MANUAL IN

THE TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT OF

LITERATURE STUDIES

(ENG 358)

Ma. Leslie C. Sales

(2021)

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MINDANAO

Kabacan, Cotabato

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 LESSON 1:
INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE:
UNDERSTANDING LITERATURE, LITERARY GENRES

Intended Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this activity, you must be able to:
1. Analyze the components that makeup literature

Literature

Literary Genres

Prose Poetry

Introduction to Literature

"The difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean; not to affect
your reader, but to affect him precisely as you wish.”
—Robert Louis Stevenson

Literature comes from the Latin Littera meaning 'letters’ and referring to

an acquaintance with the written word. Literature, in the west, originated in the

southern Mesopotamia region of Sumer (c. 3200) in the city of Uruk and

flourished in Egypt, later in Greece (the written word having been imported there

from the Phoenicians) and from there, to Rome. Writing seems to have originated
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independently in China from divination practices and also independently in

Mesoamerica and elsewhere.

It is a verbal expression, oral, written, of the experiences of the people as

influenced by their history. If language is the people’s greatest invention, literature

is the greatest art. Most commonly refers to works of the creative imagination,

including poetry, drama, fiction, nonfiction, and in some instances, journalism, and

song. It presents man’s experience in various forms (sensation, feelings, moods,

attitudes, and events). In presenting all of these, writers choose specific structure

to convey meaning and select specific vision to present these human experiences.

Some works of literature are considered canonical, that is, culturally

representative of a particular genre (poetry, prose, or drama). Works of literature,

at their best, provide a kind of blueprint of human society because works of

literature give insight and context to all the world's societies (eg., epics

of Homer, plays of William Shakespeare, Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte and

Maya Angelou). It is more than just a historical or cultural artifact; it can serve as

an introduction to a new world of experience.

Reasons for Studying Literature

1. To know ourselves, our heritage, and the genius of our race as a people

distinct from others.

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 2. To realize that like other people, we also have great noble traditions that we

may use as a foundation for the assimilation for new cultures and

civilization.

3. To realize the limitation of our literary capacities and to retrain ourselves to

overcome them.

4. To recognize our literary merits and find means to improve them.

Literary Standards

1. Universality- Literature appeals to everyone, regardless of culture, race,

sex, and time which are all considered significant.

2. Artistry- Literature has an aesthetic appeal and thus possesses a sense

of beauty.

3. Intellectual Value- Literature stimulates critical thinking that enriches

mental processes of abstract and reasoning, making man realize the

fundamental truths of life and nature.

4. Suggestiveness- Literature unravels and conjures man’s emotional power

to define symbolisms, nuances, implies meanings, images and messages,

giving and evoking visions above and beyond the plane of ordinary life and

experience.

5. Spiritual value- Literature elevates the spirit and soul and thus has the

power to motivate and inspire, drawn from the suggested morals or lessons

of different literary genres.

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 6. Permanence- literature endures across time and draws out the time factor:

timelessness, occurring at a particular time, and timelessness, remaining

invariable throughout time.

7. Style- Literature presents peculiar ways on how man sees life as

evidenced by the formation of his ideas, forms, structures and expressions

which are marked by their memorable substance.

Three Ingredients of Literature

1. Subject- Any work of literature is about something and for this reason, it

has a subject. This subject may be an emotion, an object, abstract idea, or

an event.

2. Form- It is the verbal and artistic structuring of ideas. The subject on life for

instance, may be expressed in a poem, in a story, or in a drama form. In

reading literary works, you must pay careful attention to its form because

the aesthetic shape structure is a large part of work of art.

3. Point Of View- This refers to the angle of vision of the narrator.

a. First Person Point of View- narrator tells the story in the “I”

voice, expressing his own views. He is either a minor or main

character that tells the story in his own words.

b. Third Person Omniscient- narrator tells the story from an all-

knowing point of view. He sees the mind of all the characters.

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 c. Third Person Limited- narrator tells only what he can see or

hear “inside the world” of the story. This narrator is otherwise

known as “camera technique narrator” as he does not reveal what

the characters are thinking and feeling.

Literary Genres

2 Types of Literature:

a. Prose
b. Poetry

TOPIC DEFINITION TYPES/EXAMPLE

1. Prose A literary medium distinguished Essay, fiction,

from poetry especially by its prose drama,

greater irregularity and variety of nonfiction prose

rhythm and its closer

correspondence to the patterns of

everyday speech. It differs from

poetry in terms of tone, pace, and

object of attention.

1.1. Essay An analytic, interpretive or literary reflective

composition usually much shorter descriptive

and less systematic and formal didactic

than a dissertation of thesis and periodical

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 usually dealing with its subject from critical

a limited and often personal point

of view. It began at the beginning

of the 17th century where the

themes focused on the cultivation

of social manners.

1.2. Fiction Literature created from the fables, myths,

imagination, not presented as a legends, fairy tale,

fact. It may be based on a true folktale, prose

story or situation. satire, novel, short

story, novelette

1.2.1. Fable A short allegorical tale conveying a The Hare and the

moral of principle of behavior. The Tortoise

characters are usually animals

thinking like human being but

keeping their animal traits.

1.2.2. Myth A traditional tale common to the The Creation

members of a tribe, race, or nation. (Manuvu)

It usually involves the supernatural

and serves to explain natural

phenomena or suggest a religious

or moral truth.

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1.2.3. Legend A story of some wonderful events The Legend of

popularly believed t have some Sigbin

historical basis and passed down (Hiligaynon)

the ages. Some qualities are partly

real and partly mythical.

1.2.4. Fairy tale A simple narrative dealing with The Frog Prince

supernatural beings (such as (Tagalog)

fairies, magicians, ogres, or

dragons) that is typically of folk

origin and written or told for the

amusement of children. It contains

improbable events, scenes, and

personages, often having a

whimsical, satirical, or moralistic

character.

1.2.5. Folktale A characteristically anonymous, How Pilandok

timeless, and placeless tale Became a Sultan

circulated orally among the people.

It is hardly distinguished from

myths, since, especially in tales of

tricksters and heroes, they

presuppose a background of belief

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 about tribal origins and the

relations of mortals and gods.

1.2.6. Prose Stories in which human vices and Giovanni

satire follies are held up to ridicule. Boccaccio’s

Among the standard characters Decameron

are jealous, stupid husband; the

braggart and the unfaithful wife.

1.2.7. Novel A prose narrative in a large scale Nick Joaquin’s The

(book- length). It can be fantasy, Woman Who Had

love and adventure novel. Two Navels

1.2.8. Short story A prose narrative with limited Paz Marquez

length which must have Benitez’ Dead

characterization, unity, cumulative Stars

interest, climax and resolution. It is

usually concerned with a single

effect conveyed in a single

significant episode or scene and

involving limited number of

characters, sometimes only one.

1.2.9. Novelette A prose narrative that is Alfredo

intermediate between the short

story and the novel. It is about 50-

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 150 pages long, more elaborate Navarro Salanga’s

than a short story, but can be read The Birthing of

in a single sitting. Hanibal Valdez

1.3. Prose A literary work written in dialogue Severino Reyes’

drama and intended for presentation by Walang Sugat

actors. Its essence is the make-

believe by which an actor

impersonates a character of the

play.

1.3.1. Comedy A type of drama which aims A Midsummer

primarily to amuse and which ends Night’s Dream

happily. It maybe satirical in

manner that ridicules social follies.

1.3.2. Tragedy A drama where the chief character Sophocles’

undergoes a morally significant Oedipus the King

struggle which ends disastrously. It

assumes that humanity has a

sense of its own dignity and free

will, a sense of a moral law, and

forces which lie outside of and are

bigger than an individual.

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1.3.3. Farce An exaggerated comedy based Oscar Wilde’s The

broadly on humorous situations. It Importance of

is generally regarded as Being Earnest

intellectually and aesthetically

inferior to comedy in its crude

characterization and implausible

plots.

1.3.4. Historical A play with a theme from history, Christopher

plays consisting usually of loosely Marlowe’s Edward

connected episodes II

chronologically arranged. Also

known as the chronicle play. It

often emphasizes the public

welfare by pointing to the past as a

lesson for the present.

1.3.5. Melodrama A play with sensational actions, Augustin Daly’s

sentimental love story, extravagant Under the Gaslight

emotions, and generally, a happy

ending. The virtuous suffers in the

hands of the villainous but in the

end, virtue is triumphant.

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1.4. Nonfiction Literary works that are based

mainly on fact rather than on the

imagination. They may contain

fictional elements.

1.4.1. Biography A literary type where the subject is Samuel Johnson’s

the life of an individual. This form Lives of the

includes autobiography in which English Poets

the author recounts his or her own

1.4.2. Letter history.

A person written message to Modesto de

another person. Also called Castro’s Urbana at

epistolary literature whose Felisa

popularity as a genre has

continued to the present day.

1.4.3. Diary A record of events, transactions, or Jonathan

observations kept daily or at Swift’s

frequent intervals. Written primarily Journal to Stella

for the writer’s use alone, it usually

offers a frankness not found in

writing done for publication.

1.4.4. Journal An account of day to day events or

a record of experiences, ideas, or

reflections kept regularly for private

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 use. Similar to, but less personal

than a diary. The word is often

used of official or semiofficial

publications of special groups.

1.4.5. Literary A discipline concerned with a

Criticism range of inquiries about literature.

It maybe philosophical, descriptive

or evaluative.

2. Poetry A writing that formulates a narrative

concentrated imaginative lyric

awareness of language of dramatic

experience in language chosen

and arranged to create a specific

emotional response through its

meaning, sound, and rhythm. It can

be distinguished from prose in

terms of form by its compression

frequent (though not prescribed)

employment of the conventions of

meter and rhyme, by its reliance

upon the line as a formal unit,

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 heightened vocabulary, and

freedom of syntax.

2.1. Narrative Tells a story in richly imaginative Epic, metrical

and rhythmical language. It is the romance, ballad,

product of the oral tradition. metrical tale

2.1.1. Epic A long narrative poem in an Bantugan

elevated style that celebrates (Maranao)

heroic achievement. It treat themes

of historical, national, religious, or

legendary significance.

2.1.2. Metrical A long rambling love story in verse. Baltazar’s Florante

romance It dominantly depicts ideals of at Laura

chivalry, romantic love, and

religious elements.

2.1.3. Ballad A short narrative poem intended to Jose La Villa

be sung. Types can be either folk Tierra’s Ballad of a

or literary as in the epic. Mother’s Heart

2.1.4. Metrical It deals with any emotion or phase Al Perez’ Bayani

tale of life and its story is told in a ng Bukid

simple, straightforward, and

realistic manner. It is comparable

to a short story but short story is in

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 prose while metrical tale is in

verse.

2.2. Lyric A verse that expresses intense Ode, elegy, song,

poetry persona; emotion. It expresses sonnet

thoughts and feelings of the poet

and it sometimes contrasted with

narrative poetry and verse drama.

2.2.1. Ode A rather extended poem usually John Keat’s Ode to

complicated in meter and stanza a Nightingale

forms, and always deals with a

serious theme such as immortality.

It is considered the most majestic

lyric type that expresses

enthusiasm, lofty praise of some

person or thing.

2.2.2. Elegy A poem of a subjective and Tennyson’s Break,

meditative nature. It can be Break, Break

distinguished by its subject, that is,

death.

2.2.3. Song A short lyric poem intended to be Secular

sung. It has that particularly (nonreligious)

Sacred (religious)

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 melodious quality required by a

singing voice.

2.2.4. Sonnet A lyric poem distinguished by its Jose Garcia Villa’s

exact form of fourteen iambic Sonnet I

pentameter lines. The lines are

arranged in two waves of thought,

the rising in the octave and the

falling in the sestet.

2.3. Dramatic It portrays life and character Comedy, tragedy,

poetry through action in powerful, farce, historical

emotion-packed lines such as play, melodrama

those in the Shakespeare’s plays.

The poetic form is used to set forth

life and character by means of

speech and action.

*Dramatic A poem written in the form of a Robert Browning’s

monologue speech of an individual character My Last Duchess

to an imaginary audience. Caught Ezra Pound’s The

at a dramatic moment or crisis in River Merchant’s

his life, the speaker unconsciously, Wife: A Letter

even ironically, reveals his

innermost character.

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 ASSESSMENT

1. It is a verbal expression, oral, written, of the experiences of the people as

influenced by their history.
a. poem c. literature
b. history d. song
2. Works of literature, at their best, provide a kind of ______ of human
society.
a. blueprint c. words
b. frame d. life
3. Literature comes from the Latin word _______. .
a. Lit c. Era
b. Littera d. Terra
4. It is a literary standard which states that literature is aesthetic and appeals
to sense of beauty.
a. Universality c. Intellectual value
b. Artistry d. Spiritual value
5. It states that literature has the power to motivate and inspire through the
suggested morals or lessons of different literary genres.
a. Universality c. Intellectual value
b. Artistry d. Spiritual value
6. Any work of literature is about something and for this reason, it has a
_____.
a. Form c. Subject
b. Body d. Point of View
7. The narrator tells the story from an all-knowing point of view.
a. First person point of view c. Third person limited
b. Third person omniscient d. Second person point of view
8. It has greater irregularity and variety of rhythm and its closer
correspondence to the patterns of everyday speech.
a. Poem c. Prose
b. Fiction d. Poetry
9. A writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of
language of experience. It is characterized by its rhythm and rhyme.
a. Nonfiction c. Drama
b. Poetry d. Prose
10. Literature, in the west, is originated in the southern __________.
.
a. Poland c. Finland
b. Lithuania d. Mesopotamia

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