H0045

What is literature?
1. It is the body of written works of a language, period, or culture.
2. It is marked by the use of figurative language—such as creative metaphors, well-turned
phrases, elegant syntax, rhyme, alliteration, meter, and the like.
3. It is in a literary genre: poetry, prose fiction, drama, etc.
4. It is read aesthetically.
5. It is intended by the writer to be read aesthetically.
6. It contains many implications—which are open to the reader’s interpretation.

Qualities of literature
1. From the earliest of times, cultures have been defined by their literature, whose medium
comprises language.
2. Literature falls into two categories:
a) utilitarian
b) creative
3. People read creative literature because they expect it to hold their interest and provide
pleasure.
4. The formal divisions of literature are:
a) fiction
b) non-fiction
c) poetry
d) drama

Types of literature
I. Fiction—are works that emanate from the author’s imagination rather than from fact. It takes
one of two approaches to its subject matter:
a) realistic—the appearance of observable, true-to-life details
b) non-realistic—fantasy
Fictional elements can appear in narrative poetry, drama, and even biography and epic poetry.
II. Non-fiction—consists of works based mainly on fact rather than on the imagination, although
non-fictional works may contain fictional elements.

Types of fiction
Fiction is divided into two categories:
A. Novel—is a prose narrative of considerable length, has a plot that unfolds from the actions,
speech, and thoughts of the characters. They can be classified by subject matter:
1) epistolary
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2) gothic pseudo-medieval
3) historical
4) manners
5) picaresque
6) psychological
7) sentimental
B. Short story—is a short prose work concerning only a single, significant episode/scene and
utilizing a limited number of characters.

Types of non-fiction
Examples of non-fiction are:
A. Biography—undertakes a written account of an individual’s life using literary narratives,
catalogues of achievement, or psychological portraits.
B. Essay—is a composition on a single subject, usually presenting the personal views of the
writer. It may be:
1) informal—tend to be brief, conversational in tone, and loose in structure; topic is familiar
(or personal)
2) formal—which are longer and tightly structured, focusing on impersonal subjects and
places less emphasis on the personality of the writer

Types of poetry
III. Poetry—is written to convey a vivid and imaginative sense of experience, using condensed
language selected for its sound, suggestive power, and meaning. It employs literary devices
such as:
a) meter
b) rhyme
c) metaphor
Poetry can be divided into three types:
a) narrative—tells a story such as an epic poem, a ballad, or a metrical romance
b) dramatic—involves portraying a life/character usually involving conflicts and emotions
through action and dialogue
c) lyric—is originally intended to be sung like a sonnet

Types of drama
IV. Drama—consists of a composition in prose or poetry intended to portray a life/character or
to tell a story usually involving conflicts and emotions through action and dialogue. It is often
intended for theatrical production. It can be classified as a:
a) tragedy—recounts the events of an individual’s life that results in an unhappy catastrophe

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b) comedy—aims primarily to amuse and ends happily

c) absurdity—presents characters cut off from religious/philosophical roots and live in
meaningless isolation in an indifferent world

Literary devices: fiction

1) Point of view—represents the perspective from which an author tells a story to the reader. It
could be:
a) first person
b) third person (singular/omniscient)
2) Tone—is the atmosphere of the story, which may include the setting or the physical
environment
3) Character—identifies the person/s in a story whose actions and decisions appeal to the
readers
4) Plot—is the structure of the work or the story line which can be open or closed
5) Theme—is the overriding idea that shapes the other elements in a story
6) Symbol—stands for something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or
accidental resemblance

Literary devices: poetry

1) Rhythm—consists of the flow of sound through accents and syllables
2) Imagery—is a verbal representation of objects, feelings, or ideas that can be literal or
figurative
3) Metaphor—is a figure of speech where new implications are given to words; comparisons are
implied, not explicit
4) Personification—where abstract qualities, animals, or inanimate objects take on human
characteristics
5) Allegory—where related symbols work together with characters, events, or settings that
represent ideas or moral qualities
6) Hyperbole—constitutes an intentional exaggeration for emphasis or comic effect

Literary devices: non-fiction

1) Facts—are the verifiable details around which writers shape their work, mostly in a biography
2) Anecdotes—are stories or observations about moments in a biography, taking the basic facts
and expanding them for illustrative purposes, thereby creating interest
3) Quotations—authors use them to create interest by changing the presentational format to that
of dialogue

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