Introduction to Literature

Introduction to Literature

• Literature is a product of imagination, originality, thought, feelings, and emotions.
• Literature serves as a reflection of society, human nature, and the surrounding reality.
• Literature includes written or oral artistic works with high and lasting artistic merit.
• Studying literature improves language skills.
• Literature expands knowledge about different lives, cultures, and experiences around the world.
• Literature entertains and provides a productive way to spend one's free time.
• Literature allows comparison of personal experiences with those of others.
• Reading literature can make individuals wiser by forcing them to judge, sympathize with, or critique characters.

Literature Genres

• Major literature genres include prose, poetry, and drama.

Prose

• Prose is the ordinary form of written language.
• Fiction is a literary creation with imaginary characters and events, like a short story.

Types of Fiction

• Historical fiction is set in a historically accurate time and setting with fictional characters and events.
• Realistic fiction features stories that could realistically occur in the present day, addressing modern problems and events.
• Science fiction is typically set in the future or on other planets, often based on the impact of science.
• Fantasy involves imaginative stories that could never really happen, often featuring magical elements and settings in other worlds.
• Mystery stories involve suspense and crime-solving, with clues provided to solve the mystery.
• Adventure stories involve protagonists and other major characters in dangerous situations where they must use their skills to overcome the antagonist.
• Folktales include fables, fairy tales, legends, tall tales and myths.
• Fables are brief stories meant to teach a moral lesson, usually featuring animals with human characteristics.
• Fairy tales contain magical elements and characters such as fairies, giants, and elves.
• Legends tell stories about national or folk heroes, set in a specific time and place with partly true and partly fictional events; the hero's traits are typically exaggerated.
• Tall tales are humorous stories with extreme exaggerations, where the main character performs impossible feats with ease.
• Myths are often based on historical events and explain natural or human phenomena, typically involving gods.

Genres of Fiction

• Fiction genres include short stories and novels.

Short Story

• A short story is a concise artistic form of prose focusing on a major event with few characters.
• Elements in a short story include plot, setting, characters, point of view, and theme.

Short Story Elements

• Plot is what happens in a narrative and how it unfolds.
• Stages of plot:
  • Exposition introduces the story.
  • Rising action builds up to the climax.
  • Climax is the turning point or moment of highest interest.
  • Falling action is the result of the climax.
  • Resolution provides the final outcome.
• Setting includes the time, place, action, and state of mind. The setting is where the character's story occurs.
• Characters are the people or animals in the story.
• Character types:
  • Protagonist: the main character.
  • Antagonist: a character opposing the main character.
  • Round characters: need attention to be described.
  • Flat characters: easily described in brief.
  • Dynamic characters change during the story.
  • Static characters remain the same.
• Qualities of a good character:
  • Consistency in personality unless there is a reason for change.
  • Plausibility, so the character is believable.
  • Motivation, which drives the character's actions.
• Point of view refers to the narrator's relationship to the story:
  • Subjective/first person involves a character in the story.
  • Objective/third person involves a witness to the story.
• Theme is the central message, concern or insight into life expressed in the story.
• Types of themes:
  • Stated theme is clearly presented.
  • Implied theme must be inferred.

Novel

• A novel is a long artistic form of prose including both main and sub events.

Non-Fiction

• Non-fiction features real people, events, places and ideas.
• Non-fiction is narrated by a real person.
• Non-fiction presents facts, describes true experiences, or discusses ideas.
• Non-fiction is written for a specific audience.

Reading Non-Fiction

• Strategies include:
• Recognizing the author's purpose.
• Identifying the author's main points.
• Identifying support for the author's points.
• Recognizing organizational patterns.
• Varying reading rate based on the material.

Types of Non-Fiction

• Types of non-fiction include: biography, autobiography, essays, how-to guides, textbooks, encyclopedias, magazines, research reports, newspapers, memoirs, atlases, brochures, editorials, and advertisements.
• Biography is a true account of someone's life or part of it.
• Autobiography is a biography written by a person about their own life.
• Essay is a short composition from the author's perspective.
• How-to provides instructional writing on tasks and procedures.
• Textbook is a manual of instruction for a field of study.
• Encyclopedia is a comprehensive reference work.
• Magazine is a periodical containing articles, pictures, and advertisements.
• Research report is an objective, informational text based on accurate references.
• Newspaper contains news, information, current events and advertising with feature articles and editorial columns.
• Memoirs are autobiographical accounts of specific events, often descriptive and personal.
• Atlas is a collection of maps presenting geographic and statistical information.
• Brochure is a pamphlet advertising locations, events, and services, typically brief and eye-catching.
• Editorial is an article expressing the author's opinion, often in newspapers or magazines.
• Advertisement is a public promotion of a product or service, communicating its benefits to customers.
• Purposes of non-fiction are to entertain, inform, explain, and persuade.

Poetry

• Poetry expresses experience through meaning, sound, and language choices to evoke emotion.

Drama

• Drama is a story written to be performed by actors; its written version can be read silently.
• Types of drama include comedy or humor, farce, tragedy, horror, melodrama, fantasy, and musical.
• Comedy makes the reader laugh through characters and action.
• Farce presents characters in unlikely situations.
• Tragedy focuses on death or suffering with a sad ending.
• Horror involves strange and frightening events.
• Melodrama features characters displaying strong emotions.
• Fantasy is based on imagination and unlikely events.
• Musical includes dance and music.

Active Reading Strategy

• It mentally directs, performs, and reads a drama.
  • Visualize the elements.
  • Listen to how each character's lines sound; try reading aloud.
  • Question and note any questions.
  • Connect the play to your own life.
  • Predict what will happen next.
  • Interpret characters actions.
  • Respond to the play.