LITERATURE

and its Forms

 What is
Literature?
 derived from the Latin word
“litera” which means letter

 any printed matter written

within a book, a magazine or
a pamphlet
 literary productions, either oral,
written or visual containing
imaginative language that
realistically portrays thoughts,
emotions and experiences of the
human condition

 a story of man

 is an art
 What are the
general types of
Literature?
PROSE
 consists of written works within the
common flow of conversation presented
in a straightforward manner

POETRY
 an imaginative awareness of experience
expressed through meaning, sound, and
rhythmic language choices as to evoke
emotional response
Prose can either be:

Fiction
written in ordinary, non-metrical
language, but it is the product of the
writer's imagination.
 Nonfiction
written in ordinary, non-metrical
language and communicates facts or
opinions about reality.
 What are the
types of Prose?
Novel
 a long narrative divided into
chapters
Short Story
a narrative involving one or more
characters, one plot and one single
impression
Plays
presented on a stage, is divided into
acts and each act has many scenes
Folk tales
traditional narrative, usually
anonymous, and handed down orally

Examples:
The Adventures of Juan
The hawk and the Hen
Legends
are fictitious narratives, usually about
origins.
Fables
are also fictitious and they deal with
animals and inanimate things who
speak and act like people
Myths
 traditional sacred story, typically revolving
around the activities of gods and heroes,
which aim to explain a natural
phenomenon or cultural practice
Essay
 this expresses the viewpoint or opinion of
the writer about a particular problem or
event.

Examples:

Of Studies by Francis Bacon

On Doors by Christopher Morley
Biography
this deals with the life of a person
which may be about himself, his
autobiography or that of others

Example:
Cayetano Arellano
by Socorro O. Albert
News
this is a report of everyday events in
society, government, science and
industry, accidents etc., happening
nationally or not.
Oration
this is a formal treatment of a subject
and is intended to be spoken in
public.

Examples:
“Because of What We Are, and
What We Believe”
I have A Dream – Martin Luther
King
 What are the
types of Poetry?
Narrative Poetry
 this form describes important events in life
either real or imaginary.
Lyric Poetry
 refers to that kind of poetry meant to be
sung to the accompaniment of a lyre, but
now, this applies to any type of poetry that
expresses emotions and feelings to the
poet..
Dramatic Poetry
 this is an emotional piece of literature
which includes a story which is recited or
sung.
 What are the
types of Narrative
Poetry?
Epic
an extended narrative about heroic
exploits under supernatural control.
Metrical Tales
a narrative which is written in verse
and can be classified either as a
ballad or metrical romance.
Ballads
considered as the shortest and
simplest of the narrative poems. It
has a simple structure and tells of a
single incident.

Example:
Ballad of a Mother’s Heart
by Jose La Villa Tierra
What are the
types of Lyric
Poetry?
Folksongs
short poems intended to be sung.
Sonnets
this is a lyric of poem of 14 lines
dealing with an emotion, a feeling or
an idea.
Elegy
this is a lyric poem which expresses
feelings of grief and melancholy, and
whose theme is death.
Ode
a poem of a noble feeling, expressed
with dignity, with no definite number
of syllables or definite number of
lines in a stanza

Example:
Ode to Sir Lucius Cary and Sir H.
Morison
by Ben Jonson
Psalms
a song praising God or the Virgin Mary
and containing a philosophy of life.
Awit (Song)
these have the measures of twelve
syllables (dodecasyllabic) and slowly
sung to the accompaniment of a guitar
or banduria
Corridos
these have measures of eight syllables
(octosyllabic)and recited to a martial
beat.
 What are the
types of Dramatic
Poetry?
Melodrama
this is usually seen in musical play
with the opera.

Example:
Annabel Lee
by Edgar Allan Poe
Tragedy
this involves the hero struggling
mightily against dynamic forces; he
meets death or ruin without success
and satisfaction obtained by the
protagonist in a comedy
Comedy
this form usually is light and written
with a purpose of amusing, and
usually has a happy ending.
Farce
 an exaggerated comedy.
It seeks to arouse mirth by
laughable lines; situations
are too ridiculous to be true;
the characters seem to be
caricatures and the motives
undignified and absurd.
Social Poems
this form is either purely comic or
tragic and its pictures the life of today.
it may aim to bring about changes in
the social conditions.

Examples:
The Seasons: Winter
by James Thomson
Why do we need
to study
Literature?
 to better appreciate our literary
heritage
 appreciate other cultures and
beliefs
 develops critical thinking skills
 by studying good literature we
learn more about human
problems and difficulties
Thank You for
Listening!!!