PROSE AND
DRAMA GENRES
Presented By:
EJ Fabrigas
Allan Catibud
INTRODUCTION
Literature is broadly divided into different genres,
with prose and drama being two of the most
significant forms. These genres differ in structure,
style, and purpose, but both serve to tell compelling
stories, explore themes, and engage audiences.
WHAT IS PROSE?
Prose is verbal or written language that
follows the natural flow of speech. It is most
common form of writing, used in both fiction
and non-fiction. Prose comes from the Latin
“prosa oratio,” meaning, “straightforward” or
“direct speech”.
4 COMMON TYPES OF PROSE
Fictional prose
Nonfictional prose
Heroic prose
Prose poetry
FICTIONAL PROSE
A literary work of fiction. This is the most popular
type of literary prose,usedinnovelsand
shortstories,andgenerallyhascharacters,
plot, setting and dialogue.
EXAMPLE OF
FICTIONAL PROSE:
1. Novel
2. Short story
3. Fable
4. Myth and Legends
NONFICTIONAL PROSE
Prose that is a true storyorfactualaccount of events or
information is nonfiction. Textbooks, newspaper articles, and
instruction manuals all fall into this category.
Example is Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl, composed entirely of
journal excerpts, recounts the young teen’s experience of hiding with
her family in Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II.
EXAMPLE OF
NONFICTIONAL PROSE:
1. Biography
2. Autobiography
3. Essays
4. Journalism
5. Memoir
FUNCTION OF PROSE
Whiletherehavebeenmanycriticaldebatesoverthe
correctandvalid construction of prose, the reason for its
adoption can be attributed to its loosely-defined structure, which
most writers feel comfortable usingwhenexpressingor
conveying their ideas and thoughts. It is the standard style of writing
used for most spoken dialogues, fictional as well as topical and
factual writing, and discourses. It is alsothecommonlanguage
usedinnewspapers,magazines,literature, encyclopedias,
broadcasting, philosophy, law, history, the sciences, and many other
forms of communication.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
PROSE AND POETRY?
Prose and poetry both have unique qualities
that distinguish one from the other.
PROSE
Follows natural patterns of speech and
communication
Has a grammatical structure with sentences
and paragraphs
Uses everyday language
Sentences and thoughts continue across lines
POETRY
Traditional poetry has deliberate patterns, such as
rhythm and rhyme
Many poems have a formal metrical structure—
repeating patterns of beats
Incorporates more figurative language
Poems visually stand outonapage with narrow
columns, varying line
lengths, and more white space on a page than
prose
Deliberate line breaks.
ALL TIME BEST PROSE WRITERS
Someofworld’smostinfluentialpeopleinhistory
havebeenwriters.These authors have captured some of
history’s greatest moments, creating records that have shaped
social and political history and reflecting on an everchanging
world and the foibles of the human condition. A list all-time best
prose writers is always going to be subjective list of course, but
here is our current list of the world’s best prose writers:
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (1564 -1616)
Best known for: King Lear,
Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet
An English poet, playwright and
actor, widely regarded as the
greatest writer in the English
language.
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (1564 -1616)
FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY (1821-1881)
Best knows for: Crime and
Punishment, Demons, The
Idiot ARussiannovelist,
shortstorywriter,
essayist,journalistand
philosopher.
FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY (1821-1881)
LEO TOLSTOY (1828-1910)
Count Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy
was a Russian writer famous for
his realist fiction.
He first achieved literary acclaim
in his twenties with his semi-
autobiographical work.
LEO TOLSTOY (1828-1910)
VICTOR HUGO (1802- 1885)
Best known for: Les
Misérables, The Hunchback of
Notre-Dame, Odes et
Ballades One of the greatest
French writes, Hugo was a
port, novelist, and dramatist
of the Romantic movement.
VICTOR HUGO (1802- 1885)
CHARLES DICKENS (1812-1870)
Best known for: Great
Expectations, A Christmas Carol,
Bleak House
An English writer and social critic,
Dickens was famous in his own
lifetime, giving
lecturesandperforming
readings.
CHARLES DICKENS (1812-1870)
J.R.R. TOLKIEN (1892-1973)
JohnRonaldReuel
TolkeinwasanEnglish
writer,poet,philologist,
and
professoratOxford
University.
J.R.R. TOLKIEN (1892-1973)
GEORGE ORWELL (1903-1950)
Best known for: 1984,
Animal Farm
Born Eric Arthur Blair,
George Orwell was an
English novelist, essayist,
journalistand critic.
GEORGE ORWELL (1903-1950)
MARK TWAIN (1835-1910)
Best known for: Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures
of Tom Sawyer Born Samuel
Langhorne Clemens, Mark Twain
was an American writer, humorist,
entrepreneur, publisher, and
lecturer.
MARK TWAIN (1835-1910)
JANE AUSTEN (1775-1817)
est known for: Pride and
B
Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility,
Emma An English novelist
known best for her six major
novels, which interpreted,
critiqued and commented on
the English landed gentry at
the end of the 18th century.
JANE AUSTEN (1775-1817)
WHAT IS DRAMA?
Drama is a mode of fictional
representation through dialogue and
performance. Itis one of the literary
genres, which is an imitation of some
action.
TYPES OF DRAMA
Comedy
Tragedy
Farce
Melodrama
Musical drama
TRAGEDY
Tragic dramas use darker themes, such
as disaster, pain, anddeath.
Protagonists often have a tragic flaw —
a characteristic that leads them to their
downfall.
COMEDY
Comedies are lighter in tone than ordinary
works, and providea happy conclusion. The
intention of dramatists in comedies is to make
theiraudiencelaugh.Hence,theyuse
quaintcircumstances,unusual characters,
and witty remarks.
FARCE
Generally, a farce is a nonsensical
genre of drama, which often
overacts or engages slapstick
humor.
MELODRAMA
Melodrama is an exaggerated drama, which
is sensationaland appeals directly to the
senses of the audience. Just like the farce,
the characters are of a single dimension
and simple, or may be stereotyped.
MUSICAL DRAMA
In musical dramas, dramatists not only tell their
storiesthrough acting and dialogue, but through
dance as well as music. Often the story may be
comedic, though it may also involve serious
subjects.
FUNCTION OF DRAMA
Dramais one of the best literary forms through
which dramatists can directly speakto their
readers, or the audience, and they can receive
instant feedback of audiences.
HENRIK IBSEN (1828-1906)
He is often regarded as the
greatest playwright of the
modern era, and
the father of realism. His plays
are the most frequently
performed only after that of
William Shakespeare.
HENRIK IBSEN (1828-1906)
ANTON CHEKOV (1860-1904)
He was born into a devout
Orthodox Christian family and
excelled inacademic studies.
However, his father was
declared bankrupt and Chekov
pursued a career in medical
studies to support his family.
ANTON CHEKOV (1860-1904)
ARTHUR MILLER (1915-2005)
Heis regarded asoneofthe
all-timegreatestAmerican
playwrights,having produced
over 50 works of note. His
greatest play Death of a
Salesman was considered his
magnum opus which won him the
Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1949.
ARTHUR MILLER (1915-2005)
LITERARY
DEVICES IN PROSE
AND DRAMA
Both genres use literary techniques to enhance meaning:
• Foreshadowing – Hints at future events. (Macbeth: The witches predict
Macbeth’s fate.)
• Irony – A contrast between expectation and reality. (Oedipus Rex: The
audience knows Oedipus’ fate before he does.)
• Symbolism – Using objects or actions to represent deeper meanings. (The
Great Gatsby: The green light symbolizes Gatsby’s unattainable dream.)
• Dialogue – Conversations that drive drama. (Romeo and Juliet: The famous
balcony scene.)
• Monologue & Soliloquy – Extended speeches revealing thoughts. (Hamlet:
“To be or not to be” soliloquy.)
LITERARY VIEWS
AND THEORIES
Different theories help interpret literature:
• Formalism – Focuses on language, structure, and literary devices rather
than historical or social context.
• Marxist Theory – Examines class struggles and economic power in
literature.
• Feminist Theory – Analyzes gender roles and the portrayal of women.
• Psychoanalytic Theory – Examines unconscious desires and character
psychology.
THANK YOU
