Literature Literature is a term used to describe written and sometimes spoken

material. Derived from the Latin litteratura meaning "writing formed with letters." Literature most commonly refers to works of the creative imagination including poetry, drama, fiction, nonfiction, journalism, and in some instances, song. (http://classiclit.about.com/od/literaryterms/g/aa_whatisliter.htm)

Literatures are written artistic works, especially those with a high and lasting

artistic value. (http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/literature)

Literature, a body of written works. The name has traditionally been applied to those imaginative works of poetry and prose distinguished by the intentions of their authors and the perceived aesthetic excellence of their execution. Literature may be classified according to a variety of systems, including language, national origin, historical period, genre, and subject matter. (http://www.britannica.com/art/literature)

Divisions of Literature

PROSEProse is a form of language that exhibits a grammatical structure and a

natural flow of speech rather than a rhythmic structure. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prose)

Types of Prose:

Prose Drama – a drama in prose form. It consists entirely dialogues in prose, and is meant to be act on stage.

Essay – a short literary composition which is expository in nature. The author shares his thoughts feelings, experiences, or observations on some aspects of life that has interested him.

Prose Fiction – something invented, imagined, or feigned to be true.a. Novel – a long fiction narrative with a complicated plot. It may have

one main plot and one or more sub plots that develop with the main plot. It is made up of chapters.

b. Short Story – a fictitious narrative compressed into one unit of time, place and action. It deals with single character interest, a single emotion or series of emotions called forth by a single. It is distinguished from the novel by its compression.

Biography and Autobiography

a. Biography – a story of a certain person’s life written by another who knows the subject well.

b. Autobiography – a written account of man’s life written by himself.

Letter – a written message which displays aspects of an author’s physiological make-up not immediately apparent in his more public writings. It is a prose form which by the force of its style and the importance of its statements becomes an object of interest in its own right.

Diary – a daily written record of account of the writer’s own experiences, thoughts, activities or observations.

Journal – a magazine or periodical especially of serious or learned nature. It is the reflection, opinion of a read material.

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POETRYPoetry is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of

language—such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre—to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, the prosaïc ostensible meaning. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poetry)

Types of Poetry: Narrative Poetry – a poem that tells a story.

a. Epic – a long narrative poem of the largest proportions. Epic is a tale mainly about a hero concerning the beginning, continuance, and the end of events of great significance on tribal or national significance.Metrical Poem – a narrative poem that tells a story of adventure, love and chivalry. The Typical hero is a knight on a quest.

b. Metrical Tale – a narrative poem consisting usually a single series connective events that are simple, and generally do not form a plot. Examples of these are simple idylls or home tales, love tales, tales of the supernatural or tales written for a strong moral purpose in verse form.

c. Ballad – the simplest type of narrative poetry. It is s short narrative poem telling a single incident in simple meter and stanzas. It is meant to be sung.

d. Popular ballad – a ballad of wide workman ship telling some simple incidents of adventure, cruelty, passion, or superstition, an incident that shows the primary instincts of man influenced by the restraint of modern civilization.

e. Modern or artistic – created by poet in imitation of the folk ballad, makes use of many of its devices and conventions.

f. Metrical Allegory – an extended narrative that carries a second meaning along worth the surface story.

Lyric Poetry – a poem that is very personal in nature. It expresses the author’s own thoughts, feelings, moods and reflections in musical language. It derived its name from the musical instrument, the lyre.

a. Ode – a lyric poem of some length, serious in subject and dignified in style. It is most majestic of the lyric poems. It is written in a spirit of praise of some persons or things.

b. Elegy – a poem written on the death of a friend of the poet. The ostensible purpose is to praise the friend. But in the end of the poem, however, we can expect that poet will have come to terms with his grief.

c. Song – a lyric poem in a regular metrical pattern set to music. These have twelve syllables and slowly sung to the accompaniment of a guitar or banduria.

d. Sonnet – a lyric poem containing four iambic pentameter lines, and a complicated rhyme.

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