WORLD LIT

• Literature is a body of written works that express ideas of permanent or universal interest
• Literature is humankind's entire body of writing, derived from the Latin littera, "a letter of the alphabet"
• Literature is a "slice of life" that contains imaginative language portraying thoughts, emotions, and experiences of the human condition
• Literature is a product of a particular culture that concretizes man's array of values, emotions, actions, and ideas
• Literature is an art that reflects works of imagination, aesthetics, and creative writing distinguished for the beauty of style or expression
• Studying Literature reflects man's experiences, innermost feelings, and thoughts
• Studying Literature helps us learn the culture of people across time and space
• Studying Literature helps us understand the past and present life of a nation
• Studying Literature helps us become familiar with neighboring countries' cultures and those living far from us
• Literature helps explore other cultures and beliefs
• Literature encourages questioning "accepted" knowledge
• Literature contributes to history and shows human tragedy
• Literature strengthens mastery of language and improves writing skills
• Literature helps recognize language devices and appreciate their emotional power
• Literature helps refine judgment and develop empathy for those unlike us
• Literature expands vocabulary, improves reading comprehension, and supports personal interpretations
• Literature endures across time and presents life through the formation of ideas, structures, and expressions
• Literature appeals to everyone regardless of culture, race, gender, and time
• Literature possesses aesthetic appeal, intellectual value, and stimulates critical thinking
• Literature unravels man's emotional power and elevates the spirit and soul
• Literature has a sense of beauty, timeliness, and timelessness
• Literature presents peculiar ways of how man sees life through ideas, forms, structures, and expressions
• Literature can be studied through various Literary Approaches
• Formalistic Approach views literature intrinsically, focusing on literary elements
• Moral or Humanistic Approach discusses man and its nature
• Historical Approach sees literature as a reflection and product of the times and circumstances it was written
• Sociological Approach views literature as the expression of man within a given social situation
• Cultural Approach sees literature as a manifestation of a nation's/race's culture and tradition
• Psychological Approach views literature as the expression of "personality" or "inner drives"
• Impressionistic Approach elucidates "reacting-response" in literature
• Literature consists of any written productions with artistic or intellectual value
• Genres in literature are based on stylistic criteria and conventions that change over time
• Poetry is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language
• Poetry includes Lyric Poetry, Narrative Poetry, Descriptive and Didactic Poetry
• Prose is written or spoken language without metrical structure and includes Fiction and Non-Fiction
• Fiction includes Realistic Fiction and Fantastic Fiction
• Non-Fiction includes Biographies, Autobiographies, Essays, Articles, and Humor
• Drama is a piece of writing that tells a story and is performed on a stage
• Drama includes Comedy, Tragedy, Farce, Melodrama, Fantasy, and Musical
• Literature in the form of prose describes imaginary events and people, often adopted into movies in the 21st century