INTRODUCTION TO THE

STUDY OF LITERATURE
-Abigail A. Cabia, LPT
 DEFINITION OF LITERATURE
• The word literature is derived from the Latin term “litera” which
means letter.
• Any printed material written within a book, a magazine or a
pamphlet.
• A faithful reproduction of man’s manifold experiences blended into
one harmonious expression.
• Brother Azurin, said that “ literature expresses the feelings of
people to society, to the government, to his surroundings, to his
fellowmen and to his Divine Creator.”
• For Webster, literature is anything that is printed, as long as it is
related to the ideas and feelings of people, whether it is true, or just
a product of one’s imagination.
• In Panitikang Pilipino written by Atienza Ramos,
Salazar and Nazal, it says that “true literature is a piece
of written work which is undying.” it expresses the
feelings and emotions of people in response to his
everyday efforts to live, to be happy in his environment
and, after struggles, to reach his Creator.”
WHY WE NEED TO STUDY PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE?
• to better appreciate our literary
heritage
• to understand that we have a
great and noble tradition which
can serve as the means to
assimilate other cultures.
• to manifest deep concern for our
own literature.
 TIME FRAMES OF PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
• The Period of Re-orientation : 1988-1910
• Period of Imitation: 1910-1925
• Period of Self-Discovery: 1925-1941
• Japanese Period: 1941-1945
• The Rebirth of Freedom: 1946-1970
• Period of Activism: 1970-1972
• Period of the New Society : 1972-1981
• Period of the Third Republic: 1981-1985
• Contemporary Period: 1986
LITERATUR • What is the relation of
E AND history and literature?
HISTORY
• is there any differences
between these two?
WHAT IS THE
• Literature and history are closely
RELATION OF related interrelated. In discovering the
HISTORY IN history of race, the feelings, aspirations,
LITERATURE? customs and traditions of a people are
sure to be included… and these feelings,
aspirations, customs and traditions that
are written is literature. History can
also be written and this too, is
literature. Events that can be written
down are part of true literature.
Literature, therefore, is part of history.
 • Literature and history,
however, also have differences.
IS THERE ANY Literature may be figments of
DIFFERENCES the imagination or events
BETWEEN devoid of truth that have been
THESE TWO? written down, while history is
made up of events that really
happened.
 • The Bible or the Sacred Writings
• Koran
• The Iliad and the Odyssey
• The Mahab-harata
• Canterbury Tales
LITERARY • Uncle Tom’s Cabin
COMPOSITION • The Divine Comedy
S THAT HAVE • El Cid Compeador
INFLUENCED • The Song of Roland
THE WORLD • The Book of the Dead
• The Book of the Days
• One Thousand and One Nights or The
Arabian NIghts
 Types of
Literature

Prose Poetry
 • consists of those written
within the common flow of
PROSE conversation in sentences and
paragraphs, while poetry
refers to those expressions in
verse, with measure and
rhyme, line, stanza and has a
more melodious tone.
 • Novels- a long narrative
TYPES OF divided into chapters and
PROSE events are taken from true-
to-life stories.

Ex. Without Seeing the

Dawn by Stevan Javellana
 • Short story- this is a
TYPES OF narrative involving one or
PROSE more characters, one plot
and one single impression.

Ex. The Laughter of My

Father by Carlos Bulosan
 • Plays- this is presented on
TYPES OF a stage, is divided into acts
PROSE and each act has many
scenes

Ex. Thirteen Plays by

Wilfredo M. Guerrero
TYPES OF • Legends- these are
fictitious narratives,
PROSE usually about origins.

Ex. The Bikol Legend by

Pio Duran
 • Fables- these are also
fictitious and they deal with
TYPES OF animals and inanimate things
PROSE who speak and act like
people and their ways and
attitudes.

Ex. The Monkey and the

Turtle
 • Anecdotes- these are
TYPES OF merely products of the
writer’s imagination and
PROSE the main aim is to bring
out lessons to the reader.

Ex. The Moth and the

Lamp
 • Essay- this expresses the
TYPES OF viewpoint or opinion of
PROSE the writer about a
particular problem or
event. The best example of
this is the Editorial page of
a newspaper.
 • Biography- This deals
TYPES OF with the life of a person
which may be about
PROSE himself, his autobiography
or that of others.

Ex. Cayetano Arellano by

Socorro O. Albert
TYPES OF • News- This is a report of
PROSE everyday events in society,
government, science and
industry, and accidents,
happening nationally or
not.
 • Oration- this is a formal
TYPES OF treatment of a subject and
PROSE is intended to be spoken in
public. It appeals to the
intellect, to the will or to
the emotions of the
audience.
 • refers to those
POETRY expressions in verse, with
measure and rhyme, line
and stanza and has a more
melodious tone.
 TYPES OF
POETRY

NARRATIV
LYRIC DRAMATIC
E
A.
NARRATIVE
POETRY • This form describes
important events in life
either real or imaginary.
DIFFERENT
VARIETIES OF • Epic- This is an extended
NARRATIVE narrative about heroic exploits
POETRY often under supernatural control.

Ex. The Harvest Song of

Aliguyon translated in English by
Amador T. Daguio
DIFFERENT
VARIETIES OF • Metrical Tale-this is a narrative
NARRATIVE poetry which is written in verse
POETRY and can be classified either
ballad or a metrical romance.

Ex. Bayani ng Bukid and Hero of

the Fields, by Al Perez,
DIFFERENT
VARIETIES OF
NARRATIVE • Ballads- this is
POETRY considered the shortest
and simplest. It has a
simple structure and
tells of a single incident.
 • this meant to be sung to the
accompaniment of a lyre, but
LYRIC POETRY now, this applies to any type
of poetry that express
emotions and feelings of the
poet. They are usually short,
simple and easy to
understand.
DIFFERENT • Folksongs- these are short
VARIETIES OF poems intended to be
LYRIC POETRY sung. The common theme
is love, despair, grief,
doubt, hope and sorrow.

Ex. Chit-Chirit-Chit
DIFFERENT • Sonnets- This is a lyric
VARIETIES OF poem lines dealing with an
LYRIC POETRY emotion, a feeling, or an
idea.

Ex. Santang Buds by

Alfonso P. Santos
DIFFERENT • Elegy- this is a lyric poem
VARIETIES OF expresses feelings of grief
LYRIC POETRY and melancholy, and
which theme is death.

Ex. The Lover’s Death by

Ricardo Demetillo
DIFFERENT • Ode- this is a poem of a
VARIETIES OF noble feeling, expressed
LYRIC POETRY with dignity, with no
definite number of
syllables or definite
number of lines in stanza.
Example: Ode to the West
Wind
DIFFERENT
VARIETIES OF
• Psalms – This is a song
LYRIC POETRY
praising God or the Virgin
Mary and containing a
philosophy of life.
DIFFERENT • Awit/Song- these have measures
VARIETIES OF of twelve syllables
(dodecasyllabic) and slowly
LYRIC POETRY sung to the accompaniment of a
guitar or bandura.

Ex. Florante at Laura by

Francisco Balagtas
DIFFERENT • Corridos- these have
VARIETIES OF measures of eight syllables
LYRIC POETRY (octosyllabic) and recited
to a martial beat.

Ex. Ibong Adarna

 • also known as dramatic monologue,
DRAMATIC is meant to be spoken or acted.
POETRY Similar to narrative poetry, dramatic
poetry tells a story. You’re most
likely to find dramatic poetry in the
form of dramatic (or even comedic)
monologues or soliloquies written in
a rhyming verse.
DIFFERENT
VARIETIES OF • Comedy- the word comedy
DRAMATIC comes from the Greek term
POETRY “komos” meaning festivity or
revelry. This form is usually
light and written with the
purpose to amusing, and
usually has a happy ending.
DIFFERENT • Melodrama- this is usually
VARIETIES OF used in musical plays with
DRAMATIC the opera. Today, this is
POETRY related to tragedy just as the
farce is to comedy. It arouses
immediate and intense
emotion and is usually sad
but there is a happy ending
for the principal character.
DIFFERENT
VARIETIES OF • Tragedy- this involves the
DRAMATIC hero struggling mightily
POETRY against dynamic forces; he
meets death or ruin without
success and satisfaction
obtained by the protagonist.
DIFFERENT • Farce- This is an
VARIETIES OF exaggerated comedy. It seeks
DRAMATIC to arouse mirth by laughable
POETRY lines; situations are too
ridiculous to be true; the
characters seem to be
caricatures and the motives
undignified and absurd.