MODULE 1

INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE

 Literature came from the latin word "litera" which means letter
 it deals with thoughts, ideas and emotions of man - thus, it can be said that literature is the story of
man
 the word literature also came from the french phrase “bellesletters"
 which means beautiful writing

IMPORTANCE OF LITERATURE
Through literature
we are being offered the privilege to experience the things we read that happened in the past, that are
happening in another country and possibly, things that will happen in the future
Literature
is also considered as one of the seven arts (i.e., music, dance, painting, sculpture, theatre and architecture) that
which stands the test of time, the result of it is form and beauty

MODULE 2
Philippine Literature – Short Story

 A short story is a piece of fiction that is usually written in prose and is often in narrative format
 It may use elements as in a novel, but it is written with much greater precision
 Short story writers may define their works as artistic and personal expressions but they may also
attempt to defy fixed categorization by genre or fixed formation
 The basic elements of a story are setting, characters, point of view, plot, conflict, and theme.
Elements Of A Short Story
Setting is the description of the time and place shown in the story. In a short story, there are fewer places
where the story happens and the time is more limited. The setting may be directly described by the author.
Description of time may include time of day, year, weather conditions, or historical period
Character is a person, or at times an animal, who is involved in the action of the story or literary piece.
Short stories usually have fewer characters compared to a novel and they usually focus on one central
character. There are two main types of characters based on the changes that happened to them.

 These are called the round and flat characters. Round characters have complete characterization
and personality and an internal change of attitude can be observed as the story progresses. On the
other hand, flat characters are consistently the same throughout the story.
Point of view (POV) shows the perspective of the narrator of the story.
A plot is the series of events in a story.
  Exposition (Introduction) – the beginning of the plot and the story; introduces the relevant details
about the characters and the setting
 Rising Action (Complication) – the conflict is introduced through a problematic event; sets the
character in action leading to more exciting events.
 Climax – the turning point of the story; sets the character in ultimate interaction with the conflict in
preparation for the resolution.
 Falling Action – the part of the story where the tension from the climax starts to ease down as the
story move towards the resolution; complications start to fall into places
 Denouement (Resolution) – the concluding and final part of the story where “loose ends are knot” as
the meaning of the French word, denouement, suggests which is “to untie or unknot”; the part where
all conflicts are resolved and concluded; the most cliché ending of the story is “and they live happily
ever after”.
Conflict is an important element in a story. Without conflict, the plot is non-existent. It is the opposing force
that drives the main character towards a surrounding goal through the development of the storyline.
The theme expresses a message or general truth about life. Sometimes, the theme is stated directly, but often,
it is not and the reader must infer it.
PAZ MARQUEZ BENITEZ
Paz Marquez Benitez was born on March 3, 1894 in Lucena, Tayabas (now Quezon) to Gregorio Marquez
and Maria Jurado, who were both teachers

MODULE 3

Philippine Literature – Poetry

POETRY is a literary genre that involves the use of sounds and rhythms of a language to express ideas and
emotions evoking a deeper meaning than the literal one. Poems can be in written and spoken forms

BASIC ELEMENTS OF A POEM

 Speaker – It is the speaking persona in the poem. This does not necessarily refer to the author
himself/herself.
 Tone – In poetry, tone is the writer’s attitude on the idea presented in the poem. One may consider
that it
is the speaker’s literal tone of voice which may indicate joy, sadness, fear, frustration, anger and etc.

 Rhyme – It is the occurrence of identical sounds in the words used in a poem. The rhyme in a poem
usually appears by the end of each of the lines. Many traditional types of poem follow a specific
rhyme scheme and pattern.
 Rhythm – It is the poem’s beat and pace seen in the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a
line.
 Imagery – These are words used in poetry that appeal to one’s senses—visual (sight), auditory
(hearing), olfactory (smell), tactile (touch), gustatory (taste)—to express a more vivid and concrete
sensory experience to the reader
  Symbolism – These are objects, places, beings, or actions in the poem that may represent a deeper
significance other than its literal meaning.
 Figurative Language – These are words used to create pictures in the mind of the reader. The
following are some of the most commonly used figures of speech in poetry:
 Simile – A statement that compares two things by using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’.
 Metaphor – It shows an implied comparison between two things that are apparently dissimilar but
actually share a similar quality.
 Personification – It is when an inanimate object or idea is given human abilities.
 Hyperbole – A statement that uses exaggeration to make an emphasis but should not be taken
literally.
 Irony – A statement that shows a contradiction of expectation between what is said and what is
 meant.
 Alliteration – It is the repetition of the initial consonant sounds in neighboring words.
 Assonance – It is the repetition of vowel sounds within words to create an internal rhyming.
 Onomatopoeia – It is the use of words to imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions
being referred to.
Theme – It is the central idea of a poem that expresses the underlying message of the author about life
lessons and experiences. The general themes of a poem are about love, friendship, family and societal
issues. Through analysis, one may infer a specific theme that the poem conveys.
Sonnet came from the Italian word sonetto which means “little song”. A sonnet is a 14-line lyric poem
that originated in the 13th century, Italy

 Shakespearean sonnet (also known as Elizabethan)

 Italian sonnets mastered by Francesco Petrarch called the Petrarchan sonnet
Petrarchan sonnet

 ABBA, ABBA, CDECDE

 2 STANZAS 1 OCTAVE AND 1 SESTET
 THIS “TURN” OF FOCUS IS CALLED VOLTA

Shakespearean sonnet

 ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, GG

 4 STANZAS 3 QUATRAINS AND 1 COUPLET

MODULE 4

Philippine Literature – PlaY

play is a literary genre which enacts a story onstage for a live audience. The earliest known plays were
written around the fifth century B.C. produced for festivals to honor Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility.
ELEMENTS OF A PLAY
1. Literary Elements
> Plot – the series of events that take place in a play
> Character – a person portrayed in a drama, novel, or other artistic piece
> Exposition – the “who, when, where, and what” part of the play
> Conflict – the internal/external struggle between opposing forces that creates dramatic tension
> Suspense – used to build interest and excitement on the part of the audience
> Theme – contains the message, central concerns, controlling idea or central insight of a play
> Language – the particular manner of verbal expression, or the diction or style
of writing
> Style – the shaping of dramatic material, settings, or costumes in a deliberately
nonrealistic manner
> Monologue – a lengthy speech that one-character addresses to others on stage which can be delivered
alone or in the presence of others
> Dialogue – the conversation of characters in a literary work
> Soliloquy – a speech by a single actor who is alone on stage
> Aside – words spoken by an actor directly to the audience, which are not “heard” by the other characters on
stage during a play.
2. Performance Elements
A. Verbal Expressions
> Acting – use of face, body, and voice to portray character
> Character motivation – the reason/s for a character’s behavior
> Empathy – the capacity to relate to the feelings of another
> Speaking – the mode of expression or delivery of lines
B. Nonverbal Expressions
> Gestures – any movement of the actor’s body parts to convey meaning
> Body alignment – physiologically correct posture and use of the body to
ensure the maximum capacity and efficiency of breathing and movement
> Facial expression – facial and vocal aspects used by an actor to convey mood,
feeling or personality
> Character blocking – the path formed by the actor’s movement on stage
> Movement – stage blocking or the movements of the actors on stage during
Performance
3. Technical Elements
> Scenery (set) – the theatrical equipment used in a dramatic production to
communicate environment
> Costumes – clothing and accessories worn by actors to portray character and
period
> Props – short for properties; any moveable object that appears on stage
during a performance
> Lights – the placement, intensity, and color of lights to help communicate
environment, mood or feeling
> Sound – the sound effects an audience hear during performance to
communicate character, context, or environment
> Makeup – costumes, wigs and body paint used to transform an actor into a
characte