World Literature Review PDF

LESSON 1 WORLD LITERATURE Literature Body of written works. The name has traditionally been applied to those imaginative works of poetry and prose distinguished by the intentions of their authors and the perceived aesthetic excellence of their execution. form of h...

LESSON 1 WORLD LITERATURE Literature Body of written works. The name has traditionally been applied to those imaginative works of poetry and prose distinguished by the intentions of their authors and the perceived aesthetic excellence of their execution. form of human expression. Those writings that are primarily informative—technical, scholarly, journalistic—would be excluded from the rank of literature by most, though not all, critics. Certain forms of writing, however, are universally regarded as belonging to literature as an art. Types of Literature Drama is a play in literature, and a playwright composes it. It portrays fictional or non-fictional stories. To explain away certain events, characters, or stories, a drama is produced, using dialogues or actions. It can be performed on stage, radio or on big screens as in films. MELODRAMA a kind of drama that portrays exaggerated emotions like tension or excitement. MUSICAL DRAMA tells a story with dialogues, songs, music, and dance. These things convey the emotions in the drama. TRAGEDY is the type of drama that has a dark theme. It portrays suffering, pain, longing, and often death. COMEDY is a type of drama, which is lighter in tone. Its purpose is to make the audience laugh and amuse them. Fable usually uses animals as characters to convey the story. In Fables, animals act like humans and can speak and understand reasoning. They are a personification of human characteristics and their nature. Autobiography is an interesting thing to read because of its teller of the story is the one, about who the story is. The character himself is the writer and describes his life from his own original perspective and experiences. Biography tells the story of a person from another person’s perspective. Someone else writes it rather than the subject himself. Poetry is a composition of rhythm, sound, and lyrics. The definition of poetry by one of the greatest poets in history, William Wordsworth, is “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” The four main types of poetry are haiku, free verse, sonnets, and acrostic poems. Prose which is plain and simple. It has no special grammar structure or a writing pattern to follow. Science Fiction also called “sci-fi,” is a genre of literature where most of the things are imaginary. The stories are about the future technology. Journalistic Literature In literary journalism, the journalist gathers information and then creates and publishes. It combines the facts and reporting with some clever strategies and narrative techniques. People call literary journalism also Narrative or New Journalism. Importance of Literature According to the 2002 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, there is a declining percentage of Americans, in particular young adults, reading literature. 5 Reason to study literature Literature improves communication skills The easiest way to improve vocabulary, writing, and speaking skills is to study literature. Literature teaches you about yourself Literature is full of human reactions that help children understand the nature and condition of the human heart. Literature teaches about the past History comes alive in imagination and thought as they combine literature's portrayals of past events with ordinary lives. Literature entertains Although we live in a technological age, reading American literature classics is still fun. The characters, stories, and language in classic literature engages the mind, upgrades leisure time, and transports children from enjoying the mediocre to embracing the excellent. Literature cultivates wisdom and a worldview Issues of the world are connected to the emotions of the heart and good principles are formed when reading the classics. LESSON 2 Literary Standards These are a set of characteristics to determine whether a work is literary. Universality It appeals to everyone regardless of culture, race, sex, and time which are considered significant. Universality describes a piece of writing that appeals to the hearts and minds of almost any reader. Artistry It has an aesthetic appeal to everyone and thus possesses a sense of beauty. Artistry describes literature that is aesthetically appealing and reveals or conveys hidden truth and beauty. Intellectual Value It stimulates critical thinking that enriches the mental processes of abstract and reasoning, making man realizes the fundamental truths of life and its nature. Intellectual value takes readers into a bit of a gray area as they may have different opinions about what qualifies as intellectual, but from an academic point of view, intellectual works are relevant to society and thought provoking. Spiritual Value It elevates the spirit and the soul and thus have the power to motivate and inspire, drawn from the suggested morals or lessons of the different literary genres. Literature with spiritual value lifts the inner spirit and soul and has the power to motivate and inspire readers. Permanence  It endures across time and draws out the time factor: TIMELINESS, occurring at a particular time, and TIMELESSNESS, remaining invariably throughout time. Permanence is determined by a written work’s ability to stand the test of time, which makes it impossible to determine now of writing. Style refers to the distinct way the author expresses his or her thoughts. Words can be used in unique, creative, and entertaining ways that make the work memorable. To criticize it is to consider the seven literary standards. Be critical. Ask yourself occasionally. Does it move you? Does it tickle your imaginations? What does it suggest? What moral lessons can be drawn out? Would it still be read and make a good reference hundreds of years from now? Does it possess multifaceted natures for all sorts of audience? Does the style fascinate you? Is the style used unique or forgery? DIVISION OF LITERATURE (PROSE AND POETRY) Literature refers to written creative work, particularly those which have a high and enduring value. It is known for its form in which the message is presented or communicated and its content. Prose and poetry are the two common forms of literature; wherein prose is written work, which contains sentences and paragraphs, and does not have any metrical structure. The Basic Difference between Prose and Poetry we have sentences and paragraphs POETRY lines and stanzas can be found in a poetry unique style of writing used to share something special, aesthetically. PROSE regular writing can be found in newspaper articles, blogs, short stories, etc. PROSE The prose is an ordinary writing style in literature, which encompasses characters, plot, mood, theme, the point of view, setting, etc. making it a distinctive form of language. It is written using grammatical sentences, which forms a paragraph. It may also include dialogues, and is sometimes, supported by images but does not have a metrical structure. Prose can be fictional or non-fictional, heroic, alliterative, village, polyphonic, prose poetry etc. POETRY Poetry is something that arouses a complete imaginative feeling, by choosing appropriate language and selective words and arranging them in a manner that creates a proper pattern, rhyme (two or more words having identical ending sounds) and rhythm (cadence of the poem). Poetry uses an artistic way to communicate something special, i.e., a musical intonation of stressed (long sounding) and unstressed (short sounding) syllables to express or describe emotions, moments, ideas, experiences, feelings, and thoughts of the poet to the audience. The structural components of poetry include lines, couplet, strophe, stanza, etc. Key Difference between Prose and Poetry POETRY 1. form of literature, which is aesthetic by nature, i.e., it has a sound, cadence, rhyme, meter, etc., that adds to its meaning. 2. we use an expressive or creative language, which includes comparisons, rhyme and rhythm that give it a unique cadence and feel. 3. realistic, poetry is figurative. (with another meaning) 4. poetry is written in verses, which are covered in stanzas. These verses leave a lot of unsaid things, and its interpretation depends upon the imagination of the reader. 5. poetry aims to delight or amuse the reader. 6. the poet shares his/her experience or feelings with the reader, which plays a crucial role in poetry. PROSE 1. refers to a form of literature, having ordinary language and sentence structure. 2. The language of prose is quite direct or straightforward. 3. prose is pragmatic (realistic) 4. Prose contains paragraphs, which includes several sentences, that has an implied message or idea. 5. prose is utilitarian (useful), which conveys a hidden moral, lesson, or idea. 6. The most important thing in prose is the message or information. LESSON 3 genre originates from the French word meaning “kind” or “type”. As a literary device, genre refers to a form, class, or type of literary work. The primary genres in literature are poetry, drama/play, essay, short story, and novel. GENRES COULD BE DIVIDED INTO FOUR MAJOR CATEGORIES WHICH ALSO HAVE FURTHER SUB- CATEGORIES. THE FOUR MAJOR CATEGORIES ARE GIVEN BELOW. 1. Poetry: categorized into further sub- categories such as epic, lyrical poetry, odes, sonnets, quatrains, free verse poems, etc. 2. Fiction: categorized into further sub- categories such as short stories, novels, skits, postmodern fiction, modern fiction, formal fiction, and so on. 3. Prose: categorized into sub-genres or sub-categories such as essays, narrative essays, descriptive essays, autobiography, biographical writings, and so on. 4. Drama: categorized into tragedy, comedy, romantic comedy, absurd theatre, modern play, and so on. Common Examples of Fiction Genre Mystery: features a detective solving a case with a suspenseful plot and slowly revealing information for the reader to piece together. Romance: features a love story or romantic relationship; lighthearted, optimistic, and emotionally satisfying. Historical: plot takes place in the past with balanced realism and creativity; can feature actual historical figures, events, and settings. Western: features cowboys, settlers, or outlaws of the American Old West with themes of the frontier. Bildungsroman: story of a character passing from youth to adulthood with psychological and/or moral growth; the character becomes “educated” through loss, a journey, conflict, and maturation. Science Fiction: speculative stories derived and/or inspired by natural and social sciences; features futuristic civilizations, time travel, or space exploration. Dystopian: sub-genre of science fiction in which the story portrays a setting that may appear utopian (used to describe political or religious philosophies) but has a darker, underlying presence that is problematic. Fantasy: speculative stories with imaginary characters in imaginary settings; can be inspired by mythology or folklore and include magical elements. Magical Realism: realistic depiction of a story with magical elements that are accepted as “normal” in the universe of the story. Realism: depiction of real settings, people, and plots as a means of approaching the truth of everyday life and laws of nature. Elements of Prose 1. Parallelism (Parallel Plots) Parallelism refers to the plotting of events that are similarly constructed but altogether separate. Sometimes these parallels develop on accident, but they are powerful tools for highlighting notable events and themes. 2. Foil Characters A foil refers to any two characters who are “ opposites ” ofeach other. These oppositions are often conceptual in nature. 3. Diction You will often hear that “diction” is just a fancy term for “word choice.” While this is true, it is also reductive, and it does not capture the full importance of select words in your story. Diction is one of the most important literary devices in prose, as every prose writer will use it. 4. Mood The mood of a story or passage refers to the overall emotional tone it invokes. The mood of a story or passage refers to the overall emotional tone it invokes. 5. Foreshadowing A foreshadow refers to any time the writer hints towards later events in the story. Foreshadowing is a powerful literary device in fiction, drawing readers ever closer to the story’s climax. often underscoring the story’s suspense and conflict. 6. In Media Res In Media Res refers to authoring a story starting from the middle From the Latin “In the middle of things,” In Media Res is one of the literary devices in prose chiefly concerned with plot. In Media Res refers to authoring a story starting from the middle; by throwing the reader into the center of events, the reader’s interest piques, and the storytelling bounces between flashback and present day. 7. Dramatic Irony Dramatic irony is a literary device in prose in which the audience understands more about the situation than the story’s characters do. 8. Vignette A vignette (vin-yet) refers to a passage of prose that is primarily descriptive, rather than plot-driven. 9. Flashback A flashback refers to any interruption in the story where the narration goes back in time. 10. Soliloquy (suh·li·luh·kwee) A soliloquy is a long speech with no audience in the story. Soliloquy comes from the Latin for self (sol) and talking (loquy), and self-talking describes a soliloquy perfectly. 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