DEVELOPMENT OF WORLD LITERATURE

As a concept, world literature emerged only in the 19th century when the literary
connections of different countries had spread and strengthened. The term “world literature”
was introduced by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Goethe is a German poet, playwright,
novelist, and amateur artist, considered the greatest German literary figure of the modern era.
He used the word “Weltliteratur” in 1827. The idea of World Literature came from him as his
interest to Chinese literature, among others, flourished. He searched for an alternative to both
metropolitan culture and German nationalism since the German artists and intellectuals
responded to the metropolitan culture, which is French literature, through nationalist initiative.
Goethe found the solution to be world literature.

There are many factors for a literary piece to be qualified as World Literature, let alone
to be called “literature”, per se. World literature is used to refer to the sum of the world’s
national literatures, but usually denotes the circulation of works into the wider world
beyond their country of origin. To be considered world literature, it must speak to people of
more than one nationality, hence it transcends borders. Often used in the past primarily for
masterpieces of Western European literature, world literature today is increasingly seen in
global context because in the present time, countries are experiencing similar situations and
somehow, they are all linked together. Literature went through profound changes in the 20th
and 21st centuries, partly in that of technology, communication, and warfare.

What is Multimedia?
Multimedia is defined in various ways but mostly agrees that multimedia is the
integration of texts, graphics, animations, videos, and sounds that can be structured and
presented differently depending on how and what the presenter desires. However, according to
the University of Delaware School of Education, there are four components essential to
multimedia that if one component is missing it will never be multimedia. First, the availability of
phones or computers to coordinate or interact with what you see and hear. Second, the
availability of links that would connect you to the information. Third, the availability of
navigational tools that allow you to explore the web where the information is. Fourth, there must
be ways for you to gather, process, and communicate your ideas.

Classification of Multimedia
Multimedia can either be Linear or Non-Linear. Linear or Passive Multimedia is an
integration of different elements separately or together wherein the creator is in control and
interaction is unnecessary (Examples are PowerPoint presentation, Slideshow of Pictures,
Movie or storyline). Non-linear is hypertext-based sources and websites in which you can
navigate and search for information where a person’s participation is essential (Examples are
Website, YouTube channel, Streaming Site).

Basic Elements of Multimedia

Multimedia has basic elements like text, graphic, animation, video, and audio.
1) Text refers to the characters that are used to construct words, sentences, and paragraphs.
2) Graphics is a digital representation of non-text information like a chart, picture, or drawing.
3) Animation means a series of graphics that create an illusion of movement.
4) Video is a digital recording of an image or set of images
5) Audio can be any other sound audible such as speech and music.

There are different File types you can use in producing multimedia. Below are some of the lists
provided by Davis Sarokin (2019).
 INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TTECHNOLOGY (ICT)
ICT is a combination of Information, Communication, and Technology.
The three powerful words mean: Information is any detail provided and learned
regarding something or someone. Communication stands for the imparting or exchanging of
information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium. Technology represents the
application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.

CREATING LITERARY ADAPTATIONS

Before you begin putting together your presentation using multimedia, it would be
helpful to keep in mind the following tips and considerations.
1. Consider the Content.
Not every presentation should be created the same way. Some topics don't work well
with flashy animation or an upbeat soundtrack. Some topics require only a few, well-placed and
well-selected types of multimedia to help you make your point. Remember that strong
information still creates a strong foundation for your presentation.
2. Create an Outline.
For better organization, begin your multimedia presentation with an outline. Your outline
should contain a listing of your main points, with all of the sub-points you plan to make. Write
your outline down. Sometimes this can help you identify weak spots that might make your
presentation confusing to others.
3. Develop Your Presentation.
Decide what type/s of multimedia would work best for your presentation to help you
make your point and supplement your content.

GUIDELINES IN DEVELOPING A LITERARY COMPARATIVE ESSAY

1. Identify the basis for comparison.
Your basis for comparison can either be already specified in the activity (e.g., the essay
question may ask you to make a comparison about characters’ views about battling life’s
adversities. If so, you will think of the essential criteria which need comparison, such as the
structure, figurative language, theme and other essential poetry elements which you can both
draw similarities and differences from).

2. Make a list of similarities and differences.

Making a Venn diagram can help you to efficiently compare and contrast two or more
things or ideas. To make a Venn diagram, simply draw some overlapping circles. In the central
area where they overlap, list the shared commonalities of the items you are comparing, while in
the areas that do not overlap are intended for the differences.

3. Come up with thesis statement and structure for your essay.

The thesis statement is usually a single sentence near the beginning of your paper
(most often, at the end of the first
paragraph) that presents your argument
to the reader. This should also stress
the importance of your items’
similarities and differences and take a
particular stand about which is more
important.
In addition, essay’s structure is
also an important criterion to consider.
This includes the introductory
paragraph, thesis statement, supporting paragraph of the thesis statement and conclusion.

a. Alternate Pattern (Point-by-Point). Here, the arguments about the two items (A and
B) you are comparing are written alternately. The pattern is as follows:

b. Block Pattern
(Subject-by-Subject). This
pattern requires you to first
present all arguments related to A
and B, and then discuss the
relative connection of the
arguments of B to A. The pattern
is seen on the left:

The knowledge on
properly crafting a comparative
essay is important to any literature
class. However, to successfully
make one, you have to equip
yourselves of the essential ideas
and techniques on how to
effectively judge diverse literary
pieces, and one good example is to make use of the literary critical approaches.

LITERARY CRITICAL APPROACHES

Literary analysis is one of the best foundations of literary appreciation. This follows the
basic rule “one cannot appreciate what he/she cannot understand.” This also fosters close
reading enabling you to assess the essence of various literary pieces to life. Two essential
literary approaches that you need to familiarize are as follows:

A. Formalist Criticism. This approach evaluates a piece just through looking at its form, such
as style, structure, tone, plot, imagery, among others which are all found within the text. In
using this approach, you do not need to consider the writer’s intention and background
anymore but solely focus on the text itself. This will also give you the gist on how such various
elements work together with the text’s content to shape its effects upon readers.
B. Cultural Criticism. This criticism studies how different religions, ethnicity, class
identifications, cultural backgrounds, political beliefs sociocultural views affect the ways in which
texts are created and interpreted. This also suggests that being a part of—or excluded from—a
specific group or culture
contributes to and affects our
understanding of texts.

C. Surrealism- _____

21st CENTURY LITERARY

GENRES

Two of the most

popular genres of the 21st
century literature are memoir
and micro-fiction. A memoir
refers to any narrative
nonfiction writing about
someone’s experience. An
example of a memoir is the
Gentleman’s C by Padgett
Powell.
Another interesting
genre is micro-fiction. Micro-
fiction is a lexical variant of a
flash fiction which is involved
in creating very short fictional
stories within the length of
300 words. Despite its length,
micro-fiction still holds the
traditional story elements
such as the characters,
conflicts, plot, among others.
Unlike conventional short
stories however, their limited
word length means that some
of these elements have to
remain unwritten and are
merely hinted at or implied in
the storyline. An example of a
microfiction is Brandon
Stanton’s Humans of New
York.
LITERARY TECHNIQUES
Writers use various literary techniques or devices to enrich their works and to convey meaning.

Simile and Metaphor: Simile compares two seemingly unlike objects by using the word like
or as; if the comparison does not use like or as, it is called a metaphor.
Example: “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the
past.”
Excerpt from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Personification: An animal, an object, or an abstract idea is given human attributes or

characteristics.
Example: The flowers bathe in sunlight and the grass reached out to the sky.

Symbol: A person, place, thing, animal, ordinary object, or event that has significance and
meaning outside of itself.
Example: flag to represent a country, cross to symbolize Christianity

A. Atmosphere: This refers to the creation of a mood or feeling by the use of sensory
descriptions and setting.
Example: “At low tide, when the bed was dry and the rocks glinted with broken bottles,
the stone fence of the Spaniard’s compound set off the house as if it were a castle.
Sunrise brought a wash of silver upon the roofs of the laundry and garden sheds which
had been built low and close to the fence. On dull mornings the light dripped from the
bamboo screen which covered the veranda and hung some four or five yards from the
ground.”
Excerpt from “The Bread of Salt” by NVM Gonzalez

B. Characterization: This refers to how the author describes the character, either directly or
indirectly through action, using details or nuances to add depth.
Example: “The first children who saw the dark and slinky bulge approaching through the
sea let themselves think it was an enemy ship. Then they saw it had no flags or masts
and they thought it was a whale. But when it washed up on the beach, they removed the
clumps of seaweed, the jellyfish tentacles, and the remains of fish and flotsam, and only
then did they see that it was a drowned man.”
Excerpt from “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the
World” by Gabriel García Márquez

C. Conflict: The problem or challenge faced by the character or characters in the story.
Example: In J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the main conflict is
Harry trying to stop Voldemort from stealing the sorcerer’s stone.

D. Flashback: A scene that interrupts the present action of a plot to introduce a past event.
Example: A scene of a woman taking care of her baby flashes back to the time when
she could not conceive and have been going to the hospital with her husband.

E. Foreshadowing: The use of clues to hint at a future event in the story in order to arouse the
readers’ curiosity and to build up suspense.
Example: A locked cabinet mentioned early in the story turns out to contain a valuable
art piece that will save the protagonist from financial difficulties.

F. Plot: The sequence of events that make up the story, told in either a chronological or a
non-chronological order. The usual plot order goes like this:
 Exposition→Rising Action-→Climax→Resolution→Dénouement
Exposition: introduces the character/s, setting, situation
Rising action: situation becomes complicated, action gains force
Climax: highest point of tension in the story
Resolution: falling action, conflict is resolved
Denouement: loose ends are tied up, other matters are drawn to a close

G. Point of view: The perspective or vantage point of the speaker or the narrator in a story or a
poem. The following are the most common kinds of points of view:
First person: The character within the story is the one telling it and uses his or her
perspective (uses “I”).
Third-person limited: The speaker is not the focus of the story and is the one narrating
about other characters through the limited perceptions of one person.
Third-person omniscient: The speaker is not part of the story but could see and narrate
what the characters are feeling and thinking.

H. Setting: The time and place where the story is set. This can also include the weather, the
social and political climate, and the cultural environment.
Example: In Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants,” the train station and its
location serve as a third character, representative of the psychological
state of the two main characters.

I. Theme: The central idea of the story, and to an extent, the purpose for its utterance.
Example: One of the main themes in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot is the
absurdity of human life.