overview of literature

• Literature Comes from the Latin word "Litera" which literally means an "acquaintance with letters"
• Literature


  A body of work, either written, oral, or visual, containing imaginative language that realistically portrays thoughts, emotions, and experiences of the human condition
• 7 Literary Standards


  • Universality
  • Artistry
  • Intellectual Value
  • Suggestiveness
  • Spiritual Value
  • Permanence
  • Style
• Universality


  A piece of writing that appeals to the hearts and minds of almost any reader regardless of culture, race, sex, and time
• Universality


  • William Shakespeare's plays: Romeo and Juliet
• Artistry


  A literary piece must possess an aesthetic appeal. The words that are put together must charm the readers.
• Artistry


  • The Odyssey by Homer
• Intellectual Value


  A literary piece must empower the critical thinking of the readers. It must enrich the mental processes of abstract and reasoning of man making him realize the fundamental truths of life and its nature.
• Intellectual Value


  • Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
• Suggestiveness


  Emotional Value. It unravels and conjures man's emotional power to define symbolism, implied meanings, images and message, giving and evoking visions of ordinary life and experiences.
• Suggestiveness


  • Fear of Flying by Erica Jong
• Spiritual Value


  A literary must elevate the spirit within us by bringing our moral values into realm of the physical world. It has the power to motivate and inspire the readers.
• Spiritual Value


  • The Holy Bible & Miracles from Heaven by Christy Beam
• Permanence


  A great work of literature endures. It can be read again and again as each reading gives fresh delight and new insights and opens a new world of meaning and experience. Its appeal is lasting.
• Style


  The peculiar way in which sees life, forms his ideas and expresses them.
• Genre


  A category of artistic work that has a specific form or characteristics
• 5 Genres of Literature

  • Poetry
  • Drama
  • Prose
  • Fiction
  • Non-Fiction
• Poetry


  A text that follows meter and rhythm. The lines are often structured with a specific number of syllables and the writer can choose to use rhyme to create a musical pattern. Poetry often draws heavily on imagery and figurative language to appeal to the reader's imagination.
• Verse


  A single line of poetry
• Stanza


  Made up of many lines. It provides a way of changing the subject or tone. It also helps create structure and flow to the ideas in the poem.
• Sub-Genres of Poetry


  • Lyric Poetry
  • Narrative Poetry
  • Dramatic Poetry
• Lyric Poetry


  Uses song-like and emotional words to describe a moment, an object, feeling, or a person. Lyric poems do not necessarily tell a story but focus on the poet's personal attitudes and state of mind.
• Narrative Poetry


  Usually of human interest and include epics, or long stories.
• Dramatic Poetry


  Also known as Dramatic Monologue, is meant to be spoken or acted.
• Drama


  A written work that tells a story through action and speech and is meant to be acted on a stage
• Types of Drama


  • Comedy
  • Tragedy
  • Tragicomedy
  • Melodrama
  • Farce
  • Opera
  • Musical
• Prose


  A written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without a metrical structure
• Types of Prose


  • Nonfictional Prose
  • Fictional Prose
  • Heroic Prose
  • Prose Poetry
• Fiction


  Any story that is the product of imagination rather than a documentation of fact
• Forms of Fiction


  • Novel
  • Novella
  • Short Story
• Genres of Fiction


  • Mystery
  • Horror
  • Science Fiction
  • Fantasy
  • Legends
  • Myths
  • Fairytales
  • Historical Fiction
• Elements of Fiction


  • Plot
  • Characters
  • Setting
  • Point of View
  • Conflict
  • Theme
• Non-Fiction


  Refers to literature based in fact. Writing that is not fictional; designed to explain, argue, instruct, or describe rather than entertain.
• Forms of Non-Fiction


  • Literary Non-Fiction
  • Functional Texts
• Functions of Genres


  • Reinforcement of a cultures ideas and values
  • Creation of a set of audience expectations
  • Creation of characteristics by procedures which audiences recognize
  • A relationship between audience and producers which minimizes the risk of financial failure
  • Dynamism and flexibility- constantly transforming with new examples
• 8 Values of Literature

  • Entertainment Values
  • Political Values
  • Artistic Values
  • Cultural Value
  • Historical Values
  • Philosophical Values
  • Moral Values
  • Ethical Values
• Entertainment Values


  Literature has entertainment value if reading it gives occasion to enjoy yourself
• Political Values


  Literature has political value if reading it gives occasion to change how a person thinks or acts
• Artistic Values


  The value that a literary work has as a work of art, based on its form, style, content, and other features
• Cultural Value


  The set of values and beliefs that inform, guide, and motivate the behavior of a particular group of people