UNIVERSITY OF CALOOCAN CITY

Biglang Awa St., Corner Catleya St., EDSA, Caloocan City

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

CREATIVE WRITING
 
SUBJECT CODE: ENG 501
TOPIC OR LESSON: Power Writing
WEEK: 5
SUB-TOPIC/S: The Effective Beginning and Ending

 OVERVIEW OF THE TOPIC

Welcome to your learning material on Creative Writing. This week you are tasked to learn and
accomplish activities on literary genres.
In this module, you will explore and understand the various types of literary genre and sub-
genres. You are also expected to perform and complete activities/tasks provided in this module.

LEARNING
OUTCOMES
On the completion of this module, you are expected to manifest an in-depth understanding on the
different types of literary genres.

LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
1. Identify and understand the nature of literature;
2. Determine various types of literary genres and sub-genres;
3. Master the elements of the different genres of literature;
4. Identify and enumerate underlying principles in the development of texts across different
genres; and
5. Differentiate the distinct characteristics of the various literary genres.

ENGAGE

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 Task 1
Directions: Complete the concept map with word/phrase that you can associate with literature
and further explain your answer.

Literature

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Literary Genre

Processing Questions:

1. How would you define literature and literary genre?

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2. How each literary genre distinct form one another?

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EXPLORE

Task 2

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 Directions: Watch the link below about literature and answer the following questions. Refer to
the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oarGRayak5o

1. What is literature?
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2. What is literary genre?

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3. What are the four main literary genres?

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EXPLAIN

Nature of Literature

• Literature is mimetic. It is a mirror or a slice of life.

• Literature is language in use, and is therefore not separable from language. However, literature
involves more than language, because meanings go beyond language.
• Literature is a product of a particular culture and is more culture-bound than language.
• Literary competence is the ability to unlock the “grammar” of literature.

LITERATURE (n.) creative writing of recognized artistic value; the profession or art of a writer;
"her place in literature is secure" 1. The body of written works of a language, period, or culture.    2.
Imaginative or creative writing, especially of recognized artistic value: “Literature must be an analysis of
experience and a synthesis of the findings into a unity” (Rebecca West).   3. The art or occupation of a
literary writer.   4. The body of written work produced by scholars or researchers in a given field: medical
literature.   5. Printed material: collected all the available literature on the subject.   6. Music. All the
compositions of a certain kind or for a specific instrument or ensemble: the symphonic literature.
[Middle English, book learning, from Old French litterature, from Latin litterātūra, from
litterātus, lettered.  
Literary Dictionary
Literature, a body of written works related by subject‐matter (e.g. the literature of computing), by
language or place of origin (e.g. Russian literature), or by prevailing cultural standards of merit. In this
last sense, ‘literature’ is taken to include oral, dramatic, and broadcast compositions that may not have
been published in written form but which have been (or deserve to be) preserved. Since the 19th century,
the broader sense of literature as a totality of written or printed works has given way to more exclusive
definitions based on criteria of imaginative, creative, or artistic value, usually related to a work's absence
of factual or practical reference. Even more restrictive has been the academic concentration upon poetry,
drama, and fiction. Until the mid‐20th century, many kinds of non‐fictional writing—in philosophy,
history, biography, criticism, topography, science, and politics—were counted as literature; implicit in

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this broader usage is a definition of literature as that body of works which—for whatever reason—
deserves to be preserved as part of the current reproduction of meanings within a given culture (unlike
yesterday's newspaper, which belongs in the disposable category of ephemera). This sense seems more
tenable than the later attempts to divide literature—as creative, imaginative, fictional, or non‐practical—
from factual writings or practically effective works of propaganda, rhetoric, or didactic writing. The
Russian Formalists attempt to define literariness in terms of linguistic deviations is important in the
theory of poetry, but has not addressed the more difficult problem of the non‐fictional prose forms. 
Genres of literature
A literary genre refers to the traditional divisions of literature of various kinds according to a
particular criterion of writing.
Literary genre
A literary genre is a genre of literature that is "a loose set of criteria for a category of literary
composition", depending on literary technics, tone, or content.
The most general genres in literature are (in chronological order) epic, tragedy, comedy, novel,
and short stiry. They can all be in the genres prose and poetry, which shows best how loosely genres are
defined. Additionally, a genre like satire, allegory or pastoral might appear in any of the above, not only
as a subgenre (see below), but as a mixture of genres. Finally, they are defined by the general cultural
movements of the historical period in which they were composed.
Subgenres
Genres are often divided into subgenres. Literature, for instance, is divided into three basic kinds
of literature, classic genres of Ancient Greece, poetry, drama, and prose. Poetry may then be subdivided
into epic, lyric, and dramatic. Subdivisions of drama includes for most comedy and tragedy, while eg.
comedy itself has subgenres, including farce, comedy of  manners, burlesque , satire, and so on. However,
any of these terms would be called "genre", and its possible more general terms implied.
To be even more flexible, hybrid forms of different terms have been used, like a prose poem or a
tragicomedy. Science Fiction has many recognized subgenres; a science fiction story may be rooted in
real scientific expectations as they are understood at the time of writing (see Hard science fiction). A
more general term, coined by Robert A. Heinlein, is "speculative fiction," an umbrella term covering all
such genres that depict alternate realities. Even fiction that depicts innovations ruled out by current
scientific theory, such as stories about or based on faster‐ than light travel, are still science fiction,
because science is a main subject in the piece of art.
Dramatic poetry, for instance, might include comedy, tragedy, melodrama, and mixtures like
tragicomedy. This parsing into subgenres can continue: "comedy" has its own genres, for example,
including comedy of manners, sentimental comedy, burlesque comedy, and satirical comedy.
Usually, the criteria used to divide up works into genres are not consistent, and may change
constantly, and be subject of argument, change and challenge by both authors and critics. However, even
very loose terms like fiction ("literature created from the imagination, not presented as fact, though it may
be based on a true story or situation") are not applied to any fictitious literature, which is almost restricted
to the use for novel, short story, and novella, but not fables, and is also usually a prose text.

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 A subgenre may join non‐contradicting criteria: Romance and mystery are marked out by their
plots, and Western by its setting, which means that a work can easily be a Western romance or Western
mystery.
Genres may be easily be confused with literary techniques, but though only loosely defined, they
are not the same, examples are parody, Frame story, constrained writing, stream of consciousness.
Forms of literature
1. Poetry
A poem is commonly defined as a composition written in verse (although verse has been
equally used for epic and dramatic fiction). Poems rely heavily on imagery, precise word choice,
and metaphor; they may take the form of measures consisting of patterns of stresses (metric feet)
or of patterns of different‐length syllables (as in classical prosody); and they may or may not
utilize rhyme. One cannot readily characterize poetry precisely. Typically though, poetry as a
form of literature makes some significant use of the formal properties of the words it uses — the
properties attached to the written or spoken form of the words, rather than to their meaning.
Metre depends on syllables and on rhythms of speech; rhyme and allitaration depend on words
that have similar pronunciation. Some recent poets, such as e.e. cummings, made extensive use of
words' visual form.
Poetry perhaps pre‐dates other forms of literature: early known examples include
the  Sumerian Epic of Gilbamesh (dated from around 2700 B.C.), parts of the Bible, the surviving
works of Homer (the Iliad and the Odyssey), and the Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. In
cultures based primarily on oral traditions the formal characteristics of poetry often have a
mnemonic function, and important texts: legal, genealogical or moral, for example, may appear
first in verse form.
Much poetry uses specific forms: the haiku, the limerick, or the sonnet, for example. A
traditional haiku written in Japanese must have something to do with nature, contain seventeen
onji (syllables), distributed over three lines in groups of five, seven, and five, and should also
have a kigo, a specific word indicating a season. A limerick has five lines, with a rhyme scheme   
of AABBA, and line lengths of 3,3,2,2,3 stressed syllables. It traditionally has a less reverent
attitude towards nature.
Language and tradition dictate some poetic norms: Persian poetry always rhymes, Greek
poetry rarely rhymes, Italian or French poetry often does, English and German can go either way
(although modern non‐rhyming poetry often, perhaps unfairly, has a more "serious" aura).
Perhaps the most paradigmatic style of English poetry, blank verse, as exemplified in works by
Shakespeare and by Milton, consists of unrhymed iambic pentamenters. Some languages prefer
longer lines; some shorter ones. Some of these conventions result from the ease of fitting a
specific language's vocabulary and grammar into certain structures, rather than into others; for
example, some languages contain more rhyming words than others, or typically have longer
words. Other structural conventions come about as the result of historical accidents, where many
speakers of a language associate good poetry with a verse form preferred by a particular skilled or
popular poet.
Works for theatre (see below) traditionally took verse form. This has now become rare
outside opera and musicals, although many would argue that the language of drama remains
intrinsically poetic.

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 In recent years, digital poetry has arisen that takes advantage of the artistic, publishing,
and synthetic qualities of digital media.

2. Drama

A play or drama offers another classical literary form that has continued to evolve over
the years. It generally comprises chiefly dialogue between characters, and usually aims at
dramatic / theatrical performance (see theatre) rather than at reading. During the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries, opera developed as a combination of poetry, drama, and music. Nearly all
drama took verse form until comparatively recently. Shakespeare could be considered drama.
Romeo and Juliet, for example, is a classic romantic drama generally accepted as literature.
Geek drama exemplifies the earliest form of drama of which we have substantial
knowledge. Tragedy, as a dramatic genre, developed as a performance associated with religious
and civic festivals, typically enacting or developing upon well‐ known historical or mythological
themes. Tragedies generally presented very serious Theme. ‐ ‐ With the advent of newer
technologies, scripts written for non‐stage media have been added to this form. War of the
Worlds (radio) in 1938 saw the advent of literature written for radio broadcast, and many works
of Drama have been adapted for film or television. Conversely, television, film, and radio
literature have been adapted to printed or electronic media.

3. Essays
An essay consists of a discussion of a topic from an author's personal point of view,
exemplified by works by Francis Bacon or by Charles Lamb.
'Essay' in English derives from the French 'essai', meaning 'attempt'. Thus one can find
open‐ended, provocative and/or inconclusive essays. The term "essays" first applied to the self‐
reflective musings of Michel de Montaigne, and even today he has a reputation as the father of
this literary form.
Genres related to the essay may include:
- the memoir, telling the story of an author's life from the author's personal
point of view 
- the epistle: usually a formal, didactic, or elegant letter.  
- the blog, an informal short rant about a particular topic or topics, usually
opinion  

4. Prose fiction
Prose consists of writing that does not adhere to any particular formal structures (other
than simple grammar); "non‐ poetic writing," writing, perhaps. The term sometimes appears
pejoratively, but prosaic writing simply says something without necessarily trying to say it in a
beautiful way, or using beautiful words. Prose writing can of course take beautiful form; but less
by virtue of the formal features of words (rhymes, alliteration, metre) but rather by style,
placement, or inclusion of graphics. But one need not mark the distinction precisely, and perhaps
cannot do so. Note the classifications:

a. "prose poetry", which attempts to convey the aesthetic richness typical of poetry
using only prose  

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 b. "free verse", or poetry not adhering to any of the structures of one or another formal
poetic style

 Narrative fiction (narrative prose) generally favours prose for the writing of
novels, short stories, graphic novels, and the like. Singular examples of these
exist throughout history, but they did not develop into systematic and discrete
literary forms until relatively recent centuries. Length often serves to categorize
works of prose fiction. Although limits remain somewhat arbitrary, modern
publishing conventions dictate the following:

 A Mini Saga is a short story of exactly 50 words  

 A Flash fiction is generally defined as a piece of prose under a
thousand words. 
 A short story comprises prose writing of less than 10,000 to
20,000 words, but typically more than 500 words, which may or
may not have a narrative arc.  
 A story containing between 20,000 and 50,000 words falls into
the novella category.  
 A work of fiction containing more than 50,000 words falls
squarely into the realm of the novel.  

 A novel consists simply of a long story written in prose, yet the form developed
comparatively recently. Icelandic prose sagas dating from about the 11th century
bridge the gap between traditional national verse epics and the modern
psychological novel. In mainland Europe, the Spaniard Cervantes wrote perhaps
the first influential novel: Don Quixote, the first part of which was published in
1605 and the second in 1615. Earlier collections of tales, such as Boccaccio's
Decameron and Chaucer's The Carterbury Tales, have comparable forms and
would classify as novels if written today. Earlier works written in Asia resemble
even more strongly the novel as we now think of it — for example, works such
as the Chinese Romance of the Three Kingdoms and the Japanese Tale of Genji
by Lady Murasaki. Compare to The Book of One thousand and One Nights.

Early novels in Europe did not, at the time, count as significant literature, perhaps
because "mere" prose writing seemed easy and unimportant. It has become clear,
however, that prose writing can provide aesthetic pleasure without adhering to
poetic forms. Additionally, the freedom authors gain in not having to concern
themselves with verse structure translates often into a more complex plot or into
one richer in precise detail than one typically finds even in narrative poetry. This
freedom also allows an author to experiment with many different literary and
presentation styles — including poetry— in the scope of a single novel.

Task 3
A. Directions: Based on your readings and own understanding, define the following literary terms
and genres:

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 1. Poetry
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2. Prose
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3. Fiction
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4. Drama
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5. Essay
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ELABORAT
E
Activity 1: Create a brochure presenting the features and types of literary genres. Make sure to
provide at least 3 examples/types in each genre.

You will be assessed using the criteria:

Activity 2: Choose your favorite text or story, discuss the type of genre and its characteristics
distinct to it.

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EVALUATE

A. Directions: Identify the genre and subgenres of the following.

____________1. A story about plants that come to life.

____________2. A book about the life of a famous basketball player.
____________3. An encyclopedia that describes Vitamin E.
____________4. The humorous play about ‘The Taming of the Shrew’
____________5. A long poem about a hero named Achilles.
____________6. A weekly newspaper called ‘Manila Bulletin’
____________7. A sad play about the character Oedipus Rex.
____________8. A poem entitled: Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa.
____________9. A history about life of J. Rizal.
____________10. A heroic story of Darna.
____________11. Moro-moro
____________12. Ibong Adarna
____________13. Speech of the President
____________14. How to prevent COVID-19
____________15. Life story of Andres Bonifacio.
____________16. Zarsuela
____________17. Mi Ultimo A Dios
____________18. Biag-ni-Lam-ang
____________19. Harry Potter
____________20. The World is an Apple

B. Directions: Complete each open-ended statement about your experience in the module.

1. Literary genre is interesting because …

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2. Understanding the literary genres helps in the development and understanding the text
because …
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 3. The most engaging and interesting about literary genre is/are …
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REFERENC
ES
Anderson, L. (2006). Creative writing. The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keyness.

Brainard, C. (2009). Fundamentals of creative writing. Quezon City: ANVIL Publishing.

Harper, G. & Kroll, J. eds. (2008). Creative writing studies: Practice, Research, and Pedagogy. Clevedon:
Multilingual Matter Ltd.

King, J. (2002). Success in writing. World Link Marketing Corporation.

Ungria, R. (2010). Modules on literature: Appreciation of sounds.

Yap-Patron, I. (2010). Interactive reading. Responding to and writing about literature. Quezon City: Great
Books Trading.

ADDITIONAL
MATERIALS

https://www.google.com/search?q=through+night+and+day+movie+poster&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=L-qVRxoaPvufTM
%252CxqAZ03PIg1Qu7M%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kTkGwy-9UCF5BD67haF11oO-
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qVRxoaPvufTM

https://www.google.com/search?q=ad+blurb+of+the+little+prince&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwinn_SrsqfrAhVMUpQKHf7aABQQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=ad+blurb+of+the+little+prince&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzoECAAQGFDLT1iO2AFg5dkBaA5wAHgAgAHeAYgB
ixeSAQYyNy42LjKYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=yys9X-eNC8yk0QT-
tYOgAQ&bih=608&biw=1366#imgrc=Ij1jwxe5N_FgtM

https://www.google.com/search?q=famous+quote+of+rizal&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwj-wNWHtKfrAhUHbJQKHfRpAdUQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=FAMOUS+QUOTE+&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgCMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCA
AyAggAMgIIADoECAAQQzoGCAAQCBAeOgUIABCxAzoHCAAQsQMQQ1CHfFjFqQFgyL8BaABwAHgDgAHiAYgB6B6SA
QcxMS4xOC4ymAEAoAEBqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pbWewAQDAAQE&sclient=img&ei=mC09X_6UA4fY0QT004WoDQ&bih=608&
biw=1366#imgrc=iIjbf_zozNhixM

https://www.google.com/search?q=QUESTION+&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiiy_mTtKfrAhXOApQKHaZFDPsQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=QUESTION+&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIECAAQQzIECAAQQzIHCAAQsQMQQzIHCAAQsQMQQzIHCAAQs
QMQQzIFCAAQsQMyBQgAELEDMgUIABCxAzIFCAAQsQMyBQgAELEDUL7dD1ix7w9g548QaABwAHgAgAFWiAGcBZIB
ATmYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=sS09X-
KuMc6F0ASmi7HYDw&bih=608&biw=1366#imgrc=5gfLQ3_DAutRbM

https://www.google.com/search?q=hook+&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiiy_mTtKfrAhXOApQKHaZFDPsQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=hook+&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIECAAQQzIECAAQQzICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADICCAAy

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 AggAOgUIABCxAzoHCAAQsQMQQ1CWD1ipFWC9ImgAcAB4AIABwQGIAdsEkgEDMy4ymAEAoAEBqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pb
WfAAQE&sclient=img&ei=sS09X-KuMc6F0ASmi7HYDw&bih=608&biw=1366#imgrc=kCGYDKfgUPL-PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WewsQ6QbsFY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnq17dyxyu4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7a6R5lVW3g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0tqZIlIq2w

PREPARED BY:

Ryan Romnick B. Sanchez

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