect, etc.

 Iambs, anapaests, trochees, dactyls: terms referring to rhythm and meter,

 Couplet, tercet, quatrain, sestet, octave: terms referring to numbers of lines.
 Enjambment/run-on: one line carries over into the next line without any punctuation.
The opposite called end-stopping is when a line ends with punctuation (full stops, semi-
colons, or colons).
 Scansion: marking the stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem to determine its meter.

Practice
Briefly discuss poetry and its form.
Possible Answers:
Answers will vary
Enrichment
Poetry is a form of expression. Writing it lets us get out our feelings and thoughts on a subject
while reading it encourages us to connect and find meaning in our experiences. Poetry can have a
positive impact on the social and emotional learning of children. It may offer them a new way of
thinking about something.
Evaluation
MULTIPLE CHOICE. Identify the elements and forms of poetry described in the following
statements. Choose the letter of the correct answer.
1. It is the main point or the insight to be derived from the poem.
2. It is the fictitious character whose voice we hear in the poem.
3. It is the moment (in lyric poetry) or series of events (in narrative poetry) that the speaker
speaks about in the poem.
 4. It is the poet’s choice of words, with each word suggestive in terms of its meaning,
sound, and placement together with other words.
5. It is a word that appeals to any of the five senses.
6. It is the manner of the poem, could be the speaker’s attitude toward a subject.
7. It is a manner of speaking that implies a discrepancy between words and their meanings,
actions, and their results, between appearances and reality.
8. It is the recurrence of stresses and pauses in a poem.
9. It is an overstatement or an exaggeration for the sake of emphasis.
10. It is a type of literature based on the interplay of words and rhythm.
Possible Answers:
1. Theme
2. Persona
3. Dramatic Situation
4. Diction
5. Image
6. Tone
7. Irony
8. Rhythm
9. Hyperbole
10. Poetry
Topic: Drama
Content Standard: The learner will be able to understand and appreciate the elements and
contexts of 21st century Philippine literature from the regions.
Performance Standard: The learner will be able to demonstrate understanding and appreciation
of 21st Century Philippine literature from the regions through:

 written close analysis and critical interpretation of a literary text in terms of form and
theme, with a description of its context derived from research; and
 an adaptation of a text into other creative forms using multimedia.

Most Essential Learning Competencies: Compare and contrast the various 21st century literary
genres and the ones from the earlier genres/periods citing their elements, structures and traditions
Specific Objectives
At the end of the lesson, students are expected to:

 discuss drama; and

 enumerate the different types drama.

Materials: PowerPoint presentation and laptop

References: Beyond Borders, Reading Literature in the 21st Century
Time Allotted: 45 minutes
Introduction:
Drama is a mode of fictional representation through dialogue and performance. It is one of the
literary genres, which is an imitation of some action. Drama is also a type of play written for
theater, television, radio, and film.
In simple words, a drama is a composition in verse or prose presenting a story in pantomime or
dialogue. It contains conflict of characters, particularly the ones who perform in front of the
audience on the stage. The person who writes drama for stage directions is known as a
“dramatist” or “playwright.”
Review
Answer the following questions.

 What is poetry?
 What are the different elements of poetry?

Possible Answers:
  Poetry is a type of literature, or artistic writing, that attempts to stir a reader's imagination
or emotions. The poet does this by carefully choosing and arranging language for its
meaning, sound, and rhythm. Some poems, such as nursery rhymes, are simple and
humorous.
 As with narrative, there are "elements" of poetry that we can focus on to enrich our
understanding of a particular poem or group of poems. These elements may include,
voice, diction, imagery, figures of speech, symbolism and allegory, syntax, sound,
rhythm and meter, and structure.

Instruction
E. Drama
Like poetry, drama is also an ancient form of communal expression. Unlike modern
fiction that encourages reflective isolation and individuation in the act of reading, poetry and
drama are best enjoyed when performed (or read aloud rather than using just the eyes), with the
sounds and rhythms in poetry heard and the spectacle in drama seen by an embodied audience.
Like the storytellers of the oral tradition (as opposed to the authors of modern fiction), those who
composed plays long ago did not exactly originate content but rather recycled stories and
characters already known in the community into fresh artistic expressions on stage.
However, traditional theater did not always require a stage. In the Philippines, folk and
indigenized dramatic forms like the panunuluyan are communal reenactments of familiar stories,
in this case the biblical tale of Mary and Joseph’s search for a place to stay on the night Jesus
was born. The basic structure of the panunuluyan as described by Nicanor G. Tiongson includes
a procession with candles and a brass band, with Mary and Joseph either as human actors or
images on floats. The procession leaves the church and winds its way through the streets,
stopping at three or more designated houses where the holy couple (or the procession singers)
make a request to stay for the night. “The dialogue, which is cast in the octosyllabic quatrains
associated with the korido and called hakira or romance, is sung in the style of the kundiman, the
native love song which is slow and sad” (2008, 57). The couple is turned away by the house
owners, citing different reasons. The procession returns to the church where a belen or nativity
scene is unveiled for the midnight mass.
Still practiced today as part of Christmas festivities, the panunuluyan retains its basic
structure while incorporating new elements responsive to the times, like the one in Palo, Bulacan
in 1983 when the couple were turned away by a house owner who reasoned “they might be the
NPA rebels that the government is looking for,” and another who refused because times were
hard with “the peso depreciating to P14 to a US dollar” (Tiongson 2008, 66). A modern play also
cited by Tiongson is by the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) titled Ang
Panunuluyan ni Birheng Maria at San Jose sa Cubao, Ayala, Plaza Miranda, at Iba. Pang Lugar
sa Loob at Labas ng Metro Manila (1979). This stage play features Mary and Joseph searching
for a place to stay and along the way encountering slum dwellers, hypocrite society matrons,
fishermen and casual employees exploited for their labor (66-67). Both the 1983 Bulacan
panunuluyan and the PETA play, by drawing from a rich stock of tales and characters familiar to
the common folk, are able to critique new social formations as they incorporate new elements
into these revitalized traditional forms.
The elements of drama are the same as in fiction (the narrative aspect) and poetry (the
verbal aspect), with the addition of the following:
  In drama, there is usually no narrator; the audience is invited to infer meaning from the
characters’ actions, words, and the props on stage and other sensorial embellishments
(costumes, lighting, music and sound effects, etc.) that make up the play’s spectacle.
 Spoken words onstage may be classified into four: when a single character delivers a long
speech, it’s called a monologue.
 When that long speech is delivered as though the character is speaking to himself/herself
alone on the stage, it’s called a soliloquy.
 When characters speak to one another, the exchange of words is called dialogue.
 When a character steps out of the scene for a while to confidentially address the audience,
perhaps to comment about the scene or another character, it’s called an aside.
 Plays are largely classified into two according to purpose: tragedy and comedy (with
tragicomedy as a combination). The purpose of tragedy is to elicit two emotions from the
audience, pity and fear, to produce catharsis (or emotional release in the audience.
 To attain the purpose of tragedy, the protagonist called a tragic hero must be highly
relatable to the audience in that he/ she, like a typical human being, possesses a noble
character yet afflicted with a weakness called a tragic flaw.
 This weakness, minor in comparison to the hugeness of the character’s noble traits,
nevertheless causes his/her downfall. The result is called tragic fall or an overdetermined
series of events that have snowballed into inevitable, and to some degree undeserved,
ruin.
 Tragedy, however, is only truly attained when the protagonist realizes his or her flaw.
Otherwise, what is attained is simply pathos or mere sentimentality.
Practice
Briefly discuss drama.
Possible Answers:
Answers will vary
Enrichment
Drama promotes communication skills, teamwork, dialogue, negotiation, socialization. It
stimulates the imagination and creativity; it develops a better understanding of human behavior
and empathy with situations that might seem distant.
Evaluation
MULTIPLE CHOICE. Identify the elements drama described in the following statements.
Choose the letter of the correct answer.
1. It refers to the visual elements of a play: characters’ actions, words, and the props on
stage and other sensorial embellishments (costumes, lighting, music and sound effects,
etc.)
2. It is a speech by a single character delivers a long speech.
3. It is a monologue addressed to oneself, thoughts spoken out loud without addressing
another.
4. It is a conversation of two or more characters in a play.
5. It is a dramatic device in which a character steps out of the scene for a while to
confidentially address the audience, perhaps to comment about the scene or another
character.
6. It is the purification or purgation of the emotions (especially pity and fear) primarily
through art.
 7. It is the protagonist of a tragedy.
8. It is a literary device that can be defined as a trait in a character leading to his downfall.
9. It is a quality of an experience in life, or a work of art, that stirs up emotions of pity,
sympathy, and sorrow.
10. It is a mode of fictional representation through dialogue and performance.

Possible answers:
1. Spectacle.
2. Monologue
3. Soliloquy
4. Dialogue
5. Aside
6. Catharsis
7. Tragic Hero
8. Tragic Flaw
9. Pathos
10. Drama