21ST CENTURY LITERATURE

• Literature is based on life's experiences through writing.
• Literature - derived from the Latin word "litera" which means "letters". It is loosely defined as any printed matter. It also serves as a faithful reproduction of man's manifold experiences blended into one harmonious expression.
• Fiction - anything that comes from the creative mind
• Non-fiction - reality-based
• We study literature so that we can better appreciate our literary heritage and we can unferstand other cultures.
• Literary Compositions That Influenced the World

  1. The Bible
  2. Koran
  3. The Iliad and the Odyssey
  4. The Mahabharata
  5. Canterbury Tales
  6. Uncle Tom's Cabin
  7. The Divine Comedy
  8. El Cid Compeador
  9. The Song of Roland
  10. The Book of the Dead
  11. The Book of the Days
  12. The Arabian Nights
• Prose:

  • From Latin "prosa" meaning straightforward
  • Also contains everyday speech
  • Employs literary devices
• Poetry

  • Any rhythmical or metrical composition
  • Intricate structure
  • Evokes emotional and intellectual response
  • Rich and intricate levels of meaning
• Literature expresses the feelings of people to society, to the government, to his surroundings, to his fellowmen, and to his Divine Creator.
• Literature is anything that is printed, as long as it is related to the ideas and feelings of people.
• True literature is a piece of written work which is undying.
• Literature and history are closely interrelated in discovering the history of a race, the feelings, aspirations, customs and traditions of a people.
• Prose - consists of those written within the common flow of conversation in sentences and paragraphs.
• Poetry - refers to those expressions in verse, with measure and rhyme, line and stanza.
• Short story - a narrative involving one or more characters, one plot and a single impression.
• Plays - presented on a stage divided into acts.
• Legends - fictitious narratives usually about origins
• Fables - also fictitious and deal with animals and inanimate things that speak and act like people
• Anecdotes - merely products of the writer's imagination
• Essay - expresses the viewpoint or opinion of the writer about a particular problem or event.
• Biography - deals with the life of a person which may be about himself, his autobiography or that of others.
• News - a report of everyday events in society, government, science, and industry.
• Oration - a formal treatment of a subject and is intended to be spoken.
• Narrative Poetry - describes important events in life either real or imaginary.
• Epic - an extended narrative about heroic exploits often under supernatural control.
• Metrical Tale - a narrative which is which is written in verse and can be classified as a ballad or metrical composition.
• Ballads - has a simple structure and tells of a single incident.
• Lyric Poetry - a kind of poetry meant to be sung to the accompaniment of a lyre, but now, this applies to any type of poetry that expresses emotions.
• Folksongs - short poems intended to be sung.
• Sonnets - a lyric poem of 14 lines dealing with an emotion, feeling, or an idea. There are 2 types: Shakespearean and Italian.
• Elegy - a lyric poem which expresses feelings of grief and melancholy.
• Ode - a poem of a noble feeling expressed with dignity, with no definite number of syllables.
• Psalms - a song praising God or Virgin Mary and containing a philosophy of life.
• Awit - have measures of 12 syllables and slowly sung to the accompaniment of a guitar.
• Corridos - have measures of 8 syllables and recited to a martial beat.
• Comedy - is usually light and written with the purpose of amusing and has a happy ending.
• Melodrama - related to tragedy. It is usually used in musical plays.
• Tragedy - involves the hero struggling mightily against force and meets death or ruin.
• Farce - an exaggerated comedy.
• Social Poems - purely comic or tragedy and pictures the life of today.