LITERATURE : ITS DEFINTION AND TYPES

THE MEANING OF LITERATURE

           -Collected oral and written works of a society that depict the people's beliefs, values, mores and aspirations, as well as their struggles in life.

            

IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY OF LITERATURE

1. It shapes and influences cultural development.

2. It molds the minds of the people by sharing with others the intense realization of human experience.

3. It preserves the experience of the past in cohesive  manner. Timeless and forever relevant, it appeals to one and all, anytime, anywhere because it deals with elemental feelings, fundamental truths and universal conditions.

TYPES OF LITERATURE

            1. PROSE

                  - literary works in the form of sentences and paragraphs.

           2. POETRY

                  - “The Highest Form of Talk”

                  - literary works in the form of lines and stanzas.

KINDS OF PROSE

           1. FICTION

                -“A lie told in a manner as to make it seem true.”

                -  literary production of writer’s creative imagination.

           2. NON- FICTION

                 - based on facts rather than imagination.

                  e.g.Essay - a short literary composition in prose dealing with a single matter usually from a personal point of view of the author.

KINDS OF FICTION

            1. PROSE ALLEGORY

                  - a prose form which the characters,ideas, and actions stand for something else or for a system of ideas with meanings implied.

                 -Concrete characters are personifications of abstract ideas.

                        a. Fable

                             -the characters are usually animals talking like human beings but keeping their animal traits.

                            -Moral is conveyed in the form of proverb.

                       b. Myths

                           -explaining  the origin of the  world and humankind.

                      c.Legends

                           -historical basis and possessing certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude.

            2. PROSE ROMANCE

                    - stories of high culture, chivalric, magical and unrealistic.

                       a.Fairy Tales

                          - commonplace expression and typical themes are those which develop  from stock characters such as cruel king, cruel stepmother, naughty sister,,magic,supernatural changes and restorations.

                          -Virtue is rewarded and always end happily.

             3. PROSE NARRATIVES

                       a.Short Story

                         - a brief narrative that concentrates on one situation and involves two or three characters.

                      b.Novel

                        - an extended narrative that includes more characters and complicated plot.

                     c.Novelette

                       - intermediate between short story and the novels.

                       - more elaborate than a short story but can be read in a single sitting unlike novel.

           4.PROSE DRAMA

                     -a literary work written in dialogue and intended for presentation by actors.

                     a.Comedy

                       -aims primarily to amuse  by its  humorous speech and ends happily.

                     b.Tragedy

                       - morally significant struggle which ends disastrously.

KINDS OF POETRY

           1.NARRATIVE POETRY

                 -tells a story in richly imaginative and rhythmical language.

                    a.Epic

                        - along,narrative poem divided into distinct parts and episodes bound together by common relationship to a great hero.

                   b.Ballad

                         - a short narrative poem intended to be sung.

           2. LYRIC POETRY

                        -expresses personal thoughts and feelings

                   a.Ode

                      -  poem deals with a serious theme such as immortality.

                     -expresses enthusiasm, lofty praise of some person or thing.

                 b.Elegy

                     -a poem that can be distinguished by its subject – death.

                    -contains author’s personal grief.

                 c.Song

                     - melodious quality required by the singing voice.

                 d. Sonnet

                     - a poetic form of fourteen rhymed lines producing a single emotional effect.

          3.DRAMATIC POETRY

                  - portrays life and character through action in powerful, emotion-packed lines.