Literary Standards

Literary Standards

• Universality: Literature transcends cultural, racial, and temporal boundaries, appealing to diverse audiences.
• Artistry: Literature is characterized by its aesthetic beauty, offering a sense of artistic expression.
• Intellectual Value: Engages critical thinking and abstract reasoning, prompting insights into fundamental truths of life.
• Suggestiveness: Evokes emotional responses and interpretations through symbolism, nuances, and implied meanings.
• Spiritual Value: Literature inspires and uplifts the spirit, often imparting moral lessons from various genres.
• Permanence: Literature endures through time, maintaining relevance via its timeless themes and messages.
• Style: Reflects unique perspectives on life, showcased through distinctive ideas, structures, and expressions.

Literary Genres

• Defined by dialogue and stage directions, designed for performance.
• Types: Open form (free verse) and closed form (structured).
• Characteristics: Relies on imagery, figurative language, and sound devices.
• Examples:
  • Myths and fables
  • Novels and short stories
  • News articles, essays, and biographies

Poetry

• Definition: A form of language marked by rhythm, figurative language, imagery, sound devices, and emotional expression.
• Types of Poetry:
  • Concrete Poem: Visual elements integrated with text.
  • Narrative Poem: Tells a story in verse with characters, conflict, and plot.
  • Lyric Poem: Expresses personal feelings of a single speaker.
  • Other Forms: Epic, ballad, ode, sonnet, elegy, song, dramatic poetry.

Prose

• Definition: The ordinary, straightforward form of written language that mimics spoken language.
• Types:
  • Fiction: Includes short stories, novels, legends, and fairy tales.
  • Non-Fiction: Encompasses biographies, essays, reaction/reflection papers, diaries, and business letters.

Dramatic Literature

• Definition: A narrative crafted to be performed by actors; scripts can also be read to visualize actions.
• Literary Elements: Includes plot, theme, setting, characters, and conflict.

Business Letters

• Definition: Formal communications for professional contexts.
• Parts of a Business Letter:
  • Heading: Contains the date and writer's address.
  • Inside Address: Recipient's address including name and title.
  • Salutation: Greeting the recipient courteously, followed by a colon.
  • Body / Text: The main message of the letter.
  • Complimentary Closing: Expression of courtesy before the signature.
  • Signature: Writer's name signed; may include optional elements like attention and subject lines to denote focus.

Poetry Structure

• Line Types:
  • Couplet: Two lines.
  • Quatrain: Four lines.
  • Tercet: Three lines.
  • Cinquain: Five lines.