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• Literature


  Acquaintance with letters
• Literature


  A body of written works, imaginative works of poetry and prose distinguished by the intentions of the authors and the perceived aesthetic excellence of author's execution
• Dr. Rod Ellis: 'Literature is the verbal expression of human imagination. One of the primary means by which a culture transmits itself.'
• Dr. Isagani R. Cruz: 'Literature is one way to view reality.'
• Dr. Venancio L. Mendiola: 'Literature by classical definition is the best that has been thought of and felt and written about by writers throughout the ages.'
• Dr. Milagros Tanlayco: 'Literature is the record, oral and written, of man's thoughts, man's experiences, man's values in language that is beautiful, presented in a manner that is unforgettable. Literature is the record of life; it is the record of the human soul; it is the record of man.'
• Elements of Literature


  • Subject of Literature
  • Forms of Literature
  • Point of view
• Division of Literature


  • Prose
  • Poetry
• Types of Literature


  • Oral Literature
  • Written literature
• Forms of Literature


  • Fiction
  • Non-fiction
• Nature of literature


  Expression of human feelings, thoughts and ideas whose medium is language, oral and written. Experiences of the authors. It can be medium for human to communicate what they feel, think and experience to the readers.
• Roles of Literature


  • To entertain and give pleasure to the reader
  • To educate and heighten the awareness of the reader
  • Communication
  • Shaping the aesthetic taste
• Literary Standards


  • Universality
  • Artistry
  • Intellectual Value
  • Permanence
  • Style
  • Spiritual Value
  • Suggestiveness
• Function of Literature


  • Entertainment Function
  • Social and Political Function
  • Ideological Function
  • Moral Function
  • Linguistic Function
  • Cultural Function
  • Educational Function
  • Historical Function
• Characters


  The people, animals, things in the plot of a story. They are the ones acting or saying the lines in a literature.
• Two Types of Character (Role)

  • Protagonist (the main character whom we usually sympathize)
  • Antagonist (the figure who opposes the protagonist and creates the conflict)
• Ways on How a Character is Portrayed

  • Flat Characters (they have no depth and no change; we only see one side or aspect of them)
  • Round Characters (they have more fully developed personalities)
• Setting


  The time, the geographical location, the general environment, and circumstances that prevail in the narrative.
• Two Types of Setting

  • Integral Setting (the setting is fully described in both time and place)
  • Backdrop Setting (the setting is vague and general, which helps to convey a universal, timeless tale)
• Conflict


  The main problem the protagonist is trying to solve.
• Four Types of Conflict

  • Man versus man
  • Man versus nature
  • Man versus himself
  • Man versus society
• Theme


  The main, central, and underlying idea in a piece of literature. It is usually a broad realization about life. It is woven subtly into the fabric of the story rather than being lectured or preached by the author. The theme is different from moral, as moral is the lesson you take away from reading a story.
• Plot


  A series of interconnected events in which every occurrence has a specific purpose. A plot is all about establishing connections, suggesting causes, and showing relationships that make up a narrative.
• Parts of Plot


  • Introduction/Exposition
  • Rising Action
  • Climax
  • Falling Action
  • Resolution/Denouement
• Freytag's Pyramid


  A structure that describes the typical plot of a story, consisting of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
• Types of Genre

  Fiction- Folktale, History, Fantasy, Realistic

  Non- Fiction- Autobiography, Journal, Essay

  Drama- Play, Monologue, Soliloquy

  Poetry- Free Verse, Sonnet, Epic, Haiku
• 30,000 lines of Anglo-Saxon poetry survive today
• 3,182 (10%) of the lines are from Beowulf
• Setting


  Denmark and Sweden
• Author - Unknown
• Beowulf is the oldest surviving English poem
• Anglo-Saxon Culture


  • Belief in Wyrd (Fate)
  • Accumulated treasures amount to success
  • Fame and fortune zealously sought after
  • Loyalty to one's leader crucial
  • Importance of pagan, Germanic, and Christian ideals to people whose lives were often hard and uncertain
• Anglo-Saxon Culture


  • Fierce, hardy life of warrior and seamen
  • wyrd (fate)
  • Loyalty to one's leader crucial
  • Strength, courage, leadership abilities appreciated
  • Expected the hero to boast
  • Accumulated treasures amount to success
• Anglo-Saxon Ideals Codes of Conduct

  • Good defeats evil
  • Wergild--restitution for murder or expect revenge from victim's relatives
  • Boasts must be backed with actions
  • Fate is in control
  • Fair fights are the only honorable fights
• Epic Poem


  • Long narrative poem that recounts the adventures of a hero
  • Elevated language
  • Does not sermonize
  • Begins in media res
  • Mysterious origin, superpowers, vulnerability, rite of passage
• Beowulf


  • Anglo-Saxon word Beo means "bright" or "noble"
  • Anglo-Saxon word wulf means "wolf"
  • Beowulf means bright or noble wolf
  • Other sources say Beo means "bear"
• SCOP


  • A bard or story-teller
  • Responsible for praising deeds of past heroes, for recording history, and for providing entertainment
• Thane


  A warrior
• Mead-hall


  The large hall where the lord and his warriors slept, ate, held ceremonies, etc.
• Main Characters


  • Beowulf - Epic hero, son of Ecgtheow, nephew of Hygelac, sails to Denmark to help King Hrothgar
  • Hrothgar - Danish king, builds Heorot (banquet hall) for men, tormented by Grendel for 12 years, loses many men to Grendel, joyless before Beowulf's arrival
  • Grendel - Referred to as demon and fiend, descendant of Cain, feasts on 30 men the night of 1st attack
  • Grendel's Mother - Referred to as she-wolf, lives under a lake
  • Fire Dragon - Lives in Beowulf's kingdom, guard countless treasures