Literary Forms and Short Story Elements

Literary Forms

• Fable - A story in verse or prose, with animals or inanimate objects exhibiting human characteristics to convey a lesson
• Anecdote - Short imaginative story aiming to teach a lesson, often featuring animals or children
• Essay - A short piece of non-fiction expressing a personal perspective on a specific subject, similar to editorials
• Biography - An account of a person's life, combining factual events with interpretation and historical context
• News - Reports on daily occurrences in society, government, science, and industry
• Oration - A speech designed to engage the audience's emotions and interest

Elements of a Short Story

• Setting - Reveals the location and time of the story
• Characters - The actors in the story, including the main protagonist and supporting characters
• Plot - The storyline, sequence of events, and structure of the narrative
• Theme - The central idea or insight of the story, usually implied rather than stated, often exploring themes like good vs. evil or life's stages
• Point of View - The perspective from which the story is told
• Conflict - The opposition of forces, including character clashes or external obstacles, driving the plot forward

Philippine Literature

• Poetry forms:
  • Haiku - A Japanese poem of 17 syllables arranged in three lines
  • Ode - A formal lyric poem commemorating significant public events, with consistent rhyme and rhythm patterns
  • Elegy - A lyric poem reflecting on life and death, typically mourning a loved one
  • Corridos (Kuridos) - Narrative poems with eight-syllable lines (octosyllabic), often recited to a martial beat
  • Psalms (Dalit) - Songs praising God or the Virgin Mary, exploring life's philosophy
  • Awit (Song) - Narrative poems with twelve-syllable lines (decasyllabic), sung slowly with accompanying musical instruments
  • Sonnet - A 14-line love poem with a specific pattern of rhyme and rhythm, with two main types: Italian and Shakespearean
• Dramatic Poetry - Poetry that resembles narrative poetry, but told through dialogue, rhyme, rhythm, and other poetic elements
  • Comedy - Light-hearted poetry designed to entertain and often concluding with a happy ending
  • Melodrama - Dramatic poetry often found in musical plays, particularly operas, often dealing with tragic themes but including a happy ending for the leading character
  • Tragedy - Poetry focusing on a protagonist struggling against powerful forces and facing a tragic downfall
  • Farce - An exaggerated comedic poetry aiming to create humour through ridiculous situations and caricatured characters
  • Social Poems - Comic or tragic poetry reflecting contemporary life, aiming to bring about social change

Poetry Analysis

• Title: The title provides initial insight into the poem's theme and subject matter
• Speaker or Persona: The voice speaking within the poem, identified by pronoun usage
• Meaning of Words - Understanding the meaning of all words, familiar and unfamiliar, through using dictionaries, encyclopedias, literary sources, and context clues
• Setting and Situation - Identifying the location, time, and circumstances of the poem
• Form and Development - Recognizing the structure and progression of the poem, including narrative, statements, or dialogues, as well as its specific form and the way ideas unfold

This quiz explores various literary forms such as fables, anecdotes, essays, biographies, news articles, and orations. It also delves into the essential elements of a short story including setting, characters, plot, and theme. Test your knowledge and understanding of these foundational literary concepts.