21st Century Literature

Lesson 1
INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE
 LITERATURE
‣ Is anything is printed, related to ideas and feeling of people, whether it is true or just a product of
one's imagination (Merriam-Webster's)
‣ Universally only accepts the works that has artistic merit or artistic value. Literature is an art; craft of
writing
 One of the 7 arts
(It maybe classified according to variety of system)
• Language
• National Origin
• Historical Period
• Genre
• Subject Matter
 Origin
‣ Derived from the Latin word "litera/littera" meaning "writing form of letters" or "letters"
‣ Also, from the french phrase "belles-letters" meaning "beautiful writings"
‣ Deals with ideas, thoughts, and emotion of a man.
◦ Story of man; represents the culture and tradition of a langage or a people
◦ Literature is also connected to history

 Two Division of Literature

‣ Prose
• Latin word "prosa" meaning "straightforward"
• An expression (written or spoken) that does not have regular rhythmic
pattern
• It has a rhythm but it lacks any sustained regularity, and it is not meant
to be scanned.

‣ Poetry
• Greek word "poesis" meaning "making or creating"
 An expression that is written in verse, often in some form of regular
rhythm and figurative language.

PROSE POETRY
FORM Written in paragraph form Written in stanza or verse form

LANGUAGE Expressed in ordinary language Expressed in metrical, rhythmical, and

figurative language

APPEAL To the intellect To the emotion

AIM To convince, inform, instruct, Stir the imagination and set an idea of
imitate, and reflect how life should be

 LITERARY GENRES
‣ Poetry
• A literature that evokes a concentrated imaginative awareness
of experience or a specific emotional response through
language chosen and arranged for its meaning, sound, and
rhythm.
• Can be categorized into:
o NARRATIVE
o LYRICAL

‣ Fiction
• A literature created from the imagination, not presented as
fact, though it may be based on a true story or situation.
• Latin “fictio” meaning “the act of making, fashioning, or
molding”
• They are just an imaginative recreation and recreation of life

‣ Drama
• Literature made of mode of dialog and set of direction
designed to be performed

2
 • Mode of dialogue
• Imitation of an action
• Imitates life
• Greek word “dran” meaning “to do or to act”
o Two types of Drama

 Comedy
 Tragedy

‣ Essay
• A prose composition of moderate length usually expository in
nature, which aims to explain or clean up on idea, a theory, an
expression, or point of view
o Different types of essay
 Descriptive
 Narrative
 Biographical
 Scientific essay
• Mode of dialogue
• Imitation of an action
• Imitates life
• Greek word “dran” meaning “to do or to act”
o Two types of Drama

 Comedy
 Tragedy

 21st Century Literature

 Refers to the world literature produce during the 21st century
 Written word is more accessible and democratic than ever before
 Book sales as well as magazines, and newspapers subscription have diminished

3
  Use of hashtags to help convey a message within 240 characters
 Blogs from an individual or organizations, establish or not, the opportunity of free
publication
 Philippine Literature
 A product, a reflection of and reaction to the period, place, and people who produces it”
(Balabar et. al., 1989)
 It is the body of works, both oral and written, that Filipinos, whether native naturalized,
of foreign born, have created about the experience of people living in or relating to
Philippines society.
o Nick Joaquin
 Greatest writer of the Philippine literature
 He published his first English poem about Don Quixote, in the literary
section of the pre-world war-II tribune, where he worked as a
proofreader

 Why study Literature?

 To gain information
 Inspire and uplift the taste
 To read for pleasure