Subject: ENGLISH 11

21st Century
Republic of the Philippines
Descriptive Title: Literature from the
Region VI-Western Visayas Philippines and the World
ANTIQUE VOCATIONAL SCHOOL
Bugasong, Antique Grade: 11-SHS

21st Century Literature

 Literature came from the term “litera” which means letter. It deals with ideas, thoughts, and emotions of man-
thus it can be said the literature is the story of man. (Kahayon, 1998, p.5-7)
 Literature comes from the French phrase “belles-letters” which means beautiful writing. (Baritugo. [Link] 2004,
p.1)
 Literature in its broadest sense, is everything that has ever been written.
 Literature consists of “writings having excellence of form or expression and expressing ideas of permanent or
universal interest.” (Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary)
 ESSENCE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF LITERATURE
o The best way to understand human nature fully and to know a nation completely is to study literature.
(Garcia,[Link]. 1993,p4)
o Through literature, we learn the innermost feelings and thoughts of people- the most real part of
themselves, thus we gain an understanding not only of others, but more importantly, of ourselves and of life
itself. (ibid)
o Literature offers us an experience in which we should participate as we read and test what we read by our
own experience.
o Literature does not yield much unless we bring something of ourselves to it.
o Literature is a faithful production of life… in a sense it is a product and commentary on life process.
o Literature illuminates life.
o Literature is our life’s story including its struggles, ideas, failures, sacrifices, and happiness. (Ang, 2006)
o Literature appeals to man’s higher nature and its need’s- emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and creative. Like
all other forms of art, literature entertains and gives pleasure; it fires the imagination and arouses noble
emotions and it enriches man by enabling him to reflect on life and by filling him with new ideas. ( Garcia, et
al. 1993)
o Literature is one of the seven arts (i.e. music, dance, painting, sculpture, theatre and architecture) and as
such, literature is a creative product of a creative work, the result of which is form and beauty. ( Nuggets,
2004)

 WHY DO PEOPLE READ LITERATURE? (Nuggets, 2004)

1. For information 4. For cultural upliftment
2. For amusement 5. For discovery of broader dimensions in life
3. For higher and keener pleasure

 STANDARDS OF LITERATURE
A piece of writing is considered literary if it is a scholarly article or classical writing that is extremely well
written and is very informative.
The seven standards that a piece should contain to be considered literary are:
1. Permanence- an important feature of great literature is that it endures. It can be read again and again
as each reading gives fresh delight and new insights and open new worlds of meaning and experience
2. Universal Appeal- this is similar to endurance in a way that literature must appeal to a range of people
across different age groups, nationalities, cultures and beliefs. Great literature is timeless and timely—
forever relevant in terms of theme and conditions.
3. Artistry- quality which appeals to our sense of beauty. The literature should appeal to our creative
sides with beautifully crafted phrases and sentences. Sentences such as are often memorized and can
become famous phrases.
4. Style- The writer of literature will usually have a unique view of the world and will put thoughts in a
way we have never considered. It may be thoughts about the world or it may be simply thoughts
Prepared by: Miss Michelle Plaza Jordan
Teacher II
 about the actual words used. Words may be used in a creative and unusual way that is entertaining
and interested.
5. Intellectually Valuable- a literary work stimulates thought, enriches our mental life by making us
realize fundamental truths about life and human nature.
6. Suggestiveness- this is the quality associated with the emotional power of literature, such that it
should move us deeply and stir our creative imagination, giving and evoking vision above and beyond
the plane of ordinary life and experience.
7. Spiritual Value- having an underlying moral message which are often written between the lines than
can potentially make us better people.

 KINDS OF LITERATURE
1. Fictional Literature is imaginary composed writing or work of art that is meant to provide information,
education and entertainment to the reader. In other words, fictional literature is based on the writer’s
imagination rather than reality.
2. Non – fictional Literature is factual writing or written work that is gives facts that can be proved as it
provides real places, events, characters, times or reality rather than imaginary things.
 ELEMENTS OF FICTION
1. Characters- These are persons or animals involved in a story in order to show entertain and show us
some truth about human experience and ourselves.
TYPES OF CHARACTER
a. Round Character- is a dynamic character who recognize changes in circumstances; a fully develop
character with many traits—bad and good- shown in the story
b. Flat Character- a.k.a. the stock or the stereotype character who does not grow and develop; not fully
developed
OTHERS
1. Protagonist- hero. Heroine 4. Fringe- one who is destroyed by his inner
2. Antagonist- A foil to the conflict
protagonist; villain 5. Typical or Minor Characters
3. Deuteroganist- second in
importance
2. Setting- the locale (place) or period (time) in which the action occurred
3. Conflict- the struggle or complication
TYPES OF CONFLICT
1. Internal conflict- occurs when the protagonist struggles within himself or herself (man vs
himself)
2. Interpersonal Conflict- man vs man
3. External Conflict- man vs society
4. Plot- a series or chain of related events that tells us ‘what happens’ in a story.
• Narrative order- the sequence of events is called the narrative order
- Chronological- the most common type of narrative order in children’s books
- Flashback occurs when the author narrates an event that took place before the current
time
- Time Lapse occurs when the story skips a period of time that seems unusual compared to
the rest if the plot

PYRAMIDAL STRUCTURE OF THE PLOT/ FREYTAG’S PYRAMID

Climax

Complication
Denouement

Exposition Resolution
Prepared by: Miss Michelle Plaza Jordan
Teacher II
 a. Exposition- (beginning) introduces the time, place, setting and the main characters.
b. Complication - (rising action) unfolds the problems and struggles that would be encountered by the
main characters leading to the crisis
c. Climax- (result of the crisis) part where the problem or the conflict is the highest peak of interest; the
highest point of the story for the reader, frequently, Is the highest moment of interest and greatest
emotion, also known as the crisis or point of no return
d. Denouement- is the untying of the entangled knots, or the part that shows a conflict or a problem is
solved, leading to its downward movement or end
e. Resolution (end)- contains the last statement of the story.

QUALITIES OF THE PLOT

a. Exciting- it should be more exciting than the everyday reality that surrounds us
b. Good structure- the episodes must be arranged effectively, but the most important element of the plot
structure is tying all the incidents together, so that one leads naturally to another.

5. Point of View- the writer’s feeling and attitude toward his subject; determines who tells the story; it
identifies the narrator of the story
a. First Person (I)- He/she could a participant or a character in his own work; the narrator may be the
protagonist, an observer, a minor character, or the writer himself/herself
b. Third Person- the writer-narrator is a character in the story. He/she narrates based on what he
observed/his opinion. On the other hand, a limited third person is an outsider/ observer who is not
part of the story.
c. Omniscient- the writer-narrator sees all; he see into the minds of characters and even report
everyone’s innermost feelings
Name Characteristics Pronouns
First Person *Speaker part of the story I, me, mine, we, us, our(s)
*Can observe characters
*Reveals feelings and reactions only of self
Third Person *Story told only as one character can observe He, him, his, she, her(s), they,
Limited Third Person *Narrator not part of the story them, theirs
*Can’t read any character’s mind
Omniscient *Narrator/ author knows all and sees all He, him, his, she, her(s), they,
them, theirs

GENRES OF LITERATURE
PROSE POETRY
Form Written in paragraph form Written in stanza or verse form
Expressed in metrical, rhythmical and
Language Expressed in ordinary language
figurative language
Appeal To the intellect To the emotion
To convince, inform, instruct, imitate, and Stir the imagination and set an ideal of how
Aim
reflect life should be

PROSE
1. Essay- a short literary composition which is expository in nature. The author shares some of his thoughts,
feelings, experiences or observations on some aspects of life.
2. Novel- a long fictitious narrative with a complicated plot. It is made of chapters and consists a lot of
characters.
3. Short Story- fictitious narrative compressed into one unit of time, place and action. It deals with a single
character interest, a single emotion or a single situation
4. Biography- a story of a person’s life written by another who knows him well.

Prepared by: Miss Michelle Plaza Jordan

Teacher II
 5. Autobiography- a written account of man’s life written by himself
6. Letter- a written message which displays aspect of an author’s psychological make-up not immediately
apparent in his more public writings.
7. Diary- a daily written record or account of the writer’s own experience, thoughts, activities, emotions
8. Travel- a written account of trips, journeys, tours, etc taken by the writer
9. Parody- an imitation of another person’s work where ridicule is the main objective
10. Anecdote- a brief narrative concerning a particular individual or incident
11. Character Sketch- a short description of the qualities and traits of person
12. Parable- a short tale that illustrates principle, usually by setting forth the application of the principle to
something familiar to the hearer or the reader
13. Pamphlet- a small boom of topic of current interest
14. Speech- the general word for discourse delivered to an audience whether prepared or impromptu
a. Address- implies a formal, carefully prepared speech and usually attributes importance to the
speaker or the speech
b. Oration- suggests an eloquent, rhetorical sometimes merely bombastic speech, especially one
delivered on some special occasions
c. Lecture- a carefully prepared speech intended to inform or instruct the audience
d. Talk- suggest informality and is applied either to an impromptu speech or to an address or lecture
in which the speaker deliberately uses a simple conversational approach
e. Sermon- a speech by a clergy man intended to give religious or moral instruction and usually
based on scripture text

POETRY
Poetry is derived from a Greek word poeis meaning “making or creating”
Poetry is a kind of language that says it more intensely than ordinary language does. Apparently, we have to
remember five things about poetry. (Batitugo, 2004, p.1)
1. Poetry is a concentrated thought. 4. Poetry answers our demands for rhythm
2. Poetry is a kind of word-music. 5. Poetry is observation plus imagination
3. Poetry expresses all the senses

SOME OF THE BEST DEFINITIONS OF POETRY

 “A poem is a meaningful organization of  “It is the rhythmic creation of beauty. (Edgar Allan
words.” (Gemino Abad) Poe)
 “The fusion of two poles of mind, emotion  “It is record of the best and happiest moments of the
and thought.” (T.S. Eliot) happiest and best minds.” (Percy Bysshe Shelley)
 “Poetry is the union of thoughts and  “Poetry is the essence of the creative imagination of
feelings.” (Manuel Viray) man.” (Jaime G. Ang)
 “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of
powerful feelings recorded in tranquillity.”
(William Wadsworth)

ELEMENTS OF POETRY
1. Sense- is revealed through the meaning of words, c. Meter- stress, duration, or number of syllables per
images and symbols line, fixed metrical pattern, or a verse form,
a. Diction- denotative and connotative meanings/ d. Rhyme scheme- formal arrangement of rhymes in
symbols stanza or the whole poem
b. Images and sense impression- sight, sound, smell, 3. Structure- refers to arrangement of words and lines
taste, touch, motion, and emotion to fit together and the organization of the parts to
c. Figure of speech- simile, metaphor, personification, form the whole
apostrophe, etc a. Word order- natural and unnatural arrangement of
2. Sound- is the result of the combination of elements words
a. Tone color- alliteration, assonance, consonance, b. Ellipsis- omitting some words for economy and
rhyme, repetition effect
b. Rhythm- ordered recurrent alteration of strong and c. Punctuation- abundance or lack of punctuation
weak elements in the flow of the sound and silence marks
Prepared by: Miss Michelle Plaza Jordan
Teacher II
d. Shape- contextual and visual designs; jumps,
omission of spaces, capitalization, lower case

Prepared by: Miss Michelle Plaza Jordan

Teacher II