LITERATURE


Literature- is derived from the Latin word litera – meaning letter

 

-      Any printed matter written within a book, magazine or pamphlet.

-      Faithful reproduction of man’s manifold experiences blended into one garmonious expression.

-      Man’s loves, griefs, thoughts, dreams, & aspirations coached in beautiful language

-      Story of man

-      SHE – significant human experience


Reasons for studying literature

1.    To better appreciate our literary heritage.

2.    TO trace the rich heritage of ideas handed down to us by our fore fathers.

3.    To understand the great and noble tradition of the different races of the world.

4.    As Filipinos, to take pride in our own culture & manifest deep concern for our own literature.


Types of Literature

A.    PROSE

1.    Novel – long narrative divided into chapters. The events are taken from true- to-life stories & spans a long period of time.

2.    Short Story – a narrative involvinh one or more characters, one plot & one single impression.

3.    Plays – presented on stage divided into acts & each act has many scenes.

4.    Legends – these are fictions, narratives, usually about origins.

5.    Fables – stories about animals & inanimate things that speak & act like people & their purpose is to enlighten the minds of children to events that can mold their ways & attitudes.

6.    Anecdotes – products of the writer’s imagination & the main aim is to bring out lessions to the reader.

7.    Essay – expresses the viewpoint or opinion of the writer about a particular problem or event- best example is the editorial page of a newspaper.

8.    Biography – deals wotj the life of a person which maybe about himself or that of others.

B.    POETRY

1.    Narrative


a.    Epic – an extended narrative about heroic exploits often under supernatural control.

       Ex. Bi-ag ni Lam-Ang-Ilokos

       Ybalon – Bicol

       Hudhud at Alim – Igorot

       Bidasari – Mindanao

       Beowulf – England

       Iliad & odyssey – Greece

 

b.    Tales – stories about supernatural beings

c.    Ballads – short poems, adapted for singing, simple in plot and metrical structure

2.    Lyric – type of poetry that expresses emotions and feelings of the poet

       -usually short, simple & easy to understand

a.    folksongs (awiting bayan) – short poems intended to be sung

 

-common themes are love, despair, grief, doubt, joy, hope & sorrow

       Ex. Chit-Chirit-Chit

b.    Sonnet – 14 line poem dealing with emotions, feelings or ideas

       Ex. Sonnets of Shakespeare

c.    Elegy – poem for the dead

       Ex. Annabel Lee

       By Edgar Allan Poe

       Elegy written in Country Churchyard By Thomas Gray

d.    Ode – poem of a noble feeling, expressed with dignity on a certain thing/object.

       Ex. Ode to the West Wind Percy Bysshe Shelley

e.    Psalms – song praing God & containing a philosophy of life       Ex. Psalm of David

f.     Awit – Florante at Laura – sung – 12 syllables per line – realistic

g.    Corrido – Ibong Adarna – recited – 8 syllables – elements of fantasy

3.    Dramatic Comedy

a.    tragedy – involves the hero who struggles mighty against dynamic forces until he meets death.

       Ex. Hamlet

       b.    Comedy – Greek word “komos” meaning festivity or   revelry

       - purpose – amusement / happy ending

c.    melodrama – arouses immediate & intense emotion and is usually sad but there is happy ending for the principal character.

d.    farce – exaggerated comedy

       - seeks to arouse mirth by laughable lines.

       - situations are too ridiculous to be true