Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte –
4600, Philippines
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
LIT 2
WORLD LITERATURE
2nd Semester AY 2020-2021
Instructional Material for _______________________, __________________
(Name of Student) (Course, Year Block
and Section)
Prepared by:
KRYSTA MAE N. ALCALA
CAS COS Instructor
Reviewed by:
MARIANNE MAE I. JALGALADO, MA
Program Chairperson, ELS Department
TOPIC I: THE IMPORTANCE OF LITERATURE
World Literature
2nd Semester AY 2020-2021
Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte –
4600, Philippines
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Learning Objectives
• Define Literature and realize its importance in your lives
• Show appreciation of Literature by reading literary pieces
Before going through the discussion, try to answer the following questions:
1. What is your idea of Literature?
2. What is the importance of studying Literature?
3. What are the different theories of Literature? Explain each.
4. What could be used as subjects of Literature? Why?
With your pre-discussion answers, try to compare them to what you will be reading in the
discussion.
DISCUSSION
What is Literature?
Generally, literature is defined as written or oral record of man’s thoughts, feelings, and
ideas that has stood the test of time, because of its universality of appeal. Literature is
defined as written works which deal with themes of permanent and universal interest,
characterized by creativeness and grace of expression such as poetry, fiction, essay,
etc; distinguished from works of scientific, technical, or journalistic nature. It can also be
defined as an expression of the emotions, thoughts, beliefs, aspirations, dreams, and
goals of humanity in general and of man in particular. We can say that it is life itself. In
many ways, it can teach us the unknown and undiscovered things about ourselves, what
Saint Augustine many centuries ago called “the dark corners of the heart.” And
according to Thomas Moore, literature means “to appreciate life” and “to make us see
beauty.”
Importance of the Study of Literature
These are the varied reasons why the study of Literature is of great importance. These
are:
1. It expresses our emotions, beliefs, and aspirations and sentiments.
2. It reflects the ideologies and philosophies of life.
3. It informs, entertains, and teaches a lesson.
4. It allows one to discover himself and grow through the exposure to the beliefs,
attitudes, values, customs, and traditions of the people of the world.
5. It enables the reader to appreciate literary masterpieces and value the
meaning of life.
6. It allows us to understand literary trends and techniques.
7. It gives the distinctive qualities of literary works and ideas peculiar to a certain
group of people or nation.
World Literature
2nd Semester AY 2020-2021
Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte –
4600, Philippines
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
8. It makes us realize the universality of events in human life which we need to
understand and accept.
9. It enables students to understand the values of other peoples of the world.
Theories of Literature
1. It is initiated. It is believed in the study of literary background that writers follow
the examples of other authors before they arrive at their own original works.
2. It is symbolic. Any literary work is a substitute of reality, though it may reflect
reality. Literature is scattered in other meanings.
3. It is appreciative. Literature gives us a bigger view of life.
Subjects of Literature
There are varied topics or ideas that could be subjects of what people write. These could
be based on their concepts and observations about people, places, history, objects,
events, or occasions, experiments, actions, and experiences. Anything which attracts or
inspires writers can be subjects of Literature.
Literary Standards
The following criteria are suggested and used by a world literary critic to evaluate a
literary piece:
1. Artistry – a quality which appeals to our sense of beauty.
2. Intellectual Beauty – literary pieces must stimulate thoughts. These should enrich
our mental life by making us realize fundamental truths about life and human
nature.
3. Suggestiveness – This is the quality relevant to the emotional power of Literature
to make us feel deeply and stir our feelings and imagination. It should give and
evoke visions above and beyond the plane of ordinary life and experience.
4. Spiritual Value – A literary work must elevate the spirit by bringing out moral values
which make us better persons. The capacity to inspire is part of the spiritual value
of literature.
5. Permanence – A great literary work endures and can be read again as each
reading gives fresh delights and new insights. It opens new worlds of meaning and
experience and its appeal is lasting.
6. Universality – A great literary work is timeless and timely. It is forever relevant, it
appeals to one and all, anytime, anywhere because it deals with elemental
feelings, fundamental truths, and universal conditions.
7. Style – It is the unique way in which writer sees life, forms his ideas and expresses
them. Great works are marked as much by their memorable substance as by their
distinctive style. It should suit content.
Types of Literature
Prose – speech or writing without metrical structure
Poetry – the art by which a poet projects feeling and experience on an imaginative
plane, in rhythmical words, to stir the imagination and the emotions.
Narrative – an orderly, continuous account of an event or series of events.
World Literature
2nd Semester AY 2020-2021
Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte –
4600, Philippines
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Dramatic – of, connected, or like the drama; especially involving conflict
Play – a dramatic composition, also a dramatic representation, especially a public
theatrical exhibition.
Melodrama – originally, a drama with a romantic story or plot, sensational incidents, and
usually including some music and song
Epic – a poem or other literary work usually with a successful ending.
Tragedy – a form of drama in which the protagonist, having some quality of greatness
(as in Greek, Roman, and Renaissance tragedy, in high places), comes to disaster
through some flaw (which may be a noble fault) in him brings about his inevitable
downfall or death, the action being managed in a way to produce pity and fear in the
spectator and to effect a catharsis of these feelings.
Lyric – characterizing verse expressing the poet’s personal emotions or sentiments.
Elegy – in funeral song, a meditative poem with a sorrowful theme.
Ode – in classical prosody, a lyric poem intended to be sung or chanted composed of
an octave and a sestet properly expressing two successive phases of a single thought or
sentiment.
Song – the rendering of a vocal music; a musical composition for the voice or for several
voices.
Utilitarian – relating to utility especially, placing utility above beauty or the amenities of
life.
Speech – the faculty of expressing thought and emotion by spoken words.
Editorial – an article in a journal, or periodical, presumably written by the editor or by his
subordinate, and published as an official argument or expression of opinion.
History – a recorded narrative of past events, especially those concerning a particular
period, nation, individual etc.
Expository – conveying, containing, or pertaining to exposition
Letter – a written or printed communication, from one person to another.
Essay – a prose composition of moderate length usually expository, dealing on a subject,
idea, theory or an experience.
Short story – a type of prose fiction differing from the novel especially in the matter of
length.
Novel – a fictional prose narrative of considerable length, representing characters and
events as if in real life by a plot or scheme.
Folktales – explain ancient people’s origins, cultures, their beliefs, and traditions.
World Literature
2nd Semester AY 2020-2021
Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte –
4600, Philippines
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Legend – pure narratives which tell of the origin of a place, a person, or object.
Myths – sacred narratives which explain how the world and men came to be in the
present form.
CLASSIFICATION OF LITERATURE
REFERENCES
Gupit-Banaag, A. (2003). The Meaning of Literature. In A Journey Through World
Literature (Vol. 2003, pp. 1-13). Quezon City, Philippines: Great Books Trading.
World Literature
2nd Semester AY 2020-2021
