Understanding Literature

• Literature is an art form that expresses human feelings through symbolic presentations.
• These presentations often take the form of short stories, poetry, drama, plays, and essays.

Classification of Literature

• Escape literature is for entertainment and helps to pass the time agreeably and provides a temporary escape from troubles.
• Interpretative literature enables one to understand their troubles, offering both pleasure and understanding.

Uses of Literature

• Literature serves to present moral values for readers to understand and appreciate either directly or indirectly.
• Literature can be used for propaganda, found in history, advertising, marketing, and personal success books.
• Literature offers therapeutic value by providing an emotional relief experience; catharsis that helps readers recover from pent-up emotions.

General Elements of Literature

• Writers should aim to elevate the reader's humanity.
• Writers should also help the reader become a better person and give them a high sense of value.
• Emotional appeal is achieved when the reader is emotionally moved by a literary work.
• Intellectual appeal provides knowledge and reminds the reader of forgotten information.
• Humanistic value is realized when the literary work affirms the dignity and worth of all people.

Specific Elements of Literature: Short Story

• A short story is a work of fiction that can be read in one sitting.
• Short stories generally develop one major conflict.

Elements of a Short Story

• Plot refers to the sequential arrangement of related events and actions within the story, starting from exposition, complication, climax, and resolution to the denouement.
• Characters refer to the people or animals that take part in the story.
• Direct characterization occurs when the writer directly describes a character's appearance, behavior, and thoughts.
• Indirect characterization occurs when the writer allows the reader to infer character traits through their speech, actions, or others' reactions.
• Point of view refers to the perspective through which the story is told; this can be first person or third person (omniscient or limited omniscient).
• Setting can be a locale or place where the event/action occurs, and its function is to lend an idea, symbol, and atmosphere.
• Theme is the message communicated by the story or unifying generalization about life stated or implied by it.
• Subordinate themes are called motifs.
• Irony is a contrast between what seems and what is.
• Dramatic irony is a contrast between what a character says and what the audience knows.
• Situational irony is a contrast between what is expected and what happens or between intention and outcome.
• Verbal irony is a contrast between what is said and what is meant, often with sarcasm.
• Symbolism refers to something that represents more than its literal meaning: a cross, sword and roses are symbols of christianity war and love respectively.
• Style implies control of material using literary and figurative languages, working out of the short story including character, plot, theme and setting.