Major Genres of the 21st

Century Philippine
National Literature
Lesson 2
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.
 Discuss how different contexts enhance the text’s
meaning and enrich the reader’s understanding.
Produce a creative representation of a literary text
by applying multimedia and ICT skills.
ELEMENTS
OF
POETRY
Elements of Poetry
1. Sense- it is revealed through words, elements and
symbols
a. Diction. This refers to the denotative and connotative
meanings of the lines in poetry.
b. Images and Sense Impressions. These refer to the
choice of words used to create sensory images which
appeal to the reader’s sense.
Elements of Poetry
2. Sound – it refers to the creative use of words by the
poets to imitate sounds
a. Rhythm. This is the order alteration of strong and weak
elements in the flow of sound and silence.
b. Meter. This refers to the duration, stress, or number of
syllables per line. c. Rhyme Scheme. This is the formal
arrangement of rhymes in a stanza of the whole poem.
Elements of Poetry
3. Structure – it refers to the arrangement of words and
lines to fit together and the organization of the parts from
the whole
a. Word Order. This is the natural arrangement of words
in each verse.
b. Punctuation. This is the use of punctuation marks, to
clearly indicate emotions.
c. Shape. This refers to the poet’s choice of contextual and
visual design, omission of spaces, capitalization and lower
case.
d. Tone. It refers to the poet’s or speaker’s attitude toward
the subject, toward the reader, or toward himself.
e. Voice. It refers to the speaking persona in poetry where
specific characters are not indicated as the speaker.
Classes of Poetry
1. Lyric Poetry – a kind of poetry which expresses
emotions, mood and reflection of the musical
a. Ode. This is a majestic type of lyric poetry with
expression of enthusiasm and dignity to someone loved.
b. Elegy. The lyric poem with the subject matter of death.
It represents a tone of a deep feeling of personal grief for
someone who passed away.
c. Song. This is a short lyric poem which is intended
primarily to be sung and has the particular melodious
quality required by the singing voice.
2. Narrative Poetry – this is a long descriptive poem
that narrates a story in a sequential order about life
and events that may be real or imaginary

a. Epic. This is a long narrative poem that tells

stories about life, quests and adventures of a
supernatural hero.
b. Ballad. This is a form of narrative poetry that is
considered to be the simplest and shortest
form. Its verses suggest significant events
meant to be sung.
This refers to any imaginative fact
and idea of life. Themes and
conflicts raised in some stories are
similar in real life context. These
make the reader’s view and put
themselves into the shoes of the
characters.
Fiction
 Types of Fiction
1.Chick lit – a type of fiction which addresses issues
of modern womanhood, often humorously and
lightheartedly. The genre became popular in the late
1990s. It sometimes includes romantic elements but
is not generally considered a direct subcategory of
the romance novel, because the heroine’s
relationship with her family and friends is often just
as important as her romantic relationships.
Types of Fiction
2. Flash Fiction – it is a style of fictional literature of
extreme brevity. There is no widely accepted
definition of the length of the category.

Some self-described markets for flash fiction

impose caps as low as three hundred words,
while others consider stories as long as a
thousand words to be flash fiction.
Types of Fiction
3. Speculative Fiction – is an umbrella term
encompassing the more fantastical fiction
genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy,
horror, weird fiction, supernatural fiction,
superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction,
apocalyptic and post apocalyptic fiction and
alternate history in literature as well as related
static, motion and visual arts.
Types of Fiction
4. Novel – this is a lengthy narrative story
separated into a series of chapters. It
possesses complexity of plot and has the
capacity to introduce numerous characters in
different parts of the story. It also contains
more elaborate settings.
Types of Fiction
5. Short Story – this is a short
narrative story which focuses
on a single plot and
characterized by its different
elements.
 The
Elements
of a
Short Story
1. Setting – this refers to the time,
place and condition in which the
story takes place
2. Characters – these are the
persons, animals or things moving
around the plot of the story
2 Major Types of
Characters
a. Protagonist – this refers to the main
character in the story. He/she is the
hero/heroine of the story
b. Antagonist – He/she is the villain
who opposes the main character in the
story.
3. Plot – this refers to the
series of actions and
events that happened in
the story
 5 Parts of the Plot
a. Exposition – this is the part that sets the mood of the story
wherein characters, setting and background are being
introduced
b. Rising Action – it is the part of the plot that marks the onset of
the major conflict in the story
c. Climax – This is the part that builds the highest tension and
considered to be the story’s highest point of interest
d. Falling Action - this marks the revelation and realization of the
characters leading to the resolution of the story’s main conflict
e. Denouement – it is the final resolution and outcome of the
story
4. Conflict – this refers to the struggle of
complication involving the characters of the
story
Types of Conflict
a. Man vs. Man
b. Man vs. Himself
c. Man vs. Nature
d. Man vs. Society
e. Man vs. Technology
5. Point of View – this pertains
to the voice used by the writer
as a narrator of the story and
how it was seen or told
Three Points of View
a. Omniscient – the author allows the inner thoughts and
feeling of the main characters to be presented in the
text
b. First Person Point of View - the author is the one
observing and speaking in the story. He can be one of
the characters or the one portraying his own identity
c. Third Person or Limited Point of View – the author
chooses a character as a narrator who will be the
central observer and detect action inside the story.
6. Mood – this refers to the atmosphere and tone
of the story
7. Theme – This pertains to the central idea which
conveys truths and values according to the
author’s purpose and perspective on the human’s
experience
8. Symbols – These are the images and objects
used in the story to stand for something other than
Themselves.
 Creative Nonfiction -It is expository in nature
that deals with facts and reality which aims to
explain a theory, idea and a point of view .

1. Autobiography – is a story of a person’s life written by himself

from his own point of view according to his personal style. In
its pure form, it is written from a person’s memory of his past.
2. Biography – This is a story of the life of a real person written
by someone else.
3. Essay – is a piece of writing which is often written from an
author’s personal point of view.
Literary Devices in Literature
– are also known as literary
techniques pertaining to the
conventions and structures
employed in different literary
writings.
1. Aphorism – this is a concise statement that contains
subjective truth or observation. For example, “A bad penny
always turns up” is an aphorism for the fact that bad people
or things are bound to turn up in life. We just have to deal
with them when they do.
2. Chekhov’s gun – this refers to the insertion of an apparently
irrelevant object early in a selection to which the purpose is
revealed later. In a way it’s like foreshadowing. Best example is
in the work of Anton Chekhov himself in Act 1 of his play “The
Seagull, the main character carries a rifle out onto the stage. By
the end of the play, he has used the rifle to commit suicide.
3. Cliffhanger – this literary device creates an open ending
in the story by leaving the conflict unresolved. The purpose
of cliffhanger is to encourage the reader to keep turning
pages or viewer to anticipate and never fail to watch the
next episode.
Examples would be some Kdramas we have watched like
The King: Eternal Monarch and The World of Married
Couple where every episode ending makes you wish you
have access to the next episode.
4. Epiphany – it creates a sudden revelation or
insight --- usually with a symbolic role in the narrative.
For example: In the middle of a typical argument with
his wife, a man realizes he has been the one causing
every single argument, and that in order to keep his
marriage, he must stop being such an aggressive
person.
5. Figures of Speech – these are creative group of
words used beyond its literal meaning to enhance
sense of impression and intensify ideas.
 Kinds
of
Figures of Speech
a. Alliteration – the repetition of
the consonant sound.
Ex. Ralph’s reindeer rose
rapidly and ran round the
room.
b. Allusion – it refers to any scientific,
historical, mythological and biblical event or
figure.

Ex. “I am not Lazarus

nor Prince Hamlet.”
c. Assonance – it is the repetition of the
similar vowel sound in between the
neighboring words.

Ex. I found the arrow,

still unbroken.
d. Apostrophe – it addresses
inanimate objects as real objects.

Ex. Flowers make me

beautiful tonight.
e. Euphemism – it is the substitution
of an inoffensive term for one
considered offensively explicit.
Ex. My friend passed
away
f. Hyperbole – these are statements
used to exaggerate terms and ideas.

Ex. I can love you for

a thousand years.
Metaphor – this is a direct
comparison of two unlike things
without using words such as like,
resemble and similar to
Ex. Your fist is a
hammer
h. Metonymy – it refers to a word or
phrase substituted for another to
which is identifiable and associated
with the idea referred to.
Ex. The pen is mightier
than the sword.
i. Onomatopoeia – is the use of
words to imitate sounds.

Ex. Woosh!, Bang!,

Ding-dong!
j. Oxymoron – the use of the
contradictory words that appear on
both sides of the sentence.
Ex. The student teacher
knows her subject matter very
well.
k. Paradox – this refers to a phrase
or statement used to convey
emotional sense.

Ex. You have to die in order

to live.
l. Personification – these are
expressions that give human
qualities to objects, animals and
ideas.
Ex. The scissors are running
on your hair.
m. Simile – this is a comparison of
two unlike things with the use of
words such as: like, as like as,
resemble and similar to.
Ex. You are like a star that
shines brightly in the velvet sky
n. Synecdoche – it is a part used
to represent as a whole.

Ex. He drove his new

wheels.
o. Flashback – it is a general
term for altering sequences of
events in the story, taking
characters back to the
beginning of the tale for
instance.
p. Flashforward – otherwise
known as prolepsis, it is an
interjected scene that temporarily
jumps the narrative forward in
time.
q. Foreshadowing – it pertains to
hinting at events to occur later.
r. Juxtaposition – it involves using
two themes, characters, phrases,
words or situations together for
comparison, contrast or rhetoric.
s. Rhetorical Question – it is posing
a question without expecting an
answer or reply. It is intended to
create persuasive effects to its
readers.
DRAMA
It is an art of imitating human
characters and actions. Early
drama was usually written in
poetic form, while the modern and
contemporary drama is usually
written in prose.
Genres
of
Drama
1. Tragedy – is a type of drama in which the
main character is struggling against
dynamic forces. It shows the downfall or
destruction of the hero or noble who is
caught up in a sequence of events such
as death and difficult circumstances
which inevitably results in disaster.
Ex. Romeo and Juliet by: Shakespeare
2. Comedy – is a type of drama
intended to capture the interest and
entertain the audience through
interjecting wit, humor and delicate
ideas.
Ex. Dante Alighiere’s “ Inferno”
(Divine Comedy)
3. Tragicomedy –is a type of drama which
does not adhere strictly to the structure of
tragedy. It blends both aspects of tragedy and
comedy. The story suggests a happy ending
despite the unfortunate events which
happened in the plot.
Examples: The Merchant of Venice by:
Shakespeare and Anton Chekhov’s “The
Cherry Orchard”
4. Farce – is a type of drama with exaggerated
characters and swift movements. Its plot
consists of humorous events and ridiculous
situations.

Ex. The Importance of Being

Earnest by Oscar Wilde
5. Melodrama – is a type of drama which shows
events that follow each other rapidly, but seems
to be governed by chance. It possesses a
sensational dramatic piece which appeals
strongly to the senses.

Ex. Wuthering Heights by

Emily Bronte
ELEMENTS
OF
DRAMA
1.Plot – it refers to a series and arrangement of events
in a drama. It consists of 5 parts: exposition, rising
action, climax, falling action and denouement.
2.Characters – they are the actors who create the entire
shape of actions in the drama through creating
opportunities and conflicts in the story.
3.Setting – it is the time, place and condition where the
story takes place. It also refers to the physical
arrangement of the stage to vivify stage directions.
4. Dialogue – it pertains to the lines delivered by
the actors and used to advance the action and
narrate the story.
a. Aside – this is a short speech delivered by the actor
to the audience in which the other characters do not
hear
b. Soliloquy – this is a short speech delivered by the
actor by uttering his inner thoughts to the audience in
order to reveal personal feelings
c. Gestures – it refers to the physical
movements of the character on stage
d. Music – it is used to add color and
dramatic effect in the play
e. Theme – it is the central idea or
message that explains what the play is
all about
Activity 2
Choose one theme from the following. Create a
one stanza poem consisting of five lines using the
different figures of speech listed below as guide.
a. Friendship
b. Family
c. Love
d. Culture
e. Dream
1st line – Apostrophe
2nd line – Hyperbole
3rd line – Personification
4th line – Simile
5th line - Onomatopoeia
Activity 2
Write on the blank the figures of speech used in the
following.
___________________ 1. Your fist is a hammer.
___________________ 2. She is a freelance writer.
___________________ 3. I can walk a thousand miles just
to be with you tonight.
___________________ 4. Bang! Bang! Into the room.
___________________ 5. My best friend passed away.
Activity 2
Write on the blank the figures of speech used in the
following.
___________________ 6. The moon smiled back at me.
___________________ 7. I have died every day waiting for
you.
___________________ 8. She sells sea shells on the sea
shore.
___________________ 9. You are the sunshine of my life.
___________________ 10. You are as beautiful as a
rainbow.
Thank you!