Great Books
Literature (Review)
Literature- expression of life through writings
having excellence form
- Written works which represents the
imaginative creative powers of the mind
to interpret life
- Both means and an end of education
Purpose of literature
Pleasure- may only be gained if one knows
how to read it. Readers of literature require certain
skills in reading and must be human enough.
Insight- ability of literary works to instruct
its readers about the world we live in, about our
fellow human beings and about ourselves.
Possible values of literature
Primary:
 Aesthetic- beauty
Secondary:
 Moral/ethical- difference between
good and evil
 Religious- inspirational and spiritual
enlightenment
 Philosophical- right way of life
 Historical- information about the
past
 Socio political- current events in the
society and government
 Scientific- truth and factual
information
 Psychological- human behaviour
 Cultural- customs and traditions
 Entertainment- pleasure and
enjoyment
According to subject
o Fiction- story produced by the
imagination
o Nonfiction- based on factual events
According to language and form
o Verse- written in metrical and
rhythmic expressions using lines and
stanzas
o Prose- written using sentences and
paragraphs
According to nature
o Lyric- appeals to the emotions
o Narrative- aims to tell a story
o Dramatic- intended for presentation
onstage with actors
According to function
o Poetry- appeals to our sense of
beauty
o Philosophy- gives insight about
human nature
o History- gives information about the
past
Fiction
Originally mean anything made up, crafted,
or shaped, but as we understand the world today, it
means a prose story based on the
imagination of the author
2 components of fiction
o Theme- what is expressed in the
story?
o Form- how is the theme expressed in
the story?
Types of fictions
o Anecdote-short narrative giving
particulars of some interesting
episode or events
o Parable- short narrative intended to
illuminate a spiritual truth
o Fable- short tale with animals as
characters; convey a practical lesson
or a moral truth
o Folktale- stories from the remote
past transmitted to the present
through oral tradition
i. Myths-universal
ii. Legend- local
o Fairy tale- stories for children about
imaginary beings usually of
European folktale
o Shortstory- concerned with single
crisis
o Novel-presents many facets of the
character and events
 o Novella- longer than short story and  AntiHero-protagonist who has the opposite
shorter than novel attributes
 Type- familiar from prototypes in previous
Elements of Fiction films
 Round- complex and multi-dimensional
Most basic (gradual change)
o Setting  Static- remains unchanges
o Point of view  Dynamic/developing- undergoes a
o Tone/mood permanent change
o Plot
 Conflict- struggle or clash
 Setting- time and the place background of a. External conflict- man vs.
the story man/society/nature
 Point of view- how the author or narrator b. Internal conflict- man vs. himself
allows us to see what he wants us to see  Irony- contrast between what seems an
a. First person point of view- “I” what is and could be
b. Third person point of view- “He’, a. Dramatic Irony-what the fictional
“she”, “It”, “They character says
i. Omniscient- knows all b. Situational Irony- contrast between
characters expectation and result
ii. Limited- single character c. Verbal Irony- contrast between what
 Tone/mood- emotional attitude is said and what is meant
 Plot- sequential arrangement
a. Exposition-crisis-climax- conclusion  Movement- change from one of things to
b. Chronological- in order another
c. Inverted order- go backward in time  Symbol- must carry a double meaning-
denotes something tangible even if it is
Most important intangible
o Character
o Conflict Techniques or Devices
o Irony o Flashback
o Movement o Foreshadowing
o Symbol
o Flashback-past event is inserted to
 Character- people that take part in the the present
action of the story o Foreshadowing- giving he reader an
a. Characterization- used to present intimation or hint of something
characters likely to happen later
b. Direct characterization- writer tell
how a character looks like…
c. Dramatic characterization-writer let
the reader draw their own
conclusion

Kinds of Character
 Protagonist- lead figure
 Antagonist- work against the protagonist
(death/illness/ any challenge)