21 ST
CENTURY
LITERATURE FROM
THE PHILIPPINES AND
THE WORLD
OBJECTIVE
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able
to:
differentiate/compare and contrast the various 21st century
literary genres and the ones from the earlier genres/periods
citing their elements, structures and traditions;
infer literary meaning from literal language based on usage;
identify literature and its various genres, forms, elements,
and traditions;
identify the figures of speech and other literary techniques
in a text;
explain the use of language in literature as well as the formal
features and conventions of literature,
use different literary devices in your own writing.
explain the literary, biographical, linguistic, and sociocultural
contexts and discuss how they enhance the text’s meaning
and enrich the reader’s understanding; and
foster harmonious relationship in the community through
mutual respect of human dignity and belief, and protection of
individual human rights.
Literature comes from the Latin word “litera” which means
letter. Literature is a body of literary productions, oral, written
or visual containing imaginative language that portrays
thoughts, emotions and experiences of the human condition.
It plays a vital role in our lives. It mirrors human experiences
and lets you go around the world and learn the different
cultures. Literature comes in different forms like poems, riddles,
stories and legends.
Major Forms Types of
Literature
I. POETRY- This literary type is usually written in
lines and is characterized by having the element of
rhythm, sound, imagery, and form. Its main purpose
is to express feelings, thoughts, and ideas. It can be
divided into three types: narrative, dramatic, and
lyrical poetry.
a. Narrative Poetry. This poetry tells a story and has the
elements of a narrative such as characters, setting, conflict, etc.
b. Dramatic Poetry. This is an emotionally appealing drama
written in verse that tells a story and is intended to be recited or
sung in front of the audience by a character speaking in poetry.
c. Lyric Poetry. It is the most common type of poetry that
focuses on expressing feelings rather than telling a story.
II. Prose- It consists of written words with in the
common flow of conversation presented in a
straight forward manner. Prose can either be
Fiction, something that is imaginary and Non
Fiction, a written work that is based in true human
experiences.
SOME EXAMPLES OF POETRY
A. Narrative Poetry- Epic, Ballad, Metrical Tales
• Epic–it is an extended narrative about heroic adventures
under supernatural control. (Biag ni-Lamang)
• Metrical Tales– This is a narrative which is written
inverse.)
• Ballad–This is considered as the shortest and simplest
narrative poems. It tells a singled incident.
B. Lyric Poetry- Haiku, Ode, Elegy, Sonnet, Song
*Folksongs (Awiting Bayan)–These are short poems intended
to be sung.
*Sonnets–This is a lyric of poem of 14 lines dealing with
emotion or an idea.
*Elegy–This is a lyric poem which expresses feelings of grief
and melancholy, and theme is death.
*Ode–This is a poem of a noble feeling, expressed with
dignity, with no definite number of syllables or lines in a
stanza.
*Psalms–This is a song praising God and containing a
philosophy of Life.
C. Dramatic Poetry- Dramatic Monologue, Soliloquy
II. PROSE- It consists of written words with in
the common flow of conversation presented in a
straight forward manner. Prose can either be
fiction, something that is imaginary and Non
Fiction, a written work that is based in true human
experiences.
a. Fiction. This serves as a product of the writer's wild
imagination and creative thinking where the characters react
to the conflict and various issues central to the main idea of
a literary work.
Its three types are: short story, novel, and novella. The main
genres are crime, fantasy, romance, science fiction, western,
inspirational, historical fiction and horror.
b. Non-fiction. These are stories inspired by real events where
the writers aim to present, interpret, or describe experiences
based on facts.
The judgments, opinions, and commentaries of the writers
may be presented in the form of essays, journals, diaries,
feature articles, editorials, and the like.
TYPES OF PROSE
a. Novel- is a long narrative divided into chapters.
b. Short Story- is a narrative involving one or more characters,
one plot and one single impression.
c. Legends- are fictitious narratives usually about origins that
provide historical information regarding the culture and views of
the particular group of the people or country.
d. Folktales- are traditional narratives usually with unknown
origin being handed down orally (fairy tales). These are made up
of stories about life, adventure, love, horror, and humour where
one can derive lessons.
An example of this is THE MOON AND THE SUN.
e. Fables- (a special type of folktale) deal with animals and
inanimate things that speak and act like people. Their purpose is
to enlighten the minds of children to events that can mold their
ways and attitude.
f. Myth- a traditional sacred story, typically revolving around the
activities of gods and heroes, which aim to explain a natural
phenomenon (creation of the world and humans) or cultural
practice.
g. Anecdotes- these are merely products of the writer’s
imagination and the main aim is to bring out lessons to the
reader.
h. Essay- this expresses the view point or opinion of the writer
about a particular problem or event.
i. Biography and Autobiography-these deals with life of a
person: either of the author’s or other person.
j. News-this is a report of everyday events in the society,
government, science and industry, accidents etc...,.happening
nationally or not.
k. Oration–this is a formal treatment of a subject and is intended
to be spoken in public. It appeals to the intellect, to the will or
emotions of the audience.
GENRE refers to the forms of literature. The general ones are
oral and written. The main types are prose and poetry.
Literary elements refer “to particular identifiable
characteristics of a whole text. They are not “used,” per se, by
authors; they represent the elements of storytelling which are
common to all literary and narrative forms.
The common elements of a story are setting, character,
conflict, theme, point of view, and plot.
Plot also has its own elements such as exposition, rising
action, climax, falling action, and resolution or
denouement /ˌdeɪˈnuːmɒ̃/.
In poetry, there are four essential elements:
form
imagery
Rhythm
sound
Poetry comes in different forms such as free verse, couplet,
limerick, etc.
Imagery is the reason why we see pictures in words and it adds
colour in any types of literature especially in poetry. Rhythms
and sounds are somehow similar.
Sound deals with the common use of rhymes and other literary
devices such as repetition (repeating of words, phrases, or lines),
alliteration (repeating same consonant sounds), assonance
(repeating same vowel sounds), and onomatopoeia (the use of the
actual sound to represent someone or something).
Rhythm is more concerned with the flow of the beat such as
whether it is fast or slow. In general, both sounds and rhythms are
the key ingredients that give poetry a musical effect
