World Literature ( Lit 11)

Subject Teacher: Charmagne A. Roldan

Class Schedule: Feb. 5 – April 2 MTWThF
Course/Year: BSIT -2
Class Requirements:
Online attendance
Quizzes
Writing Exercises
Reaction paper
Exams
Course Description
This is a survey of the greatest masterpieces of literature from all over the world with
representative readings from various places and various time period.

Course Objectives:
1.Give the themes or human situations depicted in the stories.
2.Summarize and outline the different plots of some of the stories taken.
3.Cite modern-day influence and equivalents of the characters and Stories.
4.Evaluate moral decisions and actions of the characters in the stories.
Course Outline:
Chapter 1. Introduction to Literature
A. Genres of Literature
B. Elements of Fiction
Chapter 2. Bible
Old Testament
Prodigal Son
Chapter 3. Quran/Koran
Description, Meaning,History, Facts
Chapter 4.A.Iliad (Trojan War) B.Odyssey (Adventure of Odysseus)
-Homer
Chapter 5. Beowulf
Chapter 6. Mahabharata and Ramayana
Chapter 7. Song of Roland 
 Chapter 8. El Cid
Chapter 9. The Arabian Nights
Chapter 10. Divine Comedy
Chapter 1. Introduction to Literature
Learning Outcomes: At the end of the chapter, the students should be able to:

1.Tell the topics to be covered in the course.

2.Identify the different genres of literature and the elements of fiction.
Chapter 1.

Classification and Definition of Literary Types

Poetry
I. Narrative poetry tells a story in richly imaginative and rhythmical language.
A. Epic is a log narrative poem divided into distinct parts and episodes bound together by a common
relationship to some great hero, action and time.
B. Metrical romance is a long, rambling love story in verse. Ideals of chivalry, romantic love and
religious elements predominates this type of literature most characteristic of the Middle Ages
C. Ballad is a short narrative poem intended to be sung.
D. Metrical tale is to poetry what the short story is to prose. It deals with any emotion or phrase of life
and its story is told in a simple, straightforward and realistic manner.
Chapter 1
II. Lyric poetry expresses personal thoughts and feelings
A. The ode is a rather extended poem usually complicated in meter and stanza forms, and
always deals with serious theme such as immortality. It expresses enthusiasm, lofty praises of
some person ort thing.
B. Elegy is generally a poem of a subjective and meditative nature. It is a poem that can be
distinguished by its subject – death. It contains the author’s personal grief for loved one or a loss
affecting the public as a whole or it may be a meditation on death.
C. The song is a short lyric poem intended to be sung; it has that particularly melodious
quality required by the singing voice. ( secular and sacred songs)
D. Simple lyric is any short poem where the verse is especially musical or where there is
marked subjective or emotional tone.
E. Sonnet is a lyric poem distinguished by its exact form – fourteen iambic pentameter lines.
It produces a single emotional effect. ( Italian sonnet and Shakespearian sonnet)
Chapter 1
III. Dramatic Poetry portrays life and character through action in powerful, emotional-packed
lines such as those in Shakespeare’s plays.
A. Poetic plays
1. Comedy is a type of drama which aims primarily to amuse and which ends happily.
2.Tragedy is a type of drama in which the chief character undergoes a morally
significant struggle which ends disastrously.
3. Farce is an exaggerated comedy based broadly on humorous situations.
4. Historical play is a drama the materials of which are taken from the lives of
outstanding figures in history.
5. Melodrama is a play with sensational actions, sentimental love story, extravagant
emotions and generally a happy ending.
Chapter 1
B. Masque is a form of court pageantry that flourished in England in the 16th century.

C. Dramatic monologue is a poem in which one character speaks throughout, but the
presence, actions and words of other characters are implied.

Prose
I. The essay is a short literary composition in prose dealing with a single matter usually from a
personal point of view.
A. Reflective essays are serious and dignified and usually employs aphorisms, i.e., wisdom
couched in memorable sentences.
B. Narrative or story essay makes use of an incident to illustrate an idea or a theme.
C. Descriptive essay has some narrative elements as well as color, vividness and realistic
portrayals.
Chapter 1
D. Biographical essay sketches life or presents character analysis.
E. Nature essay attempts to picture the world of God’s creation and may do so in a graphic ,
pictorial vein or a more philosophical manner.
F. Critical essay includes biographical criticism, literary criticism and book reviews. It is a
record of an analytical mind weighing the virtues and faults of a literary piece.
G. Periodical essays are generally published in periodicals, hence, they are also called
journalistic
H. Didactic essays enforce a moral and therefore, the tone is serious and didactic
(instructive).
Chapter 1
II. Fiction is the literary production of man’s imagination finding shape in stories of people or events.
A. Prose allegory is a prose form in which the characters, ideas and actions stand for something else or
for a system with meanings implied.
1. Fable is a short allegorical tale conveying a moral or principle of behavior. The characters are
usually animals talking like human beings but keeping their animal traits.
2. Myths are traditional tales common to the members of a tribe, race or nation usually involving
the supernatural and serving to explain natural phenomena or suggested religious or moral truth.
3. Legends are stories some wonderful events popularly believed to have some historical basis and
passed down through the ages.
B. Prose romances are types of stories in which some supernatural or magical events. Fantastic and
unrealistic, occur.
1. Fairy tales which make use of folklore motifs, commonplace expressions, and typical themes
are those which develop from stock characters such as cruel king, cruel stepmother, naughty sister, magic,
etc.
Chapter 1
2. Folk tales are part of folklore ( traditions transmitted through memory). It is a story which
consists of one or a combination of many folklore themes.
C. Prose satires are stories in which human vices and follies are held up to ridicule
D. Novels are prose narratives on a large scale and can be divided into three types, fantasy, love and
adventure novels. They are further broken down into such varieties as:
detective, science-fiction, psychological, religious, sociological, romantic, realistic,
western, Gothic, Utopian, picaresque
E. Short story is a prose narrative of limited length which must have characterization, unity, cumulative,
interest , climax and a resolution.
F. Novelettes are prose narratives that are intermediate between the short story and the novels. It is more
elaborate than a short story but can be read in a single sitting and can produce a single, concentrated effect.
III. Prose drama is a literary work written in dialogue and intended for presentation by actors. The essence of
drama is the make-believe by which an actor impersonates a character of the play.
Chapter 1
Elements of Fiction
What is fiction?
Fiction is make-believe, invented stories. They may be short stories, fables, plays, novellas, or novels.
Although writers may base a character on people they have met in real life the characters and the
experiences that they character faces in the story are not real.

Characters
Characters are the people, animals or aliens in the story. Readers come to know the characters through what
they say, what they think and how they feel.
E.M. Forster, an English novelist, identified that characters are either flat or round. Flat characters do not
play important roles in the stories. They have only one or two traits with little description about them. A flat
character may even be a stock character. Which is a stereotypical figure that is easily recognized by
readers, for example, the mad scientist or the evil stepmother.
On the other hand, the round characters play an important role, often the lead roles in the story. They are
complex, dimensional, and well-developed. The stories are about them
Chapter 1
Fictional characters can be described as static or developing. Static means the character stays the same
throughout the story. Developing, also called dynamic, means the character changes. The change impact the
character’s beliefs, attitudes or actions.

Setting
Setting is where and when the story takes place. It includes the following:
> The immediate surroundings such as props in a scene: tress, furniture, food, inside of a house, car, etc.
> The time of day such as morning, afternoon or night.
> The weather such as cloudy, sunny, windy, storm, etc.
> The time of year, particularly the seasons: fall, winter, summer, spring.
> The historical period such as what century or decade the story takes place.
> The geographical location including the city, state, country and even the universe.
Chapter 1
Plot
Plot is the order of events in the story. The plot usually follows a particular structure called Freytag’s
Pyramid. Gustave Freytag, a German playwright who lived during the 1800s, identified this structure.
Freytag’s Pyramid has five parts: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and denouement.
climax
falling action
rising action

Exposition denouement

Exposition is an introduction to the characters, time and the problem. At the point where exposition moves
into rising action a problem, sometimes called an inciting incident, occurs for the main character to handle
or solve.
Chapter 1
Rising action includes the events that the main character encounters.
Climax is the turning point in the story. Usually, it is a single event with the greatest intensity and uncertainty.
Falling action includes the events that unfold after the climax. This usually creates an emotional response
from the reader.
Denouement or resolution provides closure to the story. It ties up loose ends in the story.

Conflict
Conflict is the struggle between two entities. In story writing the main character, also known as the
protagonist, encounters a conflict with the antagonist, which is an adversary. The conflict may be of six kinds:
character versus character
character vs nature/natural forces
character vs society or culture
character vs machine or technology
character vs God character vs himself/herself
Chapter 1
Point of View
Stories are generally told in one or two points of views:
First-person point of view
Third-person point of view
First-person point of view means that one of the characters in the story will narrate- give an account of – of
the story. The narrator may be a protagonist, the main character.
Third-person point of view means that the narrator is not in the story. The third-person narrator is not a
character. This point of view can be done in two ways:
Third-person limited
Third-person omniscient
Third-person limited means that the narrator limits himself/herself by being able to be in one character’s
thoughts.
Third-person omniscient means the narrator has unlimited ability to be in various characters’ thoughts.
Chapter 1
Theme
The theme is the underlying truth that is being conveyed in the story. Themes can be universal, meaning they
are understood by readers no matter what culture or country the readers are in.
Common themes include coming of age, circle of life, prejudice, greed, good vs evil

Quiz 1. schedule quiz on site

Chapter 2. The Bible
Learning Outcomes: At the end of the chapter, the students should be able too:
1. Identify and the describe the books found in the Old Testament
2. Write a reflection about the story read.
Chapter 2.
The Old Testament
The Old Testament is the first part of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24
books of the Hebrew Bible ( Tanakh), a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites
believed by most Christians and religious Jews to be the sacred Word of God.
The second part of the Christian Bible is the New Testament, written in Greek language.
The books that compose the Old Testament canon, as well as their order and names, differ between Christian
denominations.
The Old Testament consists of many distinct books by various authors produced over a period of centuries.
Traditionally the Old Testament is divided into 4 sections:
> the first five books or Pentateuch ( Torah)
> the history books telling the history of the Israelites, from their conquest of Canaan to their defeat and
exile in Babylon
> the poetic and “Wisdom books” dealing in various forms, with questions of good and evil in this
world
> the books of the biblical prophets, warning of the consequences of turning away from God
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Chapter 2.
Activity.1
Write a 2-3 paragraph reflection on the Prodigal Son by answering the questions: Who are you in the story?
The prodigal son, the other son? Who do they each represent in life? Explain.
Rubrics:
Content: 5
Organization: 3
Mechanics: 2
Total: 10 pts.
Note: Your paper should follow the ff:
Name: Date:
Course/Year
Subject:
Activity 1. Reflection on the story: The Prodigal Son
( Your 2-3 paragraph reflection)
Chapter 3. The Koran/Quran
Learning Outcomes: At the end of the chapter, the students should be able to:
1.Identify and describe the different literary elements found in the Quran.
2.Compare and contrast some stories/narratives found in the Bible and the Koran
Chapter 3.
Chapter 3.
Chapter 3
Form and Content
The Quran is markedly shorter than the New Testament and the Hebrew Bible. Is subdivided into 114 chapter
like units called “ surahs,” a word used in the Quran to designate revelatory passages of unspecific length.
All surahs are traditionally known by names- many of them only emerged after the death of the Prophet.
Surah names are usually derived from some conspicuous word in the text, such as “The Cow” ( the Second),
or “The Pots” ( the 26th).
Internally, the surahs are subdivided into verses called “ayat” ( singular is “ayah”), a word that literally means
“sign.”
The Quran generally styles itself as divine speech by employing the first person singular or plural ( I or We)
in statements that clearly refer to the Deity.
Many passages of the Quran are devoted to describing the eschatological judgement through which God will
consign each human being to either paradise or hell.
Chapter 3
Written exercise:
1.Mention 3 stories both found in the Koran and the Bible
2.Describe the literary elements found in the Koran.

Note: Don’t forget to write your name, course/year and subject.

Chapter 4. The Iliad and the Odyssey
At the end of the chapter, the students should be able to:
1. Identify and discuss the human situation depicted in the two epics.
2. Identify and describe each of the adventures of Odysseus.
Chapter 4.
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Written Exercise. Answer briefly the following questions.
1. What part of the Iliad mentions about love, friendship, fate and freewill?

2. Describe 3 of the adventures of Odysseus.

Lit 11: World Literature
Final Term
Requirements: ( end of each chapter)
Chapter 5: 2 written exercises
Chapter 6: 1 written exercise
Chapter 7: quiz
Chapter 8: 1 written act
Chapter 9: 1 written exercise
Chapter 10: 1 written exercise
Final Exam: to be given on the last meeting
Chapter 5. Mahabharata & Ramayana
At the end of the chapter, the students should be able to:
Describe the two epics.
Trace the divinity of Rama.
Identify some rites mentioned in the epic, and explain their significance.
Chapter 5
Ramayana

Rama with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana during exile in forest

Chapter 5
Ramayana, (Sanskrit: “Rama’s Journey”) shorter of the two great epic poems of India, the other being the 
Mahabharata (“Great Epic of the Bharata Dynasty”). The Ramayana was composed in Sanskrit, probably
not before 300 BCE, by the poet Valmiki and in its present form consists of some 24,000 couplets divided
into seven books.

The poem describes the royal birth of the god Rama in the kingdom of Ayodhya (Oudh), his tutelage under
the sage Vishvamitra, and his success in bending Shiva’s mighty bow at the bridegroom tournament of Sita,
the daughter of King Janaka, thus winning her for his wife.
After Rama is banished from his position as heir to the kingdom through a palace intrigue, he retreats to the
forest with his wife and his favourite half brother, Lakshmana, to spend 14 years in exile. There Ravana, the
demon-king of Lanka, carries off Sita to his capital while her two protectors are busy pursuing a golden deer
sent to the forest to mislead them. Sita resolutely rejects Ravana’s attentions, and Rama and his brother set
out to rescue her. After numerous adventures, they enter into alliance with Sugriva, king of the monkeys,
and, with the assistance of the monkey-general Hanuman and Ravana’s own brother, Vibhishana, they attack
Lanka. Rama slays Ravana and rescues Sita, who undergoes an ordeal by fire in order to clear herself of
suspicions of infidelity.
Chapter 5.
When they return to Ayodhya, however, Rama learns that the people still question the queen’s chastity, and
he banishes her to the forest. There she meets the sage Valmiki (the reputed author of the Ramayana) and at
his hermitage gives birth to Rama’s two sons. The family is reunited when the sons come of age, but Sita,
after again protesting her innocence, plunges into the earth, her mother, who receives her and swallows her
up.
The poem enjoys immense popularity in India, where its recitation is considered an act of great merit. Little
is known of Valmiki as a historical figure, though he is described as having been a thief named Ratnakara
prior to becoming a sage. Many translations of the Ramayana into the vernacular languages are themselves
works of great literary artistry, including the Tamil version of Kampan, the Bengali version of Krittibas, and
the Hindi version, Ramcharitmanas, of Tulsidas. Throughout North India the events of the poem are enacted
in an annual pageant, the Ram Lila, and in South India the two epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata,
make up the story repertoire of the kathakali dance-drama of Malabar. The Ramayana was popular during
the Mughal period (16th century), and it was a favourite subject of Rajasthani and Pahari painters of the
17th and 18th centuries.
Chapter 5.
Mahabharata, (Sanskrit: “Great Epic of the Bharata Dynasty”) one of the two Sanskrit 
epic poems of ancient India (the other being the Ramayana). The Mahabharata is an important
source of information on the development of Hinduism between 400 BCE and 200 CE and is
regarded by Hindus as both a text about dharma (Hindu moral law) and a history (itihasa,
literally “that’s what happened”). Appearing in its present form about 400 CE,
the Mahabharata consists of a mass of mythological and didactic material arranged around a
central heroic narrative that tells of the struggle for sovereignty between two groups of
cousins, the Kauravas (sons of Dhritarashtra, the descendant of Kuru) and the Pandavas (sons
of Pandu). The poem is made up of almost 100,000 couplets—about seven times the length of
the Iliad and the Odyssey combined—divided into 18 parvans, or sections, plus a supplement
titled Harivamsha (“Genealogy of the God Hari”; i.e., of Vishnu). Although it is unlikely that
any single person wrote the poem, its authorship is traditionally ascribed to the sage Vyasa,
who appears in the work as the grandfather of the Kauravas and the Pandavas. The date and
even the historical occurrence of the war that is the central event of the Mahabharata are much
debated.
Chapter 5.
Plot:
The story begins when the blindness of Dhritarashtra, the elder of two princes, causes him to be passed
over in favour of his brother Pandu as king on their father’s death. A curse prevents Pandu from
fathering children, however, and his wife Kunti asks the gods to father children in Pandu’s name. As a
result, the god Dharma fathers Yudhishtira, the Wind fathers Bhima, Indra fathers Arjuna, and the
Ashvins (twins) father Nakula and Sahadeva (also twins; born to Pandu’s second wife, Madri). The 
enmity and jealousy that develops between the cousins forces the Pandavas to leave the kingdom when
their father dies. During their exile the five jointly marry Draupadi (who is born out of a sacrificial fire
and whom Arjuna wins by shooting an arrow through a row of targets) and meet their cousin Krishna,
who remains their friend and companion thereafter. Although the Pandavas return to the kingdom, they
are again exiled to the forest, this time for 12 years, when Yudhishthira loses everything in a game of
dice with Duryodhana, the eldest of the Kauravas.
Chapter 5.
The feud culminates in a series of great battles on the field of Kurukshetra (north of Delhi, in 
Haryana state). All the Kauravas are annihilated, and, on the victorious side, only the five
Pandava brothers and Krishna survive. Krishna dies when a hunter, who mistakes him for a
deer, shoots him in his one vulnerable spot—his foot—and the five brothers, along with
Draupadi and a dog who joins them (Dharma, Yudhisththira’s father, in disguise), set out for
Indra’s heaven. One by one they fall on the way, and Yudhisthira alone reaches the gate of
heaven. After further tests of his faithfulness and constancy, he is finally reunited with his
brothers and Draupadi, as well as with his enemies, the Kauravas, to enjoy perpetual bliss.
Chapter 5.
Written Exercise:

1. Give a short description of the two Indian epics?

2. Mention some rites and explain their significance.( Ramayana)
Chapter 6. Beowulf
At the end of the chapter, the students should be able to:
1.Describe the hero- his traits and values.
2.Explain the heroic code in Beowulf and identify its rewards
Chapter 6.
BEOWULF

heroic poem
the highest achievement of Old English literature 
the earliest European vernacular epic
Although originally untitled, it was later named after the Scandinavian hero Beowulf, whose
exploits and character provide its connecting theme.
There is no evidence of a historical Beowulf, but some characters, sites, and events in the poem
can be historically verified.
Chapter 6.
Summary:
Beowulf falls into two parts. It opens in Denmark, where King Hrothgar’s splendid mead hall,
Heorot, has been ravaged for 12 years by nightly visits from an evil monster, Grendel, who
carries off Hrothgar’s warriors and devours them. Unexpectedly, young Beowulf, a prince of
the Geats of southern Sweden, arrives with a small band of retainers and offers to cleanse
Heorot of its monster. Hrothgar is astonished at the little-known hero’s daring but welcomes
him, and, after an evening of feasting, much courtesy, and some discourtesy, the king retires,
leaving Beowulf in charge. During the night Grendel comes from the moors, tears open the
heavy doors, and devours one of the sleeping Geats. He then grapples with Beowulf, whose
powerful grip he cannot escape. He wrenches himself free, tearing off his arm, and leaves,
mortally wounded.
Chapter 6.
The next day is one of rejoicing in Heorot. But at night as the warriors sleep, Grendel’s mother
comes to avenge her son, killing one of Hrothgar’s men. In the morning Beowulf seeks her out
in her cave at the bottom of a mere and kills her. He cuts the head from Grendel’s corpse and
returns to Heorot. The Danes rejoice once more. Hrothgar makes a farewell speech about the
character of the true hero, as Beowulf, enriched with honours and princely gifts, returns home
to King Hygelac of the Geats.

The second part passes rapidly over King Hygelac’s subsequent death in a battle (of historical
record), the death of his son, and Beowulf’s succession to the kingship and his peaceful rule of
50 years. But now a fire-breathing dragon ravages his land and the doughty but aging Beowulf
engages it. The fight is long and terrible and a painful contrast to the battles of his youth.
Painful, too, is the desertion of his retainers except for his young kinsman Wiglaf. Beowulf
kills the dragon but is mortally wounded. The poem ends with his funeral rites and a lament.
Chapter 6.
Beowulf belongs metrically, stylistically, and thematically to a heroic tradition grounded in 
Germanic religion and mythology.

It is also part of the broader tradition of heroic poetry.

Many incidents, such as Beowulf’s tearing off the monster’s arm and his descent into the mere,
are familiar motifs from folklore.

The ethical values are manifestly the Germanic code of loyalty to chief and tribe and 
vengeance to enemies.

Yet the poem is so infused with a Christian spirit that it lacks the grim fatality of many of the 
Eddaic lays or the sagas of Icelandic literature
Many critics have seen the poem as a Christian allegory, with Beowulf the champion of
goodness and light against the forces of evil and darkness. His sacrificial death is not seen as
tragic but as the fitting end of a good (some would say “too good”) hero’s life.
Chapter 6.
Written Exercise:
1.What is the heroic code in the epic? What are its rewards?
Chapter 7. Song of Roland
At the end of the chapter, the students should be able to:
1.Explain the historical nature of the epic.
2.Explain the theme/s depicted in the epic.
3.Describe the epic hero.
Chapter 7.
The Song of Roland (French: La Chanson de Roland) is an epic poem (chanson de geste)
based on the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778, during the reign of Charlemagne. It is the oldest
surviving major work of French literature and exists in various manuscript versions, which
testify to its enormous and enduring popularity in the 12th to 14th centuries.

The death of Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux

Chapter 7.
Plot:
Charlemagne's army is fighting the Muslims in Spain. They have been there for seven years, and the
last city standing is Saragossa, held by the Muslim King Marsile. Threatened by the might of
Charlemagne's army of Franks, Marsile seeks advice from his wise man, Blancandrin, who councils
him to conciliate the Emperor, offering to surrender and giving hostages. Accordingly, Marsile
sends out messengers to Charlemagne, promising treasure and Marsile's conversion to Christianity if
the Franks will go back to France.
Charlemagne and his men, tired of fighting, accept his peace offer and select a messenger to
Marsile's court. The protagonist Roland, Charlemagne's nephew, nominates his stepfather Ganelon
 as messenger. Ganelon, who fears to be murdered by the enemy and accuses Roland of intending
this, takes revenge by informing the Saracens of a way to ambush the rear guard of Charlemagne's
army, led by Roland, as the Franks re-enter France through the mountain passes.
Chapter 7.

As Ganelon predicted, Roland leads the rear guard, with the wise and moderate Oliver and the fierce
Archbishop Turpin. The Muslims ambush them at Roncesvalles and the Christians are overwhelmed.
Oliver pleads with Roland to blow his horn to call for help, but Roland tells him that blowing his horn
in the middle of the battle would be an act of cowardice. If Roland continues to refuse, Oliver will not
let Roland see his sister again whom Roland loves the most. However, Archbishop Turpin intervenes
and tells them that the battle will be fatal for all of them and so instructs Roland to blow his horn 
oliphant (the word is an old alternative to "elephant", and was used to refer to a hunting horn made
from an elephant tusk) to call for help from the Frankish army. The emperor hears the call on their
way to France. Charlemagne and his noblemen gallop back even though Count Ganelon tries to trick
them.
The Franks fight well, but are outnumbered, until almost all Roland's men are dead and he knows that
Charlemagne's army can no longer save them. Despite this, he blows his olifant to summon revenge,
until his temples burst and he dies a martyr's death. Angels take his soul to Paradise.
Chapter 7.
When Charlemagne and his men reach the battlefield, they find the dead bodies of Roland's men,
who have been utterly annihilated. They pursue the Muslims into the river Ebro, where the Muslims
drown. Meanwhile, Baligant, the powerful emir of Babylon, has arrived in Spain to help Marsile.
His army encounters that of Charlemagne at Roncesvalles, where the Christians are burying and
mourning their dead. Both sides fight valiantly. When Charlemagne kills Baligant, the Muslim army
scatters and flees, leaving the Franks to conquer Saragossa. With Marsile's wife Bramimonde, Queen
of Saragossa, Charlemagne and his men ride back to Aix, their capital in France.
The Franks discover Ganelon's betrayal and keep him in chains until his trial, where Ganelon argues
that his action was legitimate revenge, not treason. While the council of barons assembled to decide
the traitor's fate is initially swayed by this claim, partially out of fear of Ganelon's friend Pinabel
who threatens to fight anyone who judges Ganelon guilty, one man, Thierry, argues that because
Roland was serving Charlemagne when Ganelon delivered his revenge on him, Ganelon's action
constitutes a betrayal.
Pinabel challenges Thierry to trial by combat. By divine intervention, Thierry kills Pinabel. By this
the Franks are convinced of Ganelon's treason. Thus, he is torn apart by having four galloping horses
tied one to each arm and leg and thirty of his relatives are hanged. Bramimonde converts to
Christianity, her name changing to Juliana. While sleeping, Charlemagne is told by Gabriel to ride to
help King Vivien and bemoans his life.
Chapter 7.
Quiz shall be posted in the class gc
Chapter 8. El Cid
At the end of the chapter, the students should be able to:
Cite a modern day hero whose life can be compared with El Cid.
Explain the life and career of the hero.
Chapter 8
EL CID: national epic of Spain

Background of the hero:

Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1043 – 10 July 1099)
was a Castilian knight and warlord in medieval Spain.
The Moors called him El Cid(Spanish pronunciation: [el̟ ˈθið]), which meant the Lord (probably from the
original Arabic al-sayyid, ‫)اــل َّسيِّد‬, and the Christians, El Campeador, which stood for "The Battlefielder,"
"Outstanding Warrior," or "The one who stands out in the battlefield".
He was born in Vivar del Cid, a town near the city of Burgos.
After his death, he became Spain's celebrated national hero and the protagonist of the most significant
medieval Spanish epic poem, El Cantar de Mio Cid.[1]
To this day, El Cid remains a Spanish popular folk-hero and national icon, with his life and deeds
remembered in plays, films, folktales, songs, and video games.
Chapter 8.
Summary:
Born a member of the minor nobility, El Cid was brought up at the court of King Ferdinand the Great
 and served Ferdinand's son, Sancho II of León and Castile. He rose to become the commander and
royal standard-bearer (armiger regis) of Castile upon Sancho's ascension in 1065. Rodrigo went on to
lead the Castilian military campaigns against Sancho's brothers, Alfonso VI of León and García
II of Galicia, as well as in the Muslim kingdoms in Al-Andalus. He became renowned for his military
prowess in these campaigns, which helped expand the territory of the Crown of Castile at the expense of
the Muslims and Sancho's brothers' kingdoms. When conspirators murdered Sancho in 1072, Rodrigo
found himself in a difficult situation. Since Sancho was childless, the throne passed to his brother
Alfonso, the same whom El Cid had helped remove from power. Although Rodrigo continued to serve
the sovereign, he lost his ranking in the new court which treated him suspiciously and kept him at arm's
length. Finally, in 1081, he was ordered into exile. [2]
El Cid found work fighting for the Muslim rulers of Zaragoza, whom he defended from its traditional
enemy, Aragon. While in exile, he regained his reputation as a strategist and formidable military leader.
He repeatedly turned out victorious in battle against the Muslim rulers of Lérida and their Christian
allies, as well as against a large Christian army under King Sancho Ramírez of Aragon. In 1086, an
expeditionary army of North African Almoravids inflicted a severe defeat to Castile, compelling
Alfonso to overcome the resentments he harboured against El Cid.
Chapter 8.
The terms for the return to Christian service must have been attractive enough since Rodrigo soon found
himself fighting for his former Lord. Over the next several years, however, El Cid set his sights on the
kingdom-city of Valencia, operating more or less independently of Alfonso while politically supporting
the Banu Hud and other Muslim dynasties opposed to the Almoravids. He gradually increased his control
over Valencia; the Islamic ruler, Yahya al-Qadir [es], became his tributary in 1092. When the Almoravids
instigated an uprising that resulted in the death of al-Qadir, El Cid responded by laying siege to the city.
Valencia finally fell in 1094, and El Cid established an independent principality on the Mediterranean
coast of Spain. He ruled over a pluralistic society with the popular support of Christians and Muslims
alike.[3]
El Cid's final years were spent fighting the Almoravid Berbers. He inflicted upon them their first major
defeat in 1094, on the plains of Caurte, outside Valencia, and continued resisting them until his death.
Although Rodrigo remained undefeated in Valencia, his only son, and heir, Diego Rodríguez died fighting
against the Almoravids in the service of Alfonso in 1097. After El Cid's death in 1099, his wife, Jimena
Díaz, succeeded him as ruler of Valencia, but she was eventually forced to surrender the principality to the
Almoravids in 1102
Ref. Barton, Simon; Fletcher, Richard. The World of El Cid. Manchester University Press. p. 90. ISBN 9781526112637. Retrieved 23 April 2019
Chapter 8.
Written Act.

1.Mention a modern day hero whose life is similar with that of El Cid’s and how both came out as
victorious.
Chapter 9. Arabian Nights
At the end of the chapter, the students should be able to:
1.Explain the theme of deception in the story.
2.Identify the lessons in each of the tales.
Chapter 9.

One Thousand and One Nights

is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is
often known in English as the Arabian Nights, from the first English-language edition (c. 1706 – c.
1721), which rendered the title as The Arabian Nights' Entertainment.[2]
The work was collected over many centuries by various authors, translators, and scholars across
West, Central and South Asia, and North Africa.
Some tales themselves trace their roots back to ancient and medieval Arabic, Persian, Indian, Greek, 
Jewish and Turkish[3] folklore and literature. In particular, many tales were originally folk stories
from the Abbasid and Mamluk eras, while others, especially the frame story, are most probably
drawn from the Pahlavi Persian work ( A Thousand Tales), which in turn relied partly on Indian
elements.[4]
Chapter 9.
What is common throughout all the editions of the Nights is the initial frame story of the ruler Shahryār
 and his wife Scheherazade and the framing device incorporated throughout the tales themselves. The
stories proceed from this original tale; some are framed within other tales, while others are self-
contained. Some editions contain only a few hundred nights, while others include 1,001 or more. The
bulk of the text is in prose, although verse is occasionally used for songs and riddles and to express
heightened emotion. Most of the poems are single couplets or quatrains, although some are longer.

Some of the stories commonly associated with The Nights, in particular "Aladdin's Wonderful Lamp", "
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves", and "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor", were not part of The
Nights in its original Arabic versions but were added to the collection by Antoine Galland and other
European translators.
Chapter 9.
Synopsis:
The main frame story concerns Shahryār (Persian: ‫ش `ه`ريار‬, from Middle Persian šahr-dār, lit. "holder of
realm"[6]), whom the narrator calls a "Sasanian king" ruling in "India and China".[7] Shahryār is shocked
to learn that his brother's wife is unfaithful; discovering that his own wife's infidelity has been even more
flagrant, he has her killed. In his bitterness and grief, he decides that all women are the same. Shahryār
begins to marry a succession of virgins only to execute each one the next morning, before she has a
chance to dishonor him. Eventually the vizier, whose duty it is to provide them, cannot find any more
virgins. Scheherazade (Persian/ Farsi: ‫ش `ه`ْرزاد‬ Shahrazād, from Middle Persian čehr‫ش `ه`ر‬, "lineage"
+ āzād ‫ازاد‬, "noble"[6][8]), the vizier's daughter, offers herself as the next bride and her father reluctantly
agrees. On the night of their marriage, Scheherazade begins to tell the king a tale, but does not end it.
The king, curious about how the story ends, is thus forced to postpone her execution in order to hear the
conclusion. The next night, as soon as she finishes the tale, she begins another one, and the king, eager to
hear the conclusion of that tale as well, postpones her execution once again. This goes on for one
thousand and one nights, hence the name.
Chapter 9.
Written exercise:

1.Identify 2 themes from the Arabian Nights and explain each.

Chapter 10. Divine Comedy
At the end of the chapter, the students should be able to:
Explain the spiritual themes reflected in the story.
Identify literary devices used in the story.
Explain the historical importance of the story.
Chapter 10.
Dante’s Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso

By Dante Alighieri
is a famous Medieval Italian epic poem depicting the realms of the afterlife. Dante (who was born in 1265)
wrote The Divine Comedy somewhere between 1308 and his death in 1321, while he was in exile from his
hometown of Florence, Italy, which had been enduring civil war.
The Divine Comedy is divided into three separate volumes, each containing 33 cantos (or chapters). These
volumes are Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.
Dante is both the author and the central character of this trilogy. He travels through all of Hell, Purgatory,
and Heaven to make his way back to God, meeting several characters from history and literature on his way.
Chapter 10.
Inferno
As an exile, the poet Dante felt rather lost in his life; so, at the beginning of Inferno, the character Dante is
likewise lost both physically and spiritually. The ancient Roman poet Virgil (a hero of Dante's) appears in the
poem to guide Dante through Hell in an effort to save Dante's soul. Hell exists in the middle of the Earth and is
made up of nine circles.
The sinners in Hell have never repented while on Earth. They suffer the consequences of the sins they
committed during life, which are turned back on them, a concept called contrapasso. For example, canto 20
depicts circle eight, where sorcerers who used dark magic to see forward into the future now have their heads
painfully turned backwards for all eternity.
Hell is structured like an upside down cone, with each descending circle becoming smaller and containing
more depraved souls and more intense suffering. Right outside the gates of Hell are those who neither accepted
nor rejected God.
Within the gates of Hell, the first circle holds the unbaptized and the pagans born before Christ (such as Plato,
Aristotle, and Virgil himself). The other circles are defined by the major sin committed by those condemned to
that circle: lust (circle two), gluttony (circle three), greed (circle four), and wrath and depression (circle five).
The final circles make up the infernal city called Dis, with circle six containing heretics, circle seven
containing those who committed violence, circle 8 containing deceivers, and circle nine containing those who
betrayed trust. At the deepest region of circle nine, a three-faced Satan, stuck in a frozen lake, chews on the
worst betrayers of all time: Judas (who betrayed Jesus), and Brutus and Cassius (both of whom betrayed Julius
Ceasar).
Chapter 10.
Purgatorio
After the harrowing experience in Hell, Dante and Virgil climb out and enter Purgatory, where penitent souls
endure punishment in order to fully purge themselves of sin before entering Heaven. Purgatory is shaped like
a mountain and is divided into seven different levels, associated with the seven deadly sins of pride, envy,
wrath, sloth, covetousness, gluttony, and lust.
Contrapasso still exists to some extent; for example, those who struggled with the flames of lust on Earth
literally endure a purging fire in Purgatory. But, unlike the souls in Hell, these souls embrace their
punishment because it is making them holy. They sing and praise God in the midst of their punishment, and
implore Dante to ask people on Earth to pray for their souls. Also unlike the souls in Hell, they are free to
move between the seven levels as they purify themselves. Beyond the seventh level at the top of the
mountain is the earthly paradise of Eden, where Virgil disappears and is replaced by Dante's next guide.
Paradiso
As a pagan, Virgil cannot enter Heaven, so he is replaced by the next guide, Beatrice, who takes Dante from
Purgatory to Heaven. Beatrice was Dante's real-life love interest and muse for much of his poetry, so it is
fitting that she acts as Dante's guide to the divine. She also seems to be the main agent of his salvation here,
so critics have long noted how Beatrice acts as a sort of Christ figure for Dante. At times, the poem seems to
be as much about Dante's praise of Beatrice as it is about his journey to God.
Chapter 10.
Written exercise:

1.Make a list of the literary devices used in the epic.

References:
 Barton, Simon; Fletcher, Richard. The World of El Cid. Manchester University Press

Buck, William; van Nooten, B. A. (2000). Ramayana. University of California Press. p. 432. ISBN 

978-0-520-22703-3.

Burton, Richard. The Thousand and One Nights. Retrieved September 19, 2012

Gaunt, Simon; Pratt, Karen (2016). The Song of Roland, and Other Poems of Charlemagne (1st ed.). New
York, NY 10016, United States of America: Oxford University Press
The Iliad-Homer-Poem.English translation by Samuel Butler with popup notes and commentary (eNotes):
http://www.enotes.com/iliad-text

World Literature.(2003)Linda Bascara. Manila: Rex Bookstore.