LEARNING MODULE SURIGAO STATE COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY

Title: What is literature?

Topic: 1. What is literature?
2. Why do we have to study literature?
Time frame: 6 hours
Introduction:
Reading literature is one of the pillars for the moral development and cultural refinement of a
civilization. It allows to develop a number of skills that would equip us with the capacity to shape and reshape
our perspectives of the world. As we read literature from the various parts of the world, we get to understand
our similarities and differences leading to a better understanding of our humanity that is crucial for a more
harmonious existence.
Objectives:
At the end of this unit, you are expected to be able to
1. define “literature”, and
2. explain the importance of literature.
Pretest:
When you hear/read the word “literature”, what comes to your mind? Without using any resource
(dictionary, internet, etc.), list all the words you associate with this term.
Learning activities:
Complete the KWL chart below. Complete the first two columns on the right (KW) before reading the
text. After reading the text, complete the left most column (L).
Topic: Literature
K What I know W What I want to know L What I learned

1. What is this thing called literature?

Literature is such an elusive term to define. It could mean different things to different people.
 Chambers dictionary gives (1) “the art of composition in prose and verse” and (2) “literary matter”
as two senses of the word “literature” (in Bennett & Royle, 2015; p. 2).
 While Oxford English Dictionary (in Tendero, et al., 2010) defines Literature as the class of writings
in which imaginative expressions, aesthetic form, universality of ideas, and permanence are
characteristic features, as fiction, poetry, and drama

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 In the late 19th century, “literature” is defined as

a subject of study in schools and universities, Something to ponder:
involving certain kinds of imaginative or What’s with “literature” and “Literature?
Sententia (2013) explains that
creative writing, including fiction, poetry and Literature are works of great literature – the
drama (Bennett & Royle, 2015). classics (think of Shakespeare and other names
of dead, white male if you must). On the other
 Bennett and Royle (2015) further suggested hand, literature are pieces meant only to
entertain (think of Stephenie Meyer, and those
that “with a bit of effort and imagination, any text
rockstar Wattpad authors; your favorite Archie
can be read as poetic – the list of ingredients comics, too!). While Literature can be
penetrated by varying levels of readers,
on a box of breakfast cereal, for example, or literature requires minimal thinking and
even the most inane language of bureaucracy. minimal effort on the reader.

Anything at all that happens, in the world or in My take on this: Although there is a certain
your head, can be imagined as ‘drama’. And weight on this definition/differentiation, I find
this a bit elitist, for it insinuates that only
fiction (or storytelling) has a funny and perhaps Literature are worth studying with rigor and
irresistible way of getting mixed up with its dedication. As Bennett & Royle (2015)
suggested that “any text can be read as poetic”,
alleged opposite (‘real life’, ‘the real world’).” (p. any literature can be studied as Literature.
2)
 To Henry Van Dyke (in Tendero, et al, 2010), Literature are “writings which interpret the meanings
of nature and life, in words of charm and power, touched with personality of the author in artistic
forms of permanent interest”.
All these definitions are true, for “literature” existed because of our need to express our feelings,
emotions, and our experiences and perceptions about life through letters, words, sentences and the whole
composition in artistic manner, whether spoken or written (Tendero, et al., 2010).
2. What’s the point of studying literature?
With all the terrible things happening in the world at the moment (CoViD-19 pandemic, hello!), why,
you think, should you study something that is not pressing and practical such as poems, and novels and
plays? You might be thinking where would the study of literature take you, and what can you do with it?
Bennett and Royle (2015), playing as devil’s advocate, said that “there is no obvious point in studying
literature” (p. 6). (Gasp!). Academically, the study of literature does not directly lead to a career or vocation,
unless you want to become a teacher (which you are going to be!) or a researcher (which I am trying to be).
“However – or contrariwise, as Tweedledee might say -– it is precisely this apparent purposelessness that
makes the study of literature interesting.” (p. 6). As the study of literature does not tie you up to any work for
a living, it can free you up. It can open up a lot of remarkable possibilities.
Furthermore, Damrosch (2009) articulated that the study of literature, particularly the study of world
literature, can serve as “windows on the world”. Longxi (2009) also articulated that the study of literature
allows us to read across cultures and across boundaries of cultural and literary forms. It allows us to question
received notions, expand our horizons of understanding and appreciation of the different forms of expression.
It helps us to see the world from a different perspective and purge our “inward sight” (Bennett & Royle, 2015).

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The study of literature exposes us not only to fine languages, lovely images, and positive sorts of
aesthetic experience but also to disturbing, menacing,
Something to ponder:
even terrifying. As we face uncertainties in our lives, such
as the uncertainties of the CoVid-19 pandemic, literature As Bennett and Royle (2015)
articulated, literature can transform us into
helps illuminate about the questions on uncertainty in our a “political animal” in surprising ways.
Think of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables and
lives and helps us think critically about ourselves. how the Filipinos translated the song “ Do
Furthermore, a literary work can take us into another you hear the people sing? to “Naririnig mo
ba?” to express their discontent on how the
world, whether this is construed as another version of this Duterte administration run this country.
During the martial law, Filipinos sang “Ang
world or as somewhere out of this world, beyond the world, bayan kong Pilipinas” to express their
unearthly. However, literature does not only allow us to desire to be liberated from Marcos’s
Martial Law. Literature allows us to
escape to a more utopian sphere or be fanciful, it could express things that could be detrimental to
our safety in a subtle way.
also transform us into a “political animal” in surprising
ways (Bennett & Royle, 2015).
3. Forms of literature
In order for you to fully appreciate literature, it is very important that you study the different literary genres
or types.

Literature

Poetry Prose

Narrative Haiku Lyric Fiction Non-fiction

poetry poetry 1. Short 1. Autobiography
1. Epic 1. Song story 2. Biography
2. Ballad 2. Sonnet 2. Novel 3. Essay
3. Metrical 3. Drama
3. Elegy 4. Diary or journal
tale 4. Fable
4. Ode
4. Metrical
5. Simple 5. Parable
romance
lyric 6. Legend
7. Myth
8. Fairy tale

Fig. 1. The Literature tree

Fig. 1 shows the main divisions of literature: Poetry and Prose.

1. Poetry is usually written in verse and relies heavily on imagery, precise word choice, and
metaphor. Poems may take the form of measures consisting of patterns of stresses (metric
feet) or of patterns of different-length syllables (as in classical prosody). Poems may or may
not rhyme.
2. Prose does not adhere to any particular formal structures. While poetry is written in verse and
has patterns of stresses (metric feet), prose is spoken or written without metrical structure.

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POETRY
Poetry is divided into four kinds: Narrative poetry, haiku and lyric poetry.
1. A narrative poetry tells a story in verse. It has four types: Epic, Ballad, Metrical tale and Metrical
romance.
A. An epic is a continuous narrative retelling the life and works of a heroic or mythological
person or group of persons. It is considered to be the oldest form of literature, handed down
orally from generation to generation. The epic developed as the earliest form of
entertainment (with the absence of television, radios, books, etc in the earliest time). The
epic allows the people to recall the heroic deed of their heroes. It also allowed the earliest
people to retrace their origin as part of their cultural heritage and pride of their tribe.
Ex. The Epic of the Gilgamesh (ancient Mesopotamia), Beowulf (English)
B. The ballad is a songlike poem that often tells a story of adventure or romance. Many ballads
employ repetition of a refrain or incremental refrain.
Ex. Lord Randall (Anglo-Scottish border ballad), La Belle Dame Sans Merci (John Keats)
C. The metrical tale is a poem of ordinary people concerned with ordinary events, written in
straightforward language. The subject of the poems are events, real or imaginary, from a
wide range of subjects, characters, life experiences, and emotional situations.
Ex. The Canterbury Tales (Geoffrey Chaucer)
D. The metrical romance presents remote or imaginative incidents rather than ordinary,
realistic experience. The term Romance originally refers to medieval tales of the deeds and
loves of noble knights (ex. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knights” and “Morte d’Arthur” by
Malory)
The Philippines has “corrido/kurido” (metrical romance) which tells the life and
adventure of some person (Fansler, n.d.). Examples are Ibong Adarna and Florante at Laura
(Francisco Balagtas).
2. Haiku (from the Japanese word hokku meaning “starting
From time to time
verse”) is a 700-year-old Japanese verse form. It is a three- The clouds give rest
To the moon-beholders.
line poem consisting of 17 syllables (5,7,5). A haiku crams a
wealth of observation, feeling and philosophy in just 17 -Matsuo Basho

syllables.
3. A lyric poem expresses the writer’s emotions, feelings and observations. Unlike a narrative
poem, a lyric poem presents an experience or a single effect but it does not tell a full story.
A. A song is a lyric poem that set to music and is intended to be sung.
B. A sonnet is a fourteen-line lyric poem focused on a single theme.
C. An elegy is a solemn and formal poem about death.
D. An ode often honors people, commemorates events, responds to natural scenes, or
considers serious human problems.

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E. A simple lyric is all lyric poems that do not fall under the four other types.
PROSE
There are two kinds of prose: fiction and non-fiction.
A fiction (Latin fingere, meaning “to form, create”) tells about imaginary characters and events. Fiction
writers could base their stories from real people or events or could rely on their imagination. A fiction is a
product of a writer’s imagination.
1. A short story is a narrative that can usually be read in one sitting. It has few characters and a
single plot that revolves around one character.
Example: “The story of an hour” by Kate Chopin, “The summer solstice” by Nick Joaquin
2. A novel is a long story written in prose, with more characters (than a short story) and several
subplots.
Example: The Awakening by Kate Chopin
3. A drama (usually called play) is written scripted form to be enacted by the actors on stage.
Ex. The Cherry Orchard by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
4. A fable is a brief story usually with animal characters that teaches a lesson or moral
5. A parable is a short narrative that is part allegorical and illustrates a moral or spiritual lesson.
6. A legend reflects the people’s identity or cultural values, generally with more historical and less
emphasis on the supernatural.
7. A myth has religious significance that explains the actions of gods or heroes (think Greek and
Roman!) and the causes of natural phenomenon (“Bakit Maraming Mata ang Pinya?”) or both.
8. A fairy tale is a sub-class of folktale that features folkloric characters (fairies, goblins,etc), and
often involves royalties. Ex. Beauty and the Beast, Snow White

A non-fiction presents and explains ideas or tells about real people, places, objects or events. It has
four types: autobiography, biography, essay and diary/journal.

1. An autobiography is written by the author about him-/herself.

2. A biography is a written account of an individual’s life.
3. An essay (Fr. “essai”, meaning “attempt”) is a short work of writing that treats a topic from an
author’s personal point of view. Examples are articles or editorials in newspapers.
4. A diary or journal reports what has happened over the course of a day or other periods.
Self-evaluation:
What is your favorite form of literature?
What is the role of literature in your life?
Reflect on how often you read literary works and how do these works influence you --- that way you perceive
the world, among other things.
Review of concepts:
1. An epic is a long narrative poetry.

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2. A short story has a single plot and can be read in one sitting.
3. A drama is intended to be played on stage.
4. A fable has animal characters and gives moral lesson.
5. A parable is an account with heavenly implication.
6. An autobiography is about the life of the author him-/herself.
7. An essay means an “attempt”
8. Literature represents human life and experiences.
9. A poem is written in verse.
10. A fiction is a product of the writer’s imagination.
References:
Bennet, A. & Royle, N. (2015). This thing called literature: Reading, thinking and writing. Routledge.
Damrosch,D. (2009). Introduction: All the world in the time. In D. Damrosch (Ed.), Teaching world literature (pp. 1-11).
The Modern Language Association of America
Fansler,D.S. (n.d.). Metrical romances in the Philippines. Tagalog Lang. Retrived August 27, 2020 from
https://www.tagaloglang.com/metrical-romances-awit-at-korido/
Literary Terms (n.d.). Haiku. https://literaryterms.net/haiku/
Longxi, Z. (2009). What is literature? Reading across cultures. In D. Damrosch (Ed.), Teaching world literature (pp. 61-
72). The Modern Language Association of America
Sententia (n.d.). Literature with a capital L. Apathy and Urgency. https://dmitrilee.wordpress.com/2013/10/27/literature-
with-a-capital
Tendero, E.V., Mora, H.S., Bongat, D.N., Canare, F.D., Guevarra, T.P., Gutierrez, R.S., Protacio, R.M. & Signo, C.M.
(2010). The world masterpieces in literature. Mutya Publishing House, Inc.

---------------------------Tear this part and submit to your instructor -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Name: ____________________________ Date: ____________________________
Course/year/section: _______________
Post-test
See Appendix A: Rubrics on how your work will be marked.
1. Define literature. (Answer based on how you understand the lesson. Do not just copy the definitions above.)
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2. What is the importance of literature?
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