Unit 1:
Introduction to Literature
Lesson 1: What is Literature?
Lesson 2: Major Literary Genres:
Lesson Objectives
At the end of this lesson, the students are
expected to:
• Define literature and explain its
importance in the human experience;
• Differentiate the major literary genres:
poetry, prose, creative nonfiction, and
drama;
• Analyze selected texts based on their
respective genre elements; and
• Appreciate the diversity of literary forms
and their contributions to cultural
identity.
Literature
Let us define the term...
Literature
• “Litera” (Latin) = letter
• “the use of letters” or writing --knowledge acquired in
studying books
• A piece of printed work connected to the thoughts
and expressions of the people
What is Literature?
• Literature represents a language or people: culture
and tradition.
• Literature introduces us to new worlds of experience.
• Literature entertains us.
• Literature may help us grow and evolve.
Misconceptions about Literature
• It is full of hidden meanings it is accessible to anyone who knows how
to read it
there is NO single correct way to read a
• it has a “single meaning”
good piece of literature
Major Literary Genres
POETRY PROSE
CREATIVE DRAMA
NONFICTION
POETRY
• the most compact form of
literature
• ideas, feelings, rhythm, and sound
are packed into carefully chosen
words to convey meaning to the
readers
Three Types of Poetry
1.Narrative
2.Lyric
3.Dramatic
Three Types of Poetry
NARRATIVE
• poems that tell a story
• historically began as oral
traditions
Example: The Ramayana,
epic from Hindu tradition
Three Types of Poetry
LYRIC
• poems that are supposedly sung
with musical accompaniment
• express the poet’s or the
persona’s feelings and emotions
Example: Sonnets from the Portuguese by
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Three Types of Poetry
DRAMATIC
• usually performed onstage
• can be sung or spoken
Example:
William Shakespeare’s Julius
Caesar
Elements of Poetry
Persona
• a dramatic character who
is the speaker in the poem
• A persona is not always the
poet.
Elements of Poetry
Form
• Poetry is written in lines,
and oftentimes the lines
are divided into groups
called stanzas.
Elements of Poetry
Elements of Poetry
Elements of Poetry
Imagery
• the use of language that
appeals to the five senses:
visual (sight), auditory
(hearing), gustatory (taste),
tactile (touch), and
olfactory (sense).
Elements of Poetry
Sound Patterns
• rhyme, rhythm, and other literary
devices that pertain to sounds
• onomatopoeia - using words that
imitate the sound of what they
refer to
• alliteration - repetition of initial
sounds
• assonance - repetition of vowel
sounds within neighboring words
Elements of Poetry
Rhyme
• the repetition of similar or identical sounds at the end of
poetic lines
A. rhyme scheme - the pattern of the rhyme placed at the end
of each line or stanza in a poem
B. rhythm
• Pattern of beats or stresses in a line
• foot – unit of rhythm; made up of of a combination
of stressed (strong) and unstressed (soft) syllables
• meter - the measurement of syllables in a line; basic
rhythmic structure (no. of syllabus + pattern of emphasis)
Elements of Poetry
Elements of Poetry
Figurative Language
• words or phrases that are put together
to help readers picture ordinary things
in new ways
Theme
• the central idea of a poem
• the main idea or message the poet wants
to convey
PROSE
• any writing that does not have a
metrical structure and
rhythmical pattern like poetry
• composed of sentences and
paragraphs instead of lines and
stanzas
• divided into two: fiction and
nonfiction
Fiction
• a story that is made up or
invented by an author
• events in the story are not
real; they are products of the
author’s imagination
• examples are short stories
and novels
Fiction
Short Stories
• read in one sitting and strive for
unity and effect
• can typically be read in a single
sitting
• usually focuses on one plot, one
main character (with a few
additional minor characters), and
one central theme
Fiction
Novels
• longer and more complex than a
short story
• over 40,000 words (novella has
17,500–39,999 words, novelette
has 7,500–17,499 words)
• characters, setting, plot, and theme
are usually more developed and
detailed than a short story’s
Plot Structure
• linear format produces a
climactic plot
• contains the exposition, rising
action, climax, and falling action
leading to the resolution of the
story
Note: Some stories follow a nonlinear
format. It means that some stories start in
the middle or at the end.
Plot Structure
Episodic Plot
• features distinct episodes
that are related to one
another but that also can be
read individually, almost as
stories by themselves
• e.g., The Silmarillion by J.R.R.
Tolkien
Plot Structure
Cumulative Plot
• contains repetition of
phrases, sentences, or
events with one new aspect
added with each repetition
• common among children’s
stories
• e.g., “The Three Little Pigs”
Plot Structure
Frame Narrative/Embedded plot
• a story in which another story
or other multiple stories is/are
embedded
• can also be that the main story
is relayed secondhand to a
character in the narrative
• e.g., The Sign of Four by Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle
NONFICTION
• deals with real people, places,
and events
• two broad categories of
nonfiction: informative
nonfiction and literary
nonfiction
INFORMATIVE
NONFICTION
• texts that provide factual
information
• examples are science and
history books, encyclopedias,
dictionaries, and periodicals
LITERARY
NONFICTION
• written like fiction, but the
people, events, and places
involved remain factual
• examples of nonfiction
narratives are autobiographies,
biographies, and personal
essays
LITERARY
NONFICTION
Autobiography
• the story of a person’s life as
told by himself or herself
• usually written in the first-
person point of view and covers
a long period of the author’s life
• shorter types are journals,
diaries, and memoirs
LITERARY
NONFICTION
Biography
• the story of a person’s life told
by another person
• Both autobiographies and
biographies share similar
elements to that of fiction such
as character, setting, and plot.
LITERARY
NONFICTION
Essay
• a piece of writing that centers
on one topic or subject matter
• purpose may be to inform, to
describe, to entertain, or to
persuade the readers
• can be informal or personal and
formal
DRAMA
• stories in verse or prose form
that are meant to be performed
onstage in front of an audience
• Authors who write dramas are
called dramatists or
playwrights.
DRAMA
• Elements of drama are similar
to those of fiction except that
drama is written in a form called
script, in which the lines are
written in dialogues with stage
directions.
• Instead of chapters, dramas are
divided into acts and scenes.
Types of Drama
Tragedy
• central character has a tragic
flaw, making this character a
tragic hero
• He or she possesses a
characteristic that can lead to
his or her downfall.
Types of Drama
Comedy
• aims to make the audience laugh
• lighthearted
• often take place in unusual
circumstances, and it is typical for
characters in these plays to utter
witty remarks
Types of Drama
Musical Drama
• Characters dance and sing.
• Various themes are presented,
from serious to comedic.
Types of Drama
Farce
• a nonsensical drama that
employs slapstick humor
• mainly comedic
• characterized by absurd
conditions or situations and
ardent actions
Types of Drama
Melodrama
• characterized by the characters’
exaggerated emotions in
various situations
Dialogue
• refers to the characters’
speech and is considered the
lifeblood of drama
• the audience get to
understand the story, not only
by the characters’ actions but
also by their speech
Forms of Dialogue
Dialogue
• the conversations of two or more
characters onstage
Monologue
• a long speech given by one
character that can be heard by
or directed to other characters
who are also onstage
Forms of Dialogue
Soliloquy
• the speech of a character who is
alone onstage
• portrayed as though the
character is talking to himself or
herself, or to the audience, and
the words cannot be heard by
the other characters
Forms of Dialogue
Aside
• a remark that a character makes
that is meant only for the
audience to hear
• other characters onstage do not
hear asides
Thank You
