Cereno, Rizza May G.

BSED English 2A

Tasks in Lesson 1
EL 201

Before You Proceed…

Let us first check your familiarity with the names of famous authors and whether you
think their works can be considered ‘contemporary’ or not. Tick the box opposite the
name if you think the author belongs to the contemporary era or not.

Author Contemporary Not Contemporary

1. Ernest Hemingway ✅
2. William Wordsworth ✅

3. Lord Byron ✅

4. Mitch Albom ✅

5. Stephen King ✅
6. Haruki Murakami ✅

7. Mary Shelley ✅

8. Maya Angelou ✅
9. J.K. Rowling ✅

10. Jane Austen ✅

Activity

Based on the discussion, determine whether the following statements are TRUE
or FALSE. On the blank before the number, write the letter T if you think that the
statement is correct, and F if it is not.

T 1. Most people agree that the Contemporary period began after World War II.

T 2. The word “literature” traces its origin from Egyptian.

F 3. Female writers dominate the canon.

T 4. The literary canon is already complete and unchangeable.

T 5. Contemporary” and “modern” are not synonymous in terms of art, music,

literature and other fields.

F 6. Bob Dylan was a founding force in the institutionalization of the study of

literature with a legacy of determining which works were considered the “best”

T 7. Not everything that is written down can be considered as literature.

T 8. In its literary context, “canon” is defined as the collection of essential works

that have stood the test of time.

T 9. The predominance of Western works in the teaching and study of literature

was due to the influence of Matthew Arnold’s ideas.

F 10. “Popular” comes from the Greek “popularis” meaning “rejected by the
people”.
 Application: With your previous knowledge and the newly-learned concepts from
our lesson, write a paragraph of 8-10 sentences using these guide questions:

1. What were your initial perceptions of literature?

My first impression about literature is it is something that I will get bored if

I study about it. I thought that literature is only for those people who are
bookworm or person who loves books. To be honest, I am not that interested on
literature back then because I don’t read books at all. But as I enter senior high
school and college, I realized that reading books is really a must, especially for
me since I am a future English teacher.

2. How different is "contemporary" from "modern"?

The terms "modern" and "contemporary" have very similar meanings. Despite
the fact that both modern and contemporary can relate to the current or recent
past, contemporary has a distinct meaning. In simple terms, my understanding
about modern is it is used to indicate the current or recent times as opposed to
the distant past, whereas contemporary refers to something existing or
happening in the same time period.

3. How can you describe literature at present based on the literary works you
read or you see in book stores?

There is a huge change on the literature today based on different literary works I
have seen in bookstores. For me, literature has an incredible impact nowadays.
Literature serves as a means of expression for every author. Some books serve
as mirrors for society, allowing us to gain a deeper understanding of the world
we live in. Literature also emphasizes the need of comprehending contemporary
topics such as human conflict.
4. What do you think makes a literary work "popular"?

Popular literature, in my opinion, includes works written for the general public
and those that are well-liked by a big audience. It differs from artistic literature in
that it is primarily intended to entertain.