Chapter 7

ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE AND THE COMBINED ARTS

At present not all written works can considered literature. To understand a good literary
work, we should know first the important elements of literature. It is undeniable that the medium
of the literature is language, and language is composed of words that are combined into
sentences to express ideas, emotions or desire.

Important Elements of Literature are:

1. Emotional Appeal - is attained when the reader is emotionally moved or touched by any
literary works.
2. Intellectual Appeal - Rizal’s two revolutionary novels the Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo are good illustrations of literature of intellectual appeal. Both add knowledge
information and remind the reader of what he has forgotten.
3. Humanistic Value – can be attained when a literary work makes the reader an improved person
with better outlook in life and with a clear understanding of his inner self.

Classification of Literature
Perrine stated that literature can be classified as escaped and interpretative literature.
Escaped Literature – is written for entertainment purposes, that is, to help us pass the time in an
agreeable manner.
Interpretative Literature – is written to broaden and sharpen our awareness of life.

Uses of Literature
1. Moralizing Literature – here the purpose of literature is to present moral lessons for the reader
to understand and appreciate and it may be directly indirectly stated.
2. Propaganda Literature – this kind of literature is found not only in history books, advertising
and marketing books but also in some books that describing one’s personal success and
achievements in life.
3. Psychological Continuum of the Individual-therapeutic Value – it could be looked on as a
sophisticated modern elaboration of the idea of catharsis – an emotional relief experienced by the
reader thereby helping him recover from a previous pent-up emotion.

Elements of the Short Stories

1. Plot – it is the sequence of incidents or events which a story is composed.
2. Character – reading for character is more complex, varied, and ambiguous.
3. Theme – it is the controlling idea of the insight in a literary work.
4. Symbol and Irony – a literary symbol is something that means more than what it is. Irony is a
term with a range of meanings all of them involving some sort of discrepancy or incongruity.

Elements of Poetry
1. Denotation/Connotation – Denotation is the actual meaning of a word derived from the
dictionary. Connotation is the related or allied meanings of a word.
2. Imagery – this may be defined as the representation of sense experience through language.
3. Figurative Language – both simile and metaphor are used as a means of comparing things that
are essentially unlike.
4. Rhythm and Meter – Rhythm is a part of our lives as there is rhythm in the way we talk the
way we swim and other similar activities. Meter in language is the accents that are so arranged
as to occur at apparently equal intervals of time.
5. Meaning and Idea – the meaning of a poem is the experience it expresses.

Elements of the Essay

Essay is simply defined as a literary composition on a particular subject. The essay can be
roughly grouped as formal and informal. It is considered informal when the essay is light,
humorous, and entertaining; and formal when the essay is heavy, informative and intellectually
stimulating. When reading an essay, the following elements should be considered:
1. The issue introduced. This reflects the actual purpose of the writer.
2. The writer’s view point and through. The final stand and of the author if he is for or against
the issue he has discussed.
3. The relevance of the issue to the life of the reader. This refers to the reader’s perception,
responsiveness, and enjoyment of the theme.

Elements of the Novel

The novel is particularly applicable to a long work of prose fiction dealing with
characters, situations, scenes that represent those of real life setting action in the form of a plot.
Novels like the other genres have important elements such as:
1. Setting – setting of a novel covers the time, the place, and the background.
2. Plot – is the skeleton or framework which gives proportion to the novel.
3. Character – is the moving spirit of the novel.
4. Theme – theme does not mean the moral lesson, for the letter is the message that teaches the
reader.
The Elements of Drama
Like poetry, it may draw upon the resources of language, including verse. Much drama is
poetry, but drama has one characteristic peculiar to itself. It is written primarily to be performed,
not read. It normally presents its action 1.) through actors. 2.) on a stage and 3.) before an
audience. Despite immense diversity of drama as cultural activity, all plays have certain elements
in common. They are the following;
1. Plot – it is the term sometimes used to mean a summary of a play’s story.
2. Character – the characters must be shaped to fit the needs of the plot, and all parts of the
characterization must fit together.
3. Thought – every play, even the most lighthearted comedy, involves thoughts in its broadest
sense.
4. Language (Dialogue) – it is means of expressing the character and the thoughts dramatically.
5. Theme – it is what a story means. It is the conviction about the real world we live in, and it
may be stated in several ways.
6. Climax/Denouement – is the scene of incident that is the fruition of the accumulated suspense,
and that stir the most intense feelings or emotions.
7. Music and Spectacle – aside from background music, there is music of speech and
movements. Spectacle intensifies emotions whatever these emotions are.
8. Costume and Make-up – every costume should be comfortable and surely put together and so
the performance doesn’t to worry about it once it is on.
9. Scenery and Lighting – scenery and lighting, furniture-painted backdrops, or large props,
should be real.