THE 7 LITERARY STANDARDS OF LITERATURE

The following criteria are suggested and used by literary bards, pundits and critics around the
world to evaluate a literary piece. Here are The 7 Literary Standards of Literature that makes
a Literary Piece Good:

1. Artistry - a quality which appeals to our sense of beauty.

2. Intellectual Beauty - each literary pieces must stimulate thought. These should enrich
our mental life by making us realize about the fundamental truths towards life and human
nature.
3. Suggestiveness - this is the quality relevant to the emotional power of literature to make
us feel deeply and stir our imagination. It should trigger and evoke visions above and
beyond the plane of ordinary life experiences.
4. Spiritual Value - a literary work must elevate the spirit within us by bringing our moral
values into the realm of the physical world. It should present moral values necessary for
us to reflect and eventually inspire us to become a better person.
5. Permanence - a great literary work endures and can be read again as each readings gives
fresh delights and new insights. It should not be ephemeral or merely a passing hype to
the audience; it should be long-lasting.
6. Universality - a great literary work is timeless and timely. It is forever relevant, it
appeals to one and all, anytime, and anywhere because it deals with an array of
individual's perceptions as well as orientations toward fundamental truths and universal
conditions.
7. Style - it is peculiar way in which a writer sees life, form his or her ideas expresses them.
Great works are marked as much by their memorable substances as by their distinctive
style.

A particular literary piece must possess these seven literary standards in order to be called a
peerless epitome of artwork capable of enduring the inexorable gusty tides of alteration. To
criticize it is to consider the seven literary standards. Be critical. Ask yourself once in a while.

Does it move you?

Does it tickle your imaginations?
What does it suggest?
What moral lessons can be drawn out?
Would it still be read and make a good reference hundreds of years from now?
Does it possess multifaceted natures for all sorts of audience?
Does the style fascinate you? Is the style used unique or forgery?
 GENERAL TYPES OF LITERATURE

Literature can generally be divided into two types; prose and poetry. Prose consists of those
written within the common flow of conversation in sentences and paragraphs, while poetry refers
to those expressions in verse, with measure and rhyme, line and stanza and has a more melodious
tone.

PROSE
There are many types of prose. These include novels or biographies, short stories, contemporary
dramas, legends, fables, essays, anecdotes, news and speeches.

1. Novel. This is a long narrative divided into chapters. The events are taken from true-to-
life stories…and span a long period of time. There are many characters involved.
Example: WITHOUT SEEING THE DAWN by Steven Javallena.
2. Short Story. This is a narrative involving one or more characters, one plot and one single
impression. Example: THE LAUGHTER OF MY FATHER by Carlos Bulosan.
3. Plays. This is presented on a stage, is divided into acts and each act has many scenes.
Example: THIRTEEN PLAYS by Wilfredo M. Guerrero.
4. Legends. These are fictitious narrative, usually about origins. Example: THE BIKOL
LEGEND by Pio Duran.
5. Fables. These are also fictitious and they deal with animals and inanimate thins who
speak and act like people and their purpose is to enlighten the minds of children to events
that can mold their ways and attitudes. Example: THE MONKEY AND THE TURTLE.
6. Anecdotes. These are merely products of the writer’s imagination and the main aim is to
bring out lessons to the reader. It can be stories about animals or children. Example: THE
MOTH AND THE LAMP.
7. Essay. This expresses the viewpoint or opinion of the writer about a particular problem or
event. The best example of this is the Editorial page of a newspaper
8. 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
9. News. This is a report of everyday events in society, government, science and industry,
and accidents, happening nationally or not.
10. Oration. This is a formal treatment of a subject and is intended to be spoken in public. It
appeals to the intellect, to the will or to the emotions of the audience.

POETRY
There are three types of poetry and these are the following:

1. Narrative Poetry. This form describes important events in life either real or imaginary.
The different varieties are:

 Epic. This is an extended narrative about heroic exploits often under supernatural
control. Example: THE HARVEST SONG OF ALIGUYON translated in
English by Amador T. Daguio
  Metrical Tale. This is a narrative which is written in verse and can be classified
either as a ballad or a metrical romance. Examples: BAYANI NG BUKID by Al
Pere
 Ballads. Of the narrative poems, this is considered the shortest and simplest. It has
a simple structure and tells of a single incident. There are also variations of
these: love ballads, war ballads, and sea ballads, humorous, moral, and historical
or mythical ballads. In the early time, this referred to a song accompanying a
dance.

2. Lyric Poetry. Originally, this 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 of the poet. They are usually short, simple and easy to understand.

 Folksongs (Awiting Bayan). These are short poems intended to be sung. The
common theme is love, despair, grief, doubt, joy, hope and sorrow. Example:
CHIT-CHIRIT-CHIT
 Sonnets. This is a lyric poem of 14 lines dealing with an emotion, a feeling, or an
idea. These are two types: the Italian and the Shakespearean. Example:
SANTANG BUDS by Alfonso P. Santos
 Elegy. This is a lyric poem which expresses feelings of grief and melancholy, and
whose theme is death. Example: THE LOVER’S DEATH by Ricaredo Demetillo
 Ode. This is a poem of a noble feeling, expressed with dignity, with no definite
number of syllables or definite number of lines in a stanza.
 Psalms (Dalit). This is a song praising God or the Virgin Mary and containing a
philosophy of life.
 Awit (Song). These have measures of twelve syllables (dodecasyllabic) and
slowly sung to the accompaniment of a guitar or banduria. Example:
FLORANTE AT LAURA by Franciso Balagtas
 Corridos (Kuridos). These have measures of eight syllables (octosyllabic) and
recited to a martial beat. Example: IBONG ADARNA

3. Dramatic Poetry

 Comedy. The word comedy comes from the Greek term “komos” meaning
festivity or revelry. This form usually is light and written with the purpose of
amusing, and usually has a happy ending.
 Melodrama. This is usually used in musical plays with the opera. Today, this is
related to tragedy just as the farce is to comedy. It arouses immediate and intense
emotion and is usually sad but there is a happy ending for the principal character.
 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.
  Farce. This is 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 it pictures the life of
today. It may aim to bring about changes in the social conditions.

REFERENCES:
http://easyliteraturewithtaj.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-literary-standards-of-literature.html
http://bihirangpanitikangpilipino.blogspot.com/2013/07/types-of-literature.html

FIVE MAIN GENRES OF LITERATURE

#1- FICTION
One of the most popular genres of literature, fiction, features imaginary characters and events.
This genre is often broken up into five subgenres: fantasy, historical fiction, contemporary
fiction, mystery, and science fiction. Nonetheless, there are more than just five types of fiction,
ranging from romance to graphic novels.
In fantasy, the characters or settings could not exist in the world as we know it because they
require a sort of “magical” element. The Harry Potter and Twilight series are popular examples.
Historical fiction, however, features made-up stories that accurately portray life during a
particular period in history. Examples include books such as The Da Vinci Code or The Boy in
the Striped Pajamas.
Similar to historical fiction is the subgenre of contemporary fiction. In this category, stories take
place in the present day and characters encounter modern day difficulties and issues. The Hate U
Give and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants are popular contemporary fiction novels.
Another popular subgenre of fiction is mystery. In these suspense-filled stories, characters use
various clues to solve crimes or uncover a culprit. The Nancy Drew and Sherlock Holmes novels
are prime examples of the mystery genre.
The last subgenre of fiction is science fiction. In these types of stories, authors and readers
explore new and exciting realities made possible by imagined technologies or social changes.
Star Wars is one of the most famous examples.
#2- NONFICTION
Unlike fiction, nonfiction tells the story of real people and events. Examples include biographies,
autobiographies, or memoirs.
#3- DRAMA
Another popular category of literature, known as drama or play, is a story created specifically for
a stage performance. The most renowned author of drama was William Shakespeare—the writer
of Macbeth, Hamlet, and Romeo and Juliet. More modern plays include A Streetcar Named
Desire and A Raisin in the Sun.
#4- POETRY
The fourth genre of literature is poetry. In this style of writing, words are arranged in a metrical
pattern and often (though not always) in rhymed verse. Renowned poets include e.e. cummings,
Robert Frost, and Maya Angelou.
#5- FOLKTALE
Another beloved genre of literature is folktale. Folktale, which is also referred to as mythology,
tells stories of originally oral literature and are meant to pass on particular moral lessons. These
tales often have a timeless quality, dealing with common concerns that are relevant despite the
time period.
Source: https://vhlblog.vistahigherlearning.com/the-five-main-genres-of-literature.html