MODULE 1:
Introduction to Literature
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INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE
At the end of this module, the learners will be able to:
1. Discuss the definitions and functions of literature
2. Compare the different literary forms and genres
based on its elements and features
3. Appreciate the importance of literature in one’s life
Definitions of Literature
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What is literature?
• Derived from the Latin word
littera, “a letter of the
alphabet,” literature is first and
foremost humankind’s entire
body of writing; after that it is
the body of writing belonging to
a given language or people;
then it is individual pieces of
writing.
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What is literature?
• It has traditionally been applied
to those imaginative works of
poetry and prose distinguished
by the intentions of their
authors and the perceived
aesthetic excellence of their
execution.
• It is therefore a creation of
human experiences that tells
about people and their world. [Link]
What is literature?
• Literature is a form of human
expression. But not everything
expressed in words—even when
organized and written down—is
counted as literature.
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What is literature?
LITERARY STANDARDS (William J.
Long)
• Artistry - aesthetically appealing
and reveals or conveys hidden
truth and beauty
• Suggestiveness - allows the
work to inspire and provoke
thoughts and understanding
beyond the actual words written
on the page [Link]
What is literature?
LITERARY STANDARDS (William J.
Long)
• Intellectual Value - promotes
critical thinking that enhances
both abstract and reason-based
thought processes and makes
readers focus on the fundamental
truths of life and nature
• Spiritual Value - lifts the inner
spirit and soul and has the power
to motivate and inspire readers [Link]
What is literature?
LITERARY STANDARDS (William J.
Long)
• Permanence - determined by a
written work’s ability to stand
the test of time, which makes it
impossible to determine at the
moment of writing
• Universality - appeals to the
hearts and minds of almost any
reader [Link]
What is literature?
LITERARY STANDARDS (William J.
Long)
• Style - refers to the distinct way
the author expresses his or her
thoughts
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What is literature?
FUNCTIONS OF LITERATURE:
• According to Horace:
• Dulce (sweetness) – to
entertain, to delight the
audience
• Utile (usefulness) – to
instruct, to inform the
audience
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What is literature?
FUNCTIONS OF LITERATURE:
• As an art, literature might be
described as the organization
of words to give pleasure. Yet
through words literature
elevates and transforms
experience beyond “mere”
pleasure. Literature also
functions more broadly in
society as a means of both
criticizing and affirming cultural [Link]
values.
What is literature?
• “Literature raises life to a new
level of meaning and
understanding, and in the process
restores sanity and justice in an
insane and unjust world.” – Cirilo
F. Bautista
• “Perhaps what makes literature 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.” –
J.F. Loria [Link]
Divisions of Literature
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Divisions of Literature
TYPES FORMS
Oral
Fictional
• Through word Poetry
of mouth Prose
Written Nonfictional
Drama
• Through Prose
writing
Poetry
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Poetry
• uses metrical language with
lots of rhythm and rhyme to
create word pictures. Poetry
employs all kinds of word play,
figurative language, and
imagery to send its messages,
which are often rather obscure
and need to be dug out with
some effort on the part of the
reader.
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Types of Poetry
Lyric Narrative
• originally sung or recited • story telling developed from
with a musical instrument, ritualistic chanting of myths
called a lyre • stories were not memorized
• personal experience, close as is generally assumed but
relationships, and instead bards improvised
description of feelings as oral chants, relying on heavy
their material alliterative and assonantal
techniques
Lyric Poems
Elegy Ode
• a reflective poem to • an elevated poem that
honor the dead pays tribute to a
person, idea, place, or
another concept
Sonnet Haiku
• a descriptive fourteen- • a seventeen-syllable
line poem with a poem that uses natural
specific rhyme scheme imagery to express an
emotion
Narrative Poems
Ballad Epic
• narrative poetry set to • a lengthy poem that
music tells a story of heroic
adventures
Metrical Tale Metrical Romance
• topics vary from • also called chivalric
romance, the quest for poems
adventure, love, and
various phases of life
Fictional Prose
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Fictional Prose
• written in ordinary, non-metrical
language, but it is the product
of the writer's imagination. The
meaning of fictional works can
stretch all the way from
obscure and difficult to clear
and direct.
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Types of Fictional Prose
Short Story Novel
•marked by relative shortness •an extended work of prose
and density, organized into a fiction
plot and with dénouement at •denotes a prose narrative
the end. The plot may be about characters and their
comic, tragic, romantic, or actions in what is
satiric. It may be written in the recognizably everyday life
mode of fantasy, realism or
naturalism.
Nonfictional Prose
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Nonfictional Prose
• written in ordinary, non-metrical
language and communicates
facts or opinions about reality.
Nonfiction meanings are
usually straightforward because
the writer's primary purpose is
to convey information or
persuade readers.
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Types of Nonfictional Prose
Biography Autobiography Memoir Travelogue
Academic Journalistic
Interview Texts Texts Diary
Speech Letter
Drama
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Drama
• combines elements of prose and
poetry into plays that are usually
intended to be performed on
stage. Drama joins monologues
and dialogues by characters with
stage directions and occasionally
narrative sections that explain the
action. Like poetry, drama can
feature hidden meanings and
messages that take some work to
decipher.
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Types of Drama
Comedy Farce Musical
• Lighthearted tone • Exaggerated humor • Originally referred to as
• Clever wordplay or turns • Slapstick gags opera
of phrase • Nonsensical storyline • Dramas in which the
• Serious topics addressed • Improbable events characters sing and
in a humorous way dance while performing
• One or two settings
• Comical • The entire production is
• Humor is often crude
misunderstandings and inappropriate set to a musical score
• Happy ending
• Silly, offbeat characters
• Often ends with a
wedding, especially in
romantic comedies
Types of Drama
Melodrama Tragedy Tragicomedy
• Periods of standard storyline • A protagonist with a tragic flaw • A serious storyline told in a
interrupted by songs • Circumstances that quickly get humorous, sardonic, or snide
• Dramatic or comedic storylines out of control – and not in a way
• A sensational dramatic piece funny way • Tragically flawed characters
with exaggerated characters • Darker themes than a whose actions don’t result in
and exciting events intended melodrama, such as human death
to appeal to the emotions suffering, hatred, or poverty • An ambiguous theme
• Features the downfall of a • Broad characters who act in
previously heroic or well-liked classically comical ways
character • Neither a happy nor a comic
• An irredeemable ending that ending
results in one or more
characters’ deaths
• Reaches a tragic catharsis
Importance of Literature
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Why is Literature Important?
• Literature is a powerful stress
reliever
• Literature fuels imagination
• Reading literature improves
concentration and focus
• Reading literature keeps the
brain active and healthy
• Literature expands a person’s
vocabulary [Link]
Why is Literature Important?
• Reading literature improves a
person’s writing skills
• Literature improves a person’s
communication skills
• Literature encourages critical
thinking
• Literature teaches readers
about history
• Reading literature can
encourage empathy
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References
Gunner, J. (n.d.). Different Types of Drama in Literature. Retrieved from [Link]
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Halse, K. & Conner, A. (2020). What are the Seven Literary Standards? Retrieved from [Link]
view/seven-literary-standards-da99877887b7425
Kittelstad, K. (n.d.). Examples of Poetry Genres: Major Styles Explained. Retrieved from
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Literary Forms & Genres: How They Affect Meaning. (2015, March 25). Retrieved from
[Link]
Maity, S. (2021). What is Metrical Romance and its examples? Retrieved from [Link]
romance-and-its-examples/
Metrical Tale. (n.d.) Retrieved from [Link]
Neziroski, L. (2003). Narrative, lyric, drama. Retrieved from
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Rexroth, K. (2020, October 30). Literature. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from
[Link]
Soken-Huberty, E. (2021). 10 Reasons Why Literature is Important. Retrieved from [Link]
why-literature-is-important/
Types of Prose Fiction. (n.d.). Retrieved from [Link]
Why Literature?
By Mario Vargas Llosa
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Mario Vargas Llosa
Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, (born
March 28, 1936, Arequipa, Peru),
Peruvian Spanish writer whose
commitment to social change is evident
in his novels, plays, and essays. In 1990
he was an unsuccessful candidate for
president of Peru. Vargas Llosa was
awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in
Literature “for his cartography of
structures of power and his trenchant
images of the individual’s resistance,
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revolt, and defeat.”
• According to Llosa’s observations,
what causes the decrease in the
number of people who read?
• How different is the function of
Guide Questions literature from science and
technology in society?
• What are the benefits of reading
literature?
• Why does Llosa regard readers of
literature as ‘free’?
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References
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2021, April 14). Mario Vargas Llosa. Encyclopedia Britannica.
Retrieved from [Link]
Llosa, M. V. (2001). Why Literature? The premature obituary of the book. Retrieved from
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