Lesson 1

Introduction
SO
to

Literature
SO
SO
What is Literature?
SO
1. a body of written works
2. writings having excellence
SO
of form or expression and
expressing ideas of
permanent or universal
interest
3. derived from the
Latin littera,SO“a letter of the
alphabet,” literature is first
and foremost humankind’s
entire body of writing
4. a “slice of life”
5. body of work; written, oral,
SO
or visual; containing
imaginative language that
realistically portrays thoughts,
emotion, and experiences of the
human condition
6. a product of a particular
culture that SO
concretizes
man’s array of values,
emotions, actions and
ideas
7. a creation of human
SO
experiences that tells
about people and their
world
8. Literature is an art that
reflects the works
SO of
imagination, aesthetics and
creative writing which are
distinguished for the beauty
of style or expression.
“Literature raises life into
a new level of meaning
SO
and understanding, and
in the process restores
sanity and justice in an
insane and unjust
world.”

Cirilo F. Bautista
 What
SO is the
importance
of
Literature?
 Importance of Studying
Literature
1. Studying Literature is like
SO
looking at the mirror of life
where man’s experiences, his
innermost feelings and
thoughts are reflected.
 Importance of Studying
Literature
SO
2. Through Literature, we
learn the culture of people
across time and space.
 Importance of Studying
Literature
SO
3. Through Literature, we
understand not only the past
life of a nation but also its
present.
 Importance of Studying
Literature
SO
4. We become familiar not
only with the culture of
neighboring countries but
also with that of others
living very far from us.
 Importance of Studying
Literature
5. “Perhaps what makes literature
SO
a more delightful and enriching
study than the rest that deal with
the past is its potential of making
readers identify with what they
read through values learned.”

-JF Loria
Importance of Studying Literature
1. To benefit from the
SO
insight of others
2. To open our minds
to ambiguities of
meaning
Importance of Studying Literature

3. To explore other
SO
cultures and beliefs
4. To appreciate why
individuals are the way
they are
Importance of Studying Literature

5. To exercise our brain

SO
6. To encourage us to
question “accepted”
knowledge
Importance of Studying Literature

7. To appreciate the
contributions SO
literature
has made to history

8. To see human tragedy

Importance of Studying Literature
9. To strengthen our
SO
mastery of the language

10. To recognize language

devices and appreciate
their emotional power
Importance of Studying Literature

11. To see the admirable

SO
in everyday life

12. To know that we are

not alone
Importance of Studying Literature

13. To refine our judgement

SO
14. To learn to support our
points of view and trust our
own interpretations
Importance of Studying Literature

15. To develop our

SO who
empathy for those
are unlike us

16. To expand our

vocabulary
Importance of Studying Literature

17. To improve our

writing skills SO

18. To learn to use our

language well
Importance of Studying Literature

SOour
19. To improve
reading
comprehension
 Literary
Standards
These are a set of
SO
characteristics to
determine whether or not
a work is literary.
SEVEN Literary Standards

SO
Seven Literary Standards

SO
SO
7 Literary Standards
4. SUBJECTIVENESS
SO
Literature unravels and conjures
man’s emotional power to
define symbolisms, nuances,
implied meaning and images.
5. SPIRITUAL VALUE
Literature elevates the
spirit and the soul and
SO
thus has the power to
motivate and inspire,
drawn from suggested
morals of different
literary genres.
SEVEN Literary Standards
6. PERMANENCE
SO
Literature endures across
time and draws out the
time factor: timeliness and
timelessness.
Literary Standards
7. Style
SOpeculiar way/s
Literature presents
on how man sees life as evidenced
by the formation of his ideas, forms,
structures and expressions which are
marked by their memorable
substance.
How do we study
SO
Literature?
Through the help of
SO
Seven Literary
Approaches
Seven Literary Approaches
1. Formalistic Approach
SO
Literature is viewed intrinsically,
independent of the author, age
or any extrinsic factor. It focuses
more on “literary elements”.
2. Moral or Humanistic
Approach
SOto discuss man
Literature is viewed
and his nature. It naturally presents
man as essentially rational,
endowed with intellect and
freewill.
Seven Literary Approaches
3. Historical Approach
SO
Literature is seen both as a
reflection and product of the
times and circumstances in
which it was written.
7 Literary Approaches
4. Sociological Approach
SO
Literature is viewed as the
expression of man within a
given social situation which
is reduced and limited.
Seven Literary Approaches
5. Cultural Approach
SO
Literature is seen as one of the
manifestation and vehicle of
a nation’s/race’ culture and
tradition.
7 Literary Approaches
6. Psychological Approach
SO
Literature is viewed as the expression
of “personality” of “inner drives” or
“neurosis”. It includes the psychology
of the author, characters, and even
the psychology of its creation.
7. Impressionistic Approach
Literature is viewed to elucidate
“reacting-response”SOwhich is
considered as something very
personal, relative and fruitful.
It seeks to see how the piece
has communicated.
 END
Introduction
SO
to

Literature