Lecture 1 The Nature of Literature

Ruth N. Maguddayao, Ph.D.,LPT

Associate Professor

Cagayan State University

Learning Outcome:
1. To know the importance of Lit. and to distinguish/appreciate the difference
bet. Lit. and other English subjects.
2. To know the basic principles of Literature.

Defining Literature
Literature, in its broadest sense, is any written work. Etymologically, the term derives
from Latin littera/litaritura/litteratura “writing formed with letters,” although some
definitions include spoken or sung texts. More restrictively, it is writing that possesses
literary merit. Literature can be classified according to whether it is fiction or non-fiction
and whether it is poetry or prose. It can be further distinguished according to major
forms such as the novel, short story or drama, and works are often categorized
according to historical periods or their adherence to certain aesthetic features or
expectations (genre).

Taken to mean only written works, literature was first produced by some of the world’s
earliest civilizations—those of Ancient Egypt and Sumeria—as early as the 4th
millennium BC; taken to include spoken or sung texts, it originated even earlier, and
some of the first written works may have been based on a pre-existing oral tradition. As
urban cultures and societies developed, there was a proliferation in the forms of
literature. Developments in print technology allowed for literature to be distributed and
experienced on an unprecedented scale, which has culminated in the twenty-first
century in electronic literature.

To summarize, Literature means:

◼ Derived from the Latin term “litera” which means letter.
◼ Any printed material/ matter written within a book, a magazine or a pamphlet.
 ◼ A faithful reproduction of man’s manifold experience blended into one
harmonious expression.
◼ The study of man bec. it deals with thoughts and emotions of man.
◼ According to Azurin, literature expresses the feelings of people to society, to the
government, to his surrounding, to his fellowmen and to his Divine Creator.
◼ According to Webster, literature is anything that is printed as long as it is related
to the ideas and feelings of people, whether it is true or just a product of one’s
imagination
◼ Any written words with artistic value.

Evolution of Literature Definition

Definitions of literature have varied over time. In Western Europe prior to the
eighteenth century, literature as a term indicated all books and writing.[1] A more
restricted sense of the term emerged during the Romantic period, in which it began to
demarcate “imaginative” literature.[2]

Contemporary debates over what constitutes literature can be seen as returning to the
older, more inclusive notion of what constitutes literature. Cultural studies, for instance,
takes as its subject of analysis both popular and minority genres, in addition to
canonical works.[3]
Distinction bet. Literary and Other forms of Writing
❖ Purpose
❖ Subject Matter
❖ Language
❖ Point of View
❖ Tone
Literary Writing
Purpose:
To entertain/amuse
To suggest the writer’s message
Subject Matter
 Focuses on man’s manifold experience.
❑ Language
Uses figurative language and imaginary vocabulary.
Words and expressions used are beautifully and rhythmically interwoven
to produce a poetic interpretation of life.
❑ Point of View
Third person point of view
First person point of view
Third person omniscient
Third person observer
❑ Tone
personal, subjective, and definitely appeals to the emotions
Branches of Literature
Function of Literature (Two Modes of apprehending)
1. Literature as a form of pleasure
◼ Literature provides a form of escape
◼ Literature provides aesthetic satisfaction
2. Literature as a form of engagement
◼ Literature provides a way of transforming the world

Classification of Literature
1. PROSE
◼ Fiction
◼ Non-Fiction

2. POETRY
◼ Verbal utterances that are composed according to metrical schemes.
◼ is an imaginative awareness of
experience expressed through meaning, sound,
and rhythmic language choices so as to evoke
an emotional response.
❑ has been known to employ meter and
rhyme, but this is by no means necessary.
❑ is an ancient form that has gone
through numerous and drastic reinvention over
time.
◼ Poetry defined by Famous Poets
◼ William Wordsworth defined poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful
feelings.”
◼ Emily Dickinson said, “If I read a book and it
makes my body so cold no fire ever can warm
me, I know that is poetry.”
◼ Dylan Thomas defined poetry this way:
“Poetry is what makes me laugh or cry or yawn,
what makes my toenails twinkle, what makes me
want to do this or that or nothing.”

MAJOR FORMS OF LITERATURE

Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language to
evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, prosaic ostensible meaning (ordinary
intended meaning). Poetry has traditionally been distinguished from prose by its being
set in verse;[4] prose is cast in sentences, poetry in lines; the syntax of prose is
dictated by meaning, whereas that of poetry is held across metre or the visual aspects
of the poem.[5]

Prior to the nineteenth century, poetry was commonly understood to be something set
in metrical lines; accordingly, in 1658 a definition of poetry is “any kind of subject
consisting of Rythm or Verses”.[6] Possibly as a result of Aristotle’s influence (his
Poetics), “poetry” before the nineteenth century was usually less a technical designation
for verse than a normative category of fictive or rhetorical art.[7] As a form it may pre-
date literacy, with the earliest works being composed within and sustained by an oral
tradition;[8] hence it constitutes the earliest example of literature.

Prose
Prose is a form of language that possesses ordinary syntax and natural speech rather
than rhythmic structure; in which regard, along with its measurement in sentences
rather than lines, it differs from poetry.[9] On the historical development of prose,
Richard Graff notes that ”

Novel: a long fictional prose narrative.

Novella:The novella exists between the novel and short story; the publisher Melville
House classifies it as “too short to be a novel, too long to be a short story.”[10]
Short story: a dilemma in defining the “short story” as a literary form is how to, or
whether one should, distinguish it from any short narrative. Apart from its distinct size,
various theorists have suggested that the short story has a characteristic subject matter
or structure;[11] these discussions often position the form in some relation to the
novel.[12]
Drama Drama is literature intended for performance.[13]
Work that is meant to be performed on stage (theater) by actors in the form of a play.
Comes from the Greek Word, “Dran”
Means “To do” or “To Act”
The Doing/Acting Makes Drama

The Difference Between Fiction and Nonfiction

Is all fiction literature? Is all nonfiction literature?
Fiction refers to literature created from the imagination. Mysteries, science fiction,
romance, fantasy, chick lit, crime thrillers are all fiction genres. Whether or not all of
these genres should be considered “literature” is a matter of opinion. Some of these
fiction genres are taught in literature classrooms and some are not usually taught,
considered more to be reading for entertainment. Works often taught in literature
classrooms are referred to as “literary fiction” including classics by Dickens, Austen,
Twain, and Poe, for example.
Like fiction, non-fiction also has a sub-genre called “literary nonfiction” that refers to
literature based on fact but written in creative way, making it as enjoyable to read as
fiction. Of course there are MANY other types of nonfiction such as cook books, fitness
articles, crafting manuals, etc. which are not “literature,” meaning not the types of
works we would study in a literature classroom. However, you may not be aware of the
many types of nonfiction we would study, such as biography, memoir or autobiography,
essays, speeches, and humor. Of these literary nonfiction genres, they can be long like
a book or series of books or short like an essay or journal entry. Some examples of
these you are already familiar with, like The Diary of Anne Frank or Angela’s Ashes by
Frank McCourt. These works of literary nonfiction have character, setting, plot, conflict,
figurative language, and theme just like literary fiction.
Clarification: The test of categorizing a work between fiction and non-fiction is not
whether there is proof the story is true, but whether it CLAIMS to be true. For example,
someone writing a first hand account of being abducted by aliens would be classified in
the nonfiction section, meaning the author claims it really happened. Further, a story in
which imaginary characters are set into real historical events is still classified as fiction.

Literary Genres to be Highlighted in the Course

◼ Novel
◼ Short Story
◼ Essay
◼ Poem
◼ Drama
◼ Novel

Literary Genres
◼ Novel
A novel is an invented prose narrative that is usually long and complex and deals
especially with human experience through a usually connected sequence of events.
It is also the literary genre consisting of a fictitious prose narrative of book length,
typically representing character and action with some degree of realism.
 ◼ Short Story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in
narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of
fiction, such as novellas (in the 20th and 21st century sense) and novels. Short
story definitions based upon length differ somewhat even among professional
writers, somewhat in part because of the fragmentation of the medium into
genres. Since the short story format includes a wide range of genres and styles,
the actual length is determined by the individual author's preference (or the
story's actual needs in terms of creative trajectory or story arc) and the
submission guidelines relevant to the story's actual market. Guidelines vary
greatly among publishers.[1]
Many short story writers define their work through a combination of creative,
personal expression and artistic integrity. As a result, many attempt to resist
categorization by genre as well as definition by numbers, finding such
approaches limiting and counter-intuitive to artistic form and reasoning. As a
result, definitions of the short story based upon length splinter even more when
the writing process is taken into consideration.
◼ Essay
An essay can have many purposes, but the basic structure is the same no matter
what. You may be writing an essay to argue for a particular point of view or to
explain the steps necessary to complete a task. Either way, your essay will have
the same basic format. If you follow a few simple steps, you will find that the
essay almost writes itself. You will be responsible only for supplying ideas, which
are the important part of the essay anyway.
◼ Poem
A literature that evokes a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience or a
specific emotional response through language chosen and arranged for its meaning,
sound, and rhythm is called a poem.
◼ Drama
◼ Work that is meant to be performed on stage (theater) by actors in the form of a
play.