Understanding Literary Elements

THE STUDY OF LITERATURE

 Literature is the artistic interpretation of life through the medium called language.

artistic- subtle, direct, suggestive

interpretation- statements, commentary about human condition, universal truths of life

 Literature presents man’s dreams, aspirations, joys, sorrows, triumphs and failures.

 “Life illumines literature and literature illumines life.”

---- life provides materials for literature but it is literature that gives meaning into life. 

 Literature can be both oral and written.

 Literature presents well expressed ideas or feelings, usually in symbols or metaphors.

It is different from writing or talking about it in ordinary communication discourse.

example: expression of anger

 Literature is not simply self-expression but conceptual expression.

It is this form of writing or oral literature that creates and recreates life in all its splendor-through
symbolic representation.

Values of Literature

1. Aesthetic Value- the central and distinctive value of literature since its main aim is to
give pleasure to the readers literature provides the qualified reader with an experience
that is unified, complex, intense, therefore inherently satisfying.
2.  Cognitive Value- the capacity of literature to give its readers knowledge it enlarges our
acquaintances with human beings and sharpens our perceptions of human motives and
 feelings it can give us insights into ourselves, helping us to understand ourselves and
others better.

3. Social Value- the capacity of literature to inspire readers to change themselves and the
world around them for the better includes moral, political and religious values 

 Genres of Literature

A. According to Content
B. According to Form
C. According to Purpose

A. ACCORDING TO CONTENT

a. Fiction/ Creative/ Literature of Imagination

- any imaginative recreation and reconstruction of life

b. Non-Fiction/ Non-Creative/Literature of Knowledge

-works are factual, taken from reality
FICTION

Types of Traditional Fiction

Fable- short tale that contains a lesson and whose characters are often animals. Given
various qualities.

Legend- a story made up from long ago which tells the origin of things, events, forces in nature.

Myth- are traditional stories, usually about superhuman beings or unlikely events; were created
long ago by story tellers and passed down by word of mouth from one generation to the next.

Parable- a short narrative that uses people to illustrate man’s relation with God (may not be
understood literally)

Fairytale- a type of narrative that relates the lives and adventures of supernatural spirits whose
behavior are often playful, benevolent, sometimes wicked

 
Types of Modern Fiction

Short Story- a short fictional narrative that can be read in one sitting, focuses on a single event
involving few fictional characters 

Novelette- a fictional narrative that is longer than a short story but shorter than a novel

Novel- an extended narrative that portrays fictional characters engaging in action and conflicts.

 NON-FICTION

 Types of Non-Fiction

Autobiography- life story of a person written by himself

Biography- a book that tells a story about a person’s life

Diary- a day-to-day account of a person’s activities and experiences

Essay- a prose composition of any length intended to present a tentative exploration or

evaluation of a subject.

Journal- personal account written on occasional basis

News- a formal writing based on facts to inform the public in both written and spoken form

History- written record of the past

FICTION NON-FICTION
To entertain To inform, to teach

Purpose To delight To direct

To amuse To instruct
 Concrete language which creates pictures

Language Figurative language Direct (nonrepresentational)

Metaphorical, connotative Abstract (nonfigurative)

Emotion Intellect

Appeal Imagination Reason

B. ACCORDING TO FORM

a. Prose- unit of thought is expressed in sentences or paragraphs

-written in  an ordinary form of language, in non-metrical rhythms
-language is denotative (explicit, dictionary meaning)

b. Poetry- unit of though is expressed in line, verse, stanza

-connotative meaning (implied, suggested)

C. ACCORDING TO PURPOSE

a. Narration- tells a story

b. Description- to create/ evoke the picture of an object, person, scene, etc
c. Exposition- to expound, elaborate an idea or thought
d. Argumentation- to persuade, convince or influence
 

Methods of Studying Literature

1. Historical Approach- considers literary works in chronological sequence, stresses the

influence of one writer to another and the development of modes and submodes.
2. Social-Psychological Approach- relates literary works to the milieu in which they were
written, exploring the biography of the writer and the political and social conditions
under which he wrote, in an effort to explain how the work came to be what it is.
3. Formal Approach- groups works according to their modes and studies each mode
separately
 4. Thematic Approach- study of literature according to subject matter and them.

KINDS OF CHARACTER THAT CAN BE PORTRAYED

1. According to Roles Played

A. Major
Protagonist
Antagonist

B. Minor
Confidant- to whom the protagonist reveals his reflections or hopes 
Foil- provides a striking contrast to another character 
Stock- shows qualities of a national, social or occupational group to which he belongs

2. According to Fullness of Development

a. Flat
b. Round
3. According to Changes Undergone in the Story

a. Static
b. Developing/ dynamic

The Elements of Plot Development

If an author writes, "The king died and then the queen died," there is no plot for a story. But by
writing, "The king died and then the queen died of grief," the writer has provided a plot line for a
story.

 Plot -       is the organized pattern or sequence of events that make up a story.  

Every plot is made up of a series of incidents that are related to one another.

1. Exposition

-orients the reader to the setting of the story (time and place) and introduces the characters.
-the presentation of essential information regarding what has occurred prior to the beginning of
the story

 2. Rising Action

-the complications that occur within the story, prolonging and developing the central conflict.

-a set of conflicts and crises that constitute the part of a story's plot leading up to the climax.

Conflict: the clash of opposing forces

the primary obstacle that prevents the protagonist (main character) from  reaching his or her
goal. 

The most common conflicts are :

man vs. man, 

man vs. nature, 

man vs. society, 

man vs. himself.

3. Climax

-the point of greatest tension in a story; the point of no return.  

the decisive moment in a work of literature, the climax is the turning point of the play to which
the rising action leads. This is the crucial part of the work, the part which determines the
outcome of the conflict.

 4. Falling Action

-the result of the conflict is revealed in the falling action. 

-the falling action is the series of events which take place after the climax; it is where the
protagonist must react to the changes that occur during the climax of the story.
5. Denouement (resolution) 

-Resolution is the set of events that bring the story to a close.

-establishes a new norm, a new state of affairs-the way things are going to be from then on. the
author often ties up the loose ends of the story to have the plot reach a conclusion.

-the ending of the story, the final stage or unraveling of the plot; usually very brief. Here the
tension is over, and unanswered questions may be explained.

A B
Exposition An author's introduction to the characters,
setting, and situation at the beginning of the
story
Narrative Hook The point in a story or novel at which the author
catches the reader's attention by presenting an
interesting problem or situation
Rising Action The part of the plot that adds complication to
the plot's problems and increases reader interest
Conflict The struggle between two opposing forces
External Conflict A character struggles against some outside
force
Internal Conflict A struggle within the mind of a character who
is torn between opposing feelings or goals
Climax The point of greatest emotional intensity,
interest, or suspense in a story
Falling Action The action that follows the climax
Resolution The part of a plot that concludes the falling
action by revealing or suggesting the outcome
of the conflict
Plot The sequence of events in a story