INTRODUCTION OF LITERATURE

NUR HIKMAH MUSTARI

1452041006
ENGLISH EDUCATION B

STATE UNIVERSITY OF MAKASSAR

FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

INTRODUCTION TO 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. Definitions of the word literature tend to be circular. The 11th edition of MerriamWebsters Collegiate Dictionary considers literature to be writings having excellence of form or
expression and expressing ideas of permanent or universal interest. The 19th-century
critic Walter Pater referred to the matter of imaginative or artistic literature as a transcript, not
of mere fact, but of fact in its infinitely varied forms. But such definitions assume that the
reader already knows what literature is. And indeed its central meaning, at least, is clear enough.
Deriving from the Latin littera, a letter of the alphabet, literature is first and foremost
humankinds entire body of writing; after that it is the body of writing belonging to a given
language or people; then it is individual pieces of writing.
Perspective. Drama is literature written for performance--or at least written in a style that
would allow for stage performance. As a text form, drama can be thought of as story told though
spoken remarks and stage directions. Literature is a term used to describe written and sometimes
spoken material.

GENRES OF LITERATURE
There are three main genres of literature, among others are poetry, prose, and drama.
1. Poetry
Poetry is writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of
experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional
response through meaning, sound, and rhythm.
Two types of poetry:
1.

NARRATIVE POETRY - describes important events in life real or imaginary.

2.

LYRIC POETRY - refers to that king of poetry meant to be song to the accompaniment of
a lyre, but now this applies to any type of poetry that expresses emotions and fillings of
the poet.

Types of Narrative Poetry:

A. EPIC
An extended narrative about heroic exploits often under supernatural control. It may

deal

with heroes and gods.

B. METRICAL TALE
A Narrative, which is written in verse and can be classified either as a ballad or as a metrical
romance.
C. BALADS
Of the narrative poems, this is the shortest and simplest. It has a simple structure and tells of
a single incident.

Types of Lyric Poetry:

A. FOLKSONGS (AWIT NG BAYAN)

These are short poems intended to be sung. The common theme is love, despair, grief,
doubt, joy, hope and sorrow.
B. SONNETS
A lyric poem of 14 lines dealing with an emotion, a feeling of an idea.
C. ELEGY
This is a lyric poem, which express feelings of grief and melancholy and whose theme is
death.
D. ODE
A poem of noble feeling, expressed with dignity, with no definite syllables or definite
number of lines in a stanza.
E.

PSALM (DALIT)
It is a sound praising god or the Virgin Mary and containing a philosophy of life.

F.

AWIT (SONG)
Measures of a 12 (do decasyllabic) and slowly sung to the accompaniment of a guitar or
Banduria.
G.

CORRIDO
Have measure of eight (octosyllabic) and recited to a martial beat.

2. Prose

Prose is consists of those written within the common flow of conversation in sentence
and paragraphs. Prose is a form of language which applies ordinary grammatical structure
and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure (as in traditional poetry)
Type of prose:
1. Nonfictional Prose: A literary work that is mainly based on fact although it may
contain fictional elements in certain cases. Examples are biographies and essays.
2. Fictional Prose: A literary work that is wholly or partly imagined or theoretical.
Examples are novels.
3. Heroic Prose: A literary work that may be written down or recited and employs many
of the formulaic expressions found in oral tradition. Examples are legends and tales.
4. Prose Poetry: A literary work which exhibits poetic quality using emotional effects
and heightenedimagery but are written in prose instead of verse.

3. Drama

Drama is the theatrical dialogue performed on stage, it consists of 5 acts.

Types of Drama:
A. COMEDY
It is comes from the Greek komos meaning festivity or revelry. This is usually light and
written with the purpose of amusing, and usually has a happy ending.

B. MELODRAMA

It is usually used in musical plays with opera. It arouses immediate and intense emotions
and is usually sad but there is a happy ending for the principal character.
C. TRAGEDY
Involves the hero struggling mightily against dynamic forces; he meets death or ruin
without success and satisfaction obtained by the protagonist in a comedy.
D. FARCE
Exaggerated comedy, situations are too ridiculous to be true; and the characters seem to
be caricatures and the motives undignified and absurd.

SOURCE :
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literature
http://www.britannica.com/art/literature
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_literature#Prose
http://renzpaz.blogspot.co.id/2008/12/general-types-of-literature.html
http://ghalegomez-philippineliterature.blogspot.co.id/