FORMS OF GENRES

Genre is a grouping of a literary works based upon outer form (specific meter/ structure) and also
upon inner form (attitude, tone and purpose)

Types & Characteristics of Genres: Poetry

A main literary genre is poetry.
- poetry is written in lines and stanzas instead of sentences and paragraphs
- Poetry is usually shorter than the other genres
-poems follow strict rules as to the number and length of lines and stanzas, whereas many poems are
much more free-flowing
-some poems are classified as epic poetry
-John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost focuses on Satan's fall from grace and his following pursuit of
revenge.
-fiction, which is any work written in prose that is not real, can also use elaborate figurative language
-examples of works of fiction are legends, folk tales, fairy tales, short stories, and any novels. For
example, the popular Hunger Games and Divergent trilogies are fiction which occurs in a post-
apocalyptic future.
-nonfiction is the opposite: it comes from real life.
- examples include journals, diaries, biographies, autobiographies, and essays.
Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl is broken up into her specific diary entries. This book is simply a
published diary written by a teenage Jewish girl who hid from the Germans in World War II.

PROSE-From the latin term, prosa oratio, which means direct or straightforward speech. Prose does not
use rhymes, meters or line breaks. Thus, it is a written work in its ordinary form. Literary prose is
basically divided into two: fiction and non-fiction.
NON-FICTION PROSE- Nonfiction is more informative and factual prose writing. It does not
invent characters, events or places. Under prose are the autobiography, the biography, the diary, the
epistle and the essay.

1. AUTOBIOGRAPHY-coming from the three Greek words, autos (self), bios (life), and graphe in
(write), autobiography is an account of a person’s life written by the same person. In simplest
term, it is literally writing about oneself.
2. BIOGRAPHY- this deals with the life of a person written by another person. Biographers often
write about historical or influential and prominent persons and may get information about the
lives of these people from diaries, letters and history books. They may even interview their
subjects to get first-hand information.
-Scottish author James Boswell (1740-95) is a known companion and biographer of Samuel
Johnson (1709-84), English writer, lexicographer, critic and conversationalist. Boswell’s The life
of Samuel Johnson (1791) records the details of Johnson’s life and conversation as leading figure
in the Literary London of his day.
 3. FAIRY TALE- A simple folk narrative and oral in origin, a fairy tale may be described as being
magical, idealized, or extremely happy. These stories involve supernatural or magical elements such
as fairies, wizards, witches and other enchanted beings.
- Danish author Hans Christian Andersen (1805-75) is famous for his fairy tales which were
published in 1835, such as The Snow Queen, The Ugly Duckling, and The Little Match Girl. The
German Grimm brothers, Jacob (1758-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859) also compiled an anthology
of fairy tales which appeared in three volumes from 1812-1822. French writer Charles Perrault (1628-
1703) is also remembered for his Mother Goose Tales (1697) containing fairy tales like Sleeping
Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots and Cinderella.
4. FRAME-TALE- A frame-tale contains other tales within it. Thus, it may be described as a story
within a story. A classic example is the Canterbury Tales written between 1887-1400 by Geoffrey
Chaucer (c.1342- 1400). Chaucer is known for his skill in characterization, humor and versatility and
these established him as the first great English poet.
-Italian writer, poet and humanist Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-75)is also famous for his frame-tale he
wrote, the Decameron (1348-58) which is a collection of a hundred tales told by ten youths who have
moved to the country to escape the Black Death.
- In the Middle East, the most famous is the Arabian Nights, a collection of stories and romances
written in Arabic. It features a woman. Scheherazade, who saves her life by entertaining a king
known for killing every wife he has had after one night’s marriage.
5. LEGEND- legends are generally called stories of origin. In particular, the most common of which
are creation stories and the origins of people, place, animal or object.
6. NOVEL
– this is a more extensive form of prose. The modern novel is a novel of fiction which is elastic,
its length extends to hundreds of pages. The novel is capable of revealing both a broader and deeper
view of a human nature and experience.
- Robinson Crusoe (1719) written by English Novelist and journalist, Daniel Defoe (1660-1731)
has a claim to being the first English novel.
- Another famous work is that of Spanish novelist and dramatist Miguel de Cervantes
1547-1616). Don Quixote de la Mancha (1605-1616) is a satire on chivalric romance that has
greatly influenced the development of a novel.
7. PARABLE
- the parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson.
- examples of parables may be found in the Bible’s New Testament such as the Parable of the
Mustard Seed and The Parable of Talents
8. SAGA- Originally, the Saga was a medieval narrative prose in Old Norse or Old Icelandic
with themes of European Scandinavian kings
- Today, the term saga refers not only to a long story of heroic achievement but also to any
fictional history involving several generations of a family.
- Among the classical examples of this genre are the Saga of Grettir the Strong, Volsung Saga, and
Story of Burnt Njal (Njal Saga). A more modern example is The Forsyte Saga (1906-28) which is
a series of novels adopted for television in 1967. It is written by English Novelist and Dramatist
John Galsworthy (1867-1933) who also won a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1932.
9. SHORT STORY – a brief, artistic form of prose which is centered on a single main incident
and is intended to produce a single dominant impression which may be sadness, surprise,
sympathy, terror or other reactions. The short story is similar to the novel in that it has a fully
developed theme.

POETRY

Poetry can be defined as follows:

 1. Poetry is a branch of the humanities that renders artistically, imaginatively the best of man’s
thoughts and feelings.
2. Is a statement of human experience. pi
3. Poetry like a song is an expression of a feeling, an insight, a discovery, it is about life.
4. Is much more economical in the use of words and relies heavily on imagery, figurative language,
rhythm and sound
5. Poetry is the language of the imagination, almost entirely figurative, and also a musical literary
language.
6. Engle defines it as a metaphorical communication, “the highest form of talk”

POETRY CAN DO THE FOLLOWING:

1. Move an individual to tears or laughters
2. Stir the insights of the reader
3. Stimulate the imagination of the reader
4. Soothe the mind of the reader
5. Lift the burden of a heavy heart
6. Ease and relax tension in a troubled world

CLASSIFICATIONS OF POETRY

According to purpose and structure, there are three groups of poetry. These are:

A. NARRATIVE POETRY

These includes poems that tells or narrates a story in richly imaginative and rhythmical language.
1.BALLADS- short simple narrative poem in short stanzas composed to be sung, and is orally told from
one generation to another. Examples of such are The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor
Coleridge and La Belle Dame sans Merci by John Keats.
2.METRICAL TALE – a narrative poem which is written in verse and can be classified either as a
ballad or a metrical take, it is a long rambling love story in verse which is centered around the adventures
of knights and lords and their royal ladies.
3.EPIC- tells the adventure of a traditional primitive hero and the development of a nation under
supernatural control. It is a long poem typically derived from ancient oral tradition.
- Many known epics are related to the legendary Trojan War
- Other notable literary works are the epic poems, The Divine Comedy (c. 1309-20) by Dante Alighieri
(1265-1321), Paradise Lost (1667, revised 1674) and Paradise Regained (1671), both by John Milton
(1608-74), the Old English, Beowulf, Babylon’s Gilgamesh, and the Sanskrit epics of the Hindus which
are the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
TWO TYPES OF EPIC
1. Folk or Popular Epic- this type does not have a known author but evolved gradually from
the people’s ancient origin.
2. Classical epics- have standard conventions such as an underlying theme of human problem
4.MEDIEVAL ROMANCE-Medieval Romances are tales dealing with heroes of chivalry like
famous kings and knights. The stories of Charlemagne and King Arthur are examples of this
genre.
- English writer Sir Thomas Malory (died 1471) is known for his major work, Le Morte d’ Arthur
(printed 1483), which is a collection of the legends of King Arthur, selected from French and
other sources. Chanson de Roland, the most famous of Charlemagne’ s paladins or knights.

B. DRAMATIC POETRY
This poetry has elements that are closely related to drama because it is written in dramatic form or makes use
of a dramatic technique.
1.DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE– a combination of drama and poetry which presents the speech of a
character in a particular situation at a critical moment.
2.SOLILOQUY– A passage spoken by the speaker in a poem or by a character in a play except that there
is no present to hear him expect the reader or the audience.
3.CHARACTER SKETCH– a poem classified by Laurence J. Zillman, in which the writer is concerned
less with complete or implied matters of a story but rather with arousing sympathy or antagonism for or
mere interest in an individual..

4.COMEDY – characterized by its humorous or satirical tone and its depiction of amusing
people or events, the comedy is a kind of drama in which the characters ultimately triumph over
adversity. . One of the first Roman Comic dramatists is Titus Maccius Plautus (c. 250-184 B.C)
whose plays, such as Rudens, are modelled on Greek New Comedy, a style in which young lovers
typically undergo endless ups and downs in the company of stock fictional characters.

5.TRAGEDY– This primary character has not overcome desperate circumstances like death,
suffering, hopelessness and pain. It has an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the
downfall of the main character. William Shakespeare has also written notable tragedies such as
Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth.
6.FARCE- This is an exaggerated comedy. It seeks to arouse wit by laughable lines and its
situations are too ridiculous to be true. The characters seem to be caricatures and the motives undignified
and absurd.
7.MORALITY PLAY- The morality play is a medieval allegorical drama which personifies
abstract qualities such as faith and mercy as the main characters and presents a lesson about good
conduct.
8. MYSTERY PLAY
Performed during the late Middle Ages and the early renaissance, the mystery play is a portal
medieval play based in Biblical stories of the lives of saints.
9.SHADOW PLAY- The Indonesian shadow play is a unique dramatic performance in which
shadows cast from puppets are used to enact, for instance, themes from epics like the Ramayana.

C. LYRIC POETRY
lyric poems were meant to be sung to the accompaniment of a musical instrument known as the
lyre. A lyre is a stringed musical instrument of the harp class which was used by the ancient Greeks
1. SIMPLE LYRIC– this embraces a wide variety of poems and is characterized by subjectivity,
imagination, melody and emotion.
2. SONG– a short lyric poem which has a specific melodious quality and is intended to be sung and
can be set easily to music. It can either be religious or secular. Religious songs includes hymns,
anthems and oratories. Secular songs deal with different themes and emotions.

 Secular Songs- have non-religious themes and examples are prothalamiums and
epithalamiums (Marriage songs)
 Sacred Songs- are songs in praise of God such as oratorios and cantatas.
3. SONNET– a lyric poem pf 14 lines with a formal rhyme. It was perfected in Italy by Francesco
Petrarca in the 14th century.
  Italian Sonnet- contains an octave where the theme, problem, hope or desire is
presented and a sestet where a resolution or conclusion is reached. Its rimes are
abba-abba-cdecde.
 Shakesperian (English) Sonnet- is an iambic pentameter abab-cdcd-efef-gg
presents and develops its theme in the first three quatrains and states a
conclusion in the couplet.
4. ELEGY– a poem expressing lament or grief for the dead. It may express the personal sorrow of
the author over a loss of a loved one or it may be a form of meditation on death in general.
5. EPIGRAM- An epigram is a short and satirical poem with a witty or ingenious ending. It is
often used for remembrance, in epitaphs or dedications.
6. EPITHALAMIUM- Originally written in praise of the Greek God of marriage, Hymen, the
epithalamium is a song or poem featuring a wedding celebration. In most epithalamiums,
nymphs, shepherds, and mythical figures often take part in the event.
- One of the most famous in English is Epithalamion which is written by Edmund Spenser (c.
1552-99). Another classic example is the Biblical Song of Solomon.
1.LIMERICK-The limerick is a humorous five-line poem with a rhyme scheme of aabba.
2. PASTORAL- Coming from a Latin word linked to shepherding and animal breeding, the
pastoral is a literary work that features shepherds and portrays or evokes country life
3. ODE- – From a greek word meaning “song”, the ode is a lyric poem written in a dignified tone to
idealize objects, qualities or ideas. It is, in general, the poetry of praise or tribute.

4. PSALM
– This is a song praising God or the Blessed Virgin Mary containing a philosophy of life,

LESSON 3: SURVEY OF NOTABLE AUTHORS

Nick Joaquin- Winning the National Artist award for Literature, Nick Joaquín is probably the
most esteemed writer the Philippines has produced. Joaquin published at the early age of 17.
-Joaquin’s book, The Woman With Two Navels is essential reading in Philippine literature.
However, many of his short stories, such as “May Day Eve,” are extremely accessible and
enjoyable for those new to the Philippines.
JOSE RIZAL- The Philippines’ national hero was also a prolific writer, poet, and essayist. Jose
Rizal’s two novels, Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo were social commentaries that sharply
revealed the injustices of Spanish colonization while praising the Filipino in his most natural
state.
Jose Corazon de Jesus- Known as the King of the Balagtasan and as Makata ng Puso, José
Corazón de Jesús was born in Manila on November 22, 1896. He wrote Tagalog poetry during
the American occupation of the Philippines (1901-1946).
-His most famous work is the Tagalog poem Bayan Ko (My Country, 1929)
Francisco “Balagtas” Baltazar- Francisco “Balagtas” Baltazar is regarded as the Great Filipino
Poet who used allegorical theme combined with metaphorical allusions and representations in
his writings to cast out the illness that surrounds the Philippine society during his time.
FRANCISCO ARCELLANA- an important progenitor of the modern Filipino short story in English.
He pioneered the short story to be developed as a lyrical prose-poetic form.
 And for him, fiction is “that it is able to render truth that is able to present reality”.
Virgilio S. Almario- Also known as Rio Alma, is a Filipino author, poet, critic, translator, editor,
teacher, and cultural manager. He is a National Artist of the Philippines. He formerly served as
the chairman of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF)
N. V. M. Gonzales- Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzalez- . His lack of college degree didn’t stop him
from pursuing teaching, and he received teaching positions at multiple universities in the
Philippines, including the University of the Philippines (U.P) and the Philippine Women’s
University.
Amado V. Hernandez - was a Filipino writer and labor leader who was known for his criticism of
social injustices in the Philippines and was later imprisoned for his involvement in the
communist movement.
Francisco Sionil Jose-Called as Philippine national treasure. He is an author of a dozen socially
engaged novels and countless short stories and essays who was sometimes called the grand old
man of Philippine letters and even the conscience of his nation.
Alejandro R. Roces- a fictionist and essayist who "promoted the application of the arts not only
in the service of education and development but also in the fostering of social consciousness
and the transformation of a Filipino society".
Jose Garcia Villa- A consummate artist in poetry and in person as well, this page contains an
account of Jose Garcia Villa’s family and educational background. It also contains a partial list of
his published books.
PROMINENT INTERNATIONAL AUTHORS
Mark Twain - Samuel Langhorne Clemens - This particular writer is far more recognizable by his pen
name of Mark Twain. Once lauded as ‘The greatest humorist the United States has ever produced’ by
fellow penman William Faulkner, his works include classics like Tom Sawyer and the Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Whilst British writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote many other novels, it’s
perhaps easiest to justify his place on our list by saying one name – Sherlock Holmes.

HG Wells- Novelist, satirist and social prophet, H.G. Wells was an Englishman who was best known for
being a prolific science fiction writer

Fyodor Dostoyevsky- A true great now from Russian Literature – Fyodor Dostoyevsky created an
impressive body of work that explored the human condition, psychology and contentious issues like
religion.

Charles Darwin- Having written a series of books that changed the very way we look at ourselves and
how we fit into the world, Charles Darwin is an author that perhaps altered the world more than any
other.

Rene Descartes- The famous words “I think therefore I am” are synonymous with modern philosophy
and mathematics and whether you’re a student of either subject or not, you’re likely to be familiar with
the phrase.
William Shakespeare -What can be said that hasn’t been said already about William Shakespeare, who
is widely regarded as the best writer of the English language the world has ever seen.

Charles Dickens -Heralding from Higham in Kent, Charles Dickens is regarded as a literary genius with
titles as widely known and loved as a Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two Cities. Not only
viewed as a literary giant after his death

Jane Austen -With works to her name like ‘Sense and Sensibility’ and ‘Pride and Prejudice’, Jane Austen
was an outspoken critic and commentator at a time when the patriarchy was very much still in full
swing.

George Orwell- When we think the dystopian future genre of literature, the first novel most think of is
1984 by George Orwell thanks to his vivid and chillingly real depiction of a totalitarian state