Introduction to Literature

Defining Literature

• Literature is derived from the Latin word "littera," meaning "a letter of the alphabet."
• Literature is a body of written works, including poetry and prose.
• It can be classified based on various factors like language, national origin, historical period, genre, and subject matter.
• Literature exists in both oral and written forms.

Characteristics of Literary Texts

• A literary text narrates a story.
• It expresses feelings, thoughts, and ideas, potentially drawn from the author's imagination or real-life experiences.
• It delivers significant information and crosses boundaries of time, places, cultures, and languages.

Literary Structure

• It refers to the organizational method in literature, with the narrative being the most common type.
• It encompasses general features and characteristics of genres, styles, literary trends, literature as an art form, and art itself.
• It involves arranging elements like purpose, style, and genre to effectively convey the intended meaning to the audience.

Two Major Forms of Literature

Poetry

• Typically written in lines.
• Includes elements of rhythm, sound, imagery, and form.
• Its main purpose is to express feelings, thoughts, and ideas.

Prose

• This form applies natural speech and grammar structures, mainly using complete sentences logically sequenced in paragraph form.
• It can be divided into fiction and non-fiction.

Fiction

• The product of a writer's imagination and creative thinking.
• Characters react to conflict and various issues central to the literary work's main idea.
• Common genres include short stories, novels, and novellas (different genres such as crime, fantasy, romance, science fiction, western, inspirational, historical fiction, and horror).

Non-fiction

• Stories inspired by real events.
• Writers aim to present, interpret, or describe experiences based on facts, including judgments, opinions, and commentaries.
• Common forms include essays, journals, diaries, feature articles, and editorials.

Components of Literary Analysis

• Literature can be analyzed based on various components like literary technique, tone, content, and length.
• The most general literary genres include epic, tragedy, comedy, and creative nonfiction.
• Genres like satire, allegory, or pastoral might appear in various forms and as blends of other genres.
• Specific, identifiable characteristics of a literary work are necessary for a valid textual analysis.

Elements of a Story

• Setting, character, conflict, theme, point of view, and plot are critical elements of a story.
• Plot has elements like exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution or denouement.
• In poetry, the key elements are structure, imagery, rhythm, and sound.

Literary Period/Movement

• Periods or movements in literature feature unique traits and characteristics.
• These define generations and historical periods.
• They include interconnectedness and coherence beyond shared geography or grouping.