INTRODUCTION

BY
DESIREE G. FABREO

Every piece of Literature is a masterpiece of the writer

because the composition is an expression of his being; his feelings,
his thinking, his experiences, his prejudices, his dreams, and his
triumphs. Literature is a showcase of culture, race, values, beliefs,
aspirations, and traditions from all parts of the world penned by
the author. The wonder of Literature is experienced when it takes
you to places you’ve never been and allow you to see things and
meet people you never know. Even when literature is written from
centuries and decades ago, it still offers you with new experiences,
and insights about things and people. While you are reading pieces
of Literature from different countries and regions of the
Philippines, your eyes will be opened to various kinds of life
portrayed in the stories, poems, essays, etc. It could be stories or
expression of joy, happiness, sadness, fear, hope, hopelessness,
courage, perseverance, trials, triumph, love, and hate. You will
begin to marvel at the diverse cultures in the world, and see how
these cultural diversity bind and separate human beings, cause
misery and contentment, misfortune and blessings, grief and joy.
Literature writes about events that occur locally and globally and
patterns its stories from real experiences and the imagined “what
ifs” which illustrate likenesses in the struggles and triumphs of
every human being, and corroborate that every being is driven by
the most powerful forces which are love or reason.
History and events are written in literary form of fiction
and non-fiction, and both compositions will arouse your curiosity,
intellect, emotions, spirit, and understanding of life and yourself.
Literature is a legacy of culture and race. Literature lets you see
beauty in life in whatever circumstance, and literature is the voice,
too, of animals, vegetables and plants. Literature is what makes you
human. As a reader and learner, you will experience the value of
Literature when you understand it, and when you experience a
positive change in your perspectives towards life of beings, animals,
and plants, and the Creator.
MODULE 1

Overview
This lesson deals with the study
of literature, its definition, its
classification, and the historical
development. It also provides the
strategy on how to read Literature.
At the end of the lesson, the
students are expected to
 Define Literature;
 Discuss the relevance of
Literature in current
everyday life based on the
diverse definitions from
re-known authors and
personalities;
 Recount the historical
background and literary
developments in the
World;
 Distinguish the influences
from different periods of
Literary development;
 Outline the Strategies for
Reading Literature;
 Classify Literature
according to expression
and period
 Let’s get going!
What is Literature?
LITERATURE is literally “acquaintance with letters.” It
is derived from the Latin word LITTERAE [plural] or
LITERA.
It is the art of written work and can, in some
circumstances, refer exclusively to published sources.
Literature is a branch of aesthetics, a branch of
philosophy that deals with the question, “What is art?”
The literal meaning is ”things made from letters” and
the par pro toto term “letters” is sometimes used to
signify ‘literature’ as in the figures of speech, ‘arts and
letters’ and ‘man of letters.’

2015 2017

2014 2016 2018

PAR PRO TOTO IS A LATIN WORD WHICH

LITERALLY MEANS ‘PART ON BEHALF OF THE
WHOLE.” OR, WHEREIN THE NAME OF A PORTION
OF AN OBJECT, PLACE OR CONCEPT REPRESENTS
2019

(OR SUBSTITUTES) THE ENTIRE OBJECT.

Examples:

A country by its capital

Philippines is widely known by its capital, Manila.
Holland for Netherlands
England for United Kingdom

“A roof over our heads.” The word ‘roof’ is used for the entire house.
“Heads” for person such as ‘how many heads are we going to feed?’
Pls. go to Google
Class for the Pre-test
of your knowledge in
Literature
Our classical The Greeks created
heritage can be many literary
traced with the forms, including HISTORICAL
cultures of ancient tragedy, comedy,
Greece and Rome. philosophical
DEVELOPMENT
dialogue and OF LITERATURE
The richest poetry. The
period of Greek earliest Greek
culture is called literature was
“The Golden Age.” oral. The most
It lasted from 461- common forms
431 B.C. In this era, were myths and
lasted from
Greeks produced fables. Epic poems, Portfolio
81 B.BC-AD 17.
brilliant art, long stories in
Cicero dominated
literature and poetic form, grew Presentation
the first part of this
architecture.
SSSSS out of the oral
era with his letters,
literature.
speeches, and
The Romans Another form of
philosophical works.
adopted many poetry, lyric
elements of Greek poetry, expressed
The 2nd half of the
art and literature personal thoughts
SSSSS era was called Age
after conquering and feelings.
of Augustus, in
Greece between honor of Emperor
168-146 B.C. The During the
Augustus. The
Roman empire Golden Age of
greatest Roman
spread all over Greece, Greek
literature came
SSSSS
Europe,
Your Text Here the Middle playwrights wrote
from this period
East, &impress
You can simply Northern
your audience classic tragedies
and add a unique zing and appeal to including the poems
Africa and and comedies.
of Virgil and Ovid.
your Presentations.

influenced cultures Great philosophers

until today. including Socrates,
The Anglo-saxon
Plato, &Aristotle,
period in England
lived and taught
lasted for more
during the Golden
than 600 years and
Age of Greece.
became the basis of
Greek literature
English culture. Old
greatly influenced
English was
Roman writers.
developed from the
spoken language of
The Golden Age
Anglo-saxon.
of Latin literature
 The first Anglo-
saxon literature was •The Ruin, an
oral and reflected the anonymous poem HISTORICAL
difficulties endured written about the
and the heroic ruin and decay of a DEVELOPMENT
Roman town.
struggles to survive
by the Germanic
OF LITERATURE
people in England. •Beowulf, is about the
great hero who
When Christianity fought and killed the
was introduced to monster, Grendel and
England by Augutine his mother, and
in 597, monasteries became a great king
became important and met his destiny
centers of social, fighting an enraged
Portfolio
The Middle Ages
is marked by the
intellectual, artistic, dragon. Rosemary Presentation
downfall of Rome
and literary Sutcliff’s version is
SSSSSlife. and the beginning of
Monks recorded some excellent. Renaissance and the
of this oral literature. Age of Discovery.
The Dark Ages
Heroic epic, elegiac refers to the period Few people could
lyrics, and riddles are of Anglo-Saxon in read during the
the three types of EnglandSSSSS
from 410- Middle ages so most
Anglo-saxon poetry 1066 A.D. literature were first
which have survived. presented orally.
The Medieval The richest medieval
Poems that give Period or Middle literature included
excellent insights into Ages was roughly ballads, which are
the
YourAnglo-Saxons
Text Here are: between 1000-1500 SSSSS
narrative songs; and
You can simply impress your audience A.D. and most romances which
and add a unique zing and appeal to
your Presentations.
European countries were adventure
were under the tales about
system of feudalism. chivalrous knights.
The Roman Catholic Written literature
Church became a included various
unifying force in types of poetry and
society & politics. plays and a few
The feudal system important prose
was weakened by works which are
growth of towns and feudalism, loyalty,
monasteries. heroism, love, and
religion.
 The Anglo-saxon’s During the
language was known Renaissance period, HISTORICAL
as Old English. After scholars and artists
French seized control were less influenced DEVELOPMENT
by the government
of Britain in 1066, the
and church, and
OF LITERATURE
French language
exerted its influence. respect is renewed
The English of that for the thoughts and
period is called talents of a person as
Middle English. The an individual. People
English from period gained confidence,
of 1485 to present is daring to question man wisely or
called Modern authority and foolishly conduct his
daring to be
Portfolio
life. Other popular
English.
different. Presentation
written works were
SSSSS “Don Quixote” and
The Renaissance Drama flourished political works, “The
period in 1300’s began during the Prince” and
in Italy and spread Renaissance Period, ‘Utopia.”
all over Western and the popular
Europe which was dramatist at that The midst of 1600’s
time was SSSSS
William were marked by
period of “rebirth” or
“revival” where great Shakespeare because revolts in England
accomplishments his works are against their King,
were in science, art, universal. Lyric and and revolutions in
and literature which Epic Poetry of the US and France
were influenced by Homer and Virgil resulted in
ancient
Your Text Here Greece and also flourished which SSSSS
democracy.
Rome.
You can simply impress your audience included sonnets and
and add a unique zing and appeal to
your Presentations.
pastoral poetry. This The 17th Century
period also marked was marked by
the separation births of
between religion and metaphysical poets
life, shifting like Henry Vaughn.
emphasis Meta-physical poets
from personal were trying to
salvation to under-stand the
successful conduct of world around them
life. and the spirit
behind it, instead of
Shakespeare and simply accepting
Montaigne were dogma as basis of
interested in how faith.
 In the middle of In contrast to
the 17th Century, the metaphysical poets HISTORICAL
King of England was John Milton’s
was overthrown “Paradise Lost”, an
DEVELOPMENT
and a republic was epic religious poem OF LITERATURE
declared which in blank verse.
lasted from 1649- Milton was
1653. . Oliver Cromwell’s
Cromwell’s rule propagandist and
temporarily banned suffered when
all theatres, Restoration came. Neo-classical
festivals, plays, and “Paradise Lost” is movement had
Portfolio
frivolities. The arts one of the highest great influence on
in England and the developments of the Presentation
writers on this era
British SSSSS
Isles epic form in poetry which was
suffered,. This immediately modelled after the
banned was lifted preceding the era classical literature
when monarchy of the modern prose of ancient Greece
was restored under novel. and Rome. The
King Charles whose SSSSS writers dealt with
favourite theatres The 17th and 18th public rather than
were the Thomas Centuries was the with themes and
Killigrew and Dury Age of Reason, also they avoided
Lane. known as Age of expressing
Enlightenment or personal feelings.
Your Text Here Age of Classicism. SSSSS
You can simply impress your audience
and add a unique zing and appeal to
Literature was In the late 1700’s,
your Presentations. transformed by the Romanticism was
rule of reason. developed as
Philosophers reaction to Neo-
believed that Classical
human could reach literature. The
perfection, and romantics valued
that ideal society emotion over
was attainable reason and were
through reason. concerned with
individual
relationship to
nature.
 The early 18th to help the poor
Century saw the and working
conclusion of the classes. HISTORICAL
Baroque period and
the incipient Age of The Literature of
DEVELOPMENT
Enlightenment with
authors such as
the 19th century OF LITERATURE
drifted from
Immanuel Kant,
Romanticism and
Voltaire, etc. The late
18th century saw the
writers began the
beginning of style of writing
Romantic movements called Realism.
in Germany. Realism portrays
life as it really is Portfolio
In 20th century,
The 19th century and its focus is on literature was
saw the great change society and its Presentation
divided between
in the world SSSSSwith the problems. The basic Modernist and Post
rise of Napoleon’s elements of fiction Modernist, from
power and the fell of including plot, 1900-1940 and 1945-
Europe. Revolution character, setting, 1980 respectively
occurred worldwide. caused by WWII or
and theme began to
Democracy spread in World War II.
Europe, resulting in
reflect real
SSSSSprob-
Popular literature
the formation of new lems that real
develops its own
nations. Romanticists people faced. genres such as
revolted against fantasy and science
strict reason and and The late 19th fiction which were
logic and glorified century known as ignored by
nature.
Your Text Here Inventors and Belle Epoque, with SSSSS
mainstream
scientists worked
You can simply impress your audience its Fin de sickle literature. But these
hard to improve the
and add a unique zing and appeal to
your Presentations. retrospectively genres thrived and
lifestyles of people but appeared as a received awards
it took a social reform “golden age” of such as Nebula
European culture, Award (since 1965),
cut short by the The British Fantasy
Award (since 1971.
outbreak of WWWI
or World War I in
1914.
Gems for
Thoughts
During the 19th century, can you imagine that there was no radio
or television to provide home entertainment? Thus, people’s
entertainment were parlor games, musical instrument, and
reading aloud – this is referred to as “elocution”.
Elocution is the art of reading aloud, reciting and speaking
correctly.

To be skilled in elocution, you have to master these elements:

 Articulation is the clear manner of pronouncing each word.
 Inflection is the change in pitch in a voice. (Monotone is just one
pitch which is boring)
 Accent is the stressed part of an individual word; whereas,
“emphasis” is a stressed word out of a sentence, or a stressed
sentence in a paragraph.
 Modulation is the harmonious change in a voice.
 Gesture is just what it sounds like: physical movements (proper
placing of hands, focus of the eyes)
The above skills are what you need to practice in your upcoming presentation. Be prepared!

Strategies for Reading Literature

The three major steps you need to know:
1. Previewing (it is asking the following questions)
• What does the title suggest?
• Have I heard of this author before?
• What type of text is this? A poem, a story, or a play?
• What kind of structure does it possess? Stanzas, paragraphs, acts, scenes?
• How is the text organized? By contrast, or by cause and effect?

2. Highlighting. Read the text slowly and highlight important words by

underlining or coloring the word or words that strike you from the point of view
of the style, structure, ideas, characterization, or anything you observed. Identifying
the pattern helps you discern the emotional link.

3. Annotating. This is when you make marginal notes on the book’s pages,
or using a pad or note cards. This is a critical process of selecting and
summarizing. After two or three readings, your notes will lead you to identify the
cultural impact of the text, through its words, imagery, and theme. You begin to
define its meanings from your observation or from your insights and experiences.
 Classification of Literature according to
Expression;
A. ORAL
B. WRITTEN

Classification of Literature

according to Period;

A.Classical Literature
Appeal to the intellect rather than
emotion. Concerned in with
OKAY! Get ready teaching “truth” as the author sees
for a test of your it, formal.
knowledge B. Romantic Literature
You can simply impress your audience and add a unique zing and appeal to

Predominance of imagination and

your Presentations. Easy to change colors, photos and Text. Get a modern
PowerPoint Presentation that is beautifully designed. You can simply impress
your audience and add a unique zing and appeal to your Presentations. Easy

emotion over reason and formal

to change colors, photos and Text. Get a modern PowerPoint Presentation
that is beautifully designed. Easy to change colors, photos and Text.

Please go to our rules.

Google class for a 20
C. Realistic Literature Finds
item quiz on the
historical
its subjects in bourgeois life and
development of manners. It is the ultimate middle-
Literature. class art. Concern with the conduct
Also, answer the of life in contemporary setting than
worksheet on in the past and future.
strategies in reading
literature
 End of Module 1

References:

AGCAOILI, R M. and MARANTAN R M., (2013). World Literature. Jimczyville Publications

MARCOS, L L., et al. (2012) Introduction to Literature. Purely Books Trading & Publishing Corp.
Thank you
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