TYPES OF LI TERATURE:
THE GENRES
• Lit may be classif ied int o: – Pr ose f ict ion
– Poet r y – Dr ama
Pr ose Fict ion (Nar r at ive
Fict ion) includes:
• myt hs
par ables r omances novels
Fict ion r ef er s t o pr ose st or ies based in t he imaginat ion of aut hor s.
The essence of f ict ion is nar r at ion: t he
The Focus of Fict ional Wor ks
• One or a f ew maj or char act er s who change & gr ow as a r esult of how t hey deal wit h
ot her char act er s & how t hey at t empt t o solve t heir pr oblems.
(t heir abilit y t o make decisions, t heir
awar eness & insight , t heir at t it ude t owar d ot her s, t heir sensit ivit y, & t heir mor al
Fict ion vs. hist or y
Non Fict ion
Prose/ Non- Fict ional Narrat ives
I t consist s of news r epor t s, f eat ur e ar t icles, essays, edit or ials,
t ext books, hist or ical & biogr aphical wor ks, or t he ot her wor ks descr ibing or int er pr et ing f act s & pr esent ing
The Goal
t o present t rut hs & conclusions
Char act er
• Char act er br ings f ict ion t o lif e: f acing a maj or pr oblem developing f r om
misunder st anding, misinf or mat ion, unf ocused ideals/ goals, dif f icult
sit uat ions, t r oubled r elat ionships, & ot her gener al challenging sit uat ions
• They ar e f ound in f ict ion j ust as t hey may also be f ound in all levels &
Plot
• Plot is t he plan of f ict ion:
The Essence of Plot
• The development & r esolut ion of
conf lict s in which t he pr ot agonist is engaged.
• The int er act ions of causes & ef f ect s as t hey develop sequent ially/
I dea/ t heme
• I t is t he vivid t hought of f ict ion • Eit her dir ect ly/ indir ect ly, f ict ion
embodies ideas/ t hemes t hat under lie & give lif e t o st or ies & novels.
Nar r at ion
• I t cr eat es t he sequence & logic of Fict ion: t he r epor t ing of act ions in sequent ial or der .
• I t makes t he st or y clear & br ings it alive t o t he r eader ’s imaginat ion
St yle
• St yle is t he aut hor ’s skill in br inging language t o lif e: in manipulat ing
language.
• A mar k of a good st yle is t he use of act ive ver bs & nouns t hat ar e
specif ic & concr et e.
By cont r olling t his, an aut hor
helps us make r easonable
Tone & I r ony
Tone
• The wr it er ’s at t it udes t owar d
I r ony: incongr uence of
some kind
• Ver bal I r ony: saying one t hing meaning anot her
• Sit uat ional I r ony: incongr uence
I n dr amat ic ir ony char act er s
have an incor r ect / misguided
under st anding of what is
happening t o t hem, while bot h
r eader s & ot her char act er
Symbolism & Allegor y
• They show t he r elevance of Fict ion t o t he lar ger wor ld
• When Mat hilde moves int o an at t ic f lat , it symbolizes her loss of
economic/ social st at us
• Loisel’s long ser vit ude is similar t o t he lives/ act ivit ies of people who per f or m t asks f or
• Those element s ar e pr esent
t oget her in W or ks of Fict ion
Why do we st udy Lit ?
• Lit helps us gr ow, bot h per sonally and int ellect ually. I t opens door s f or us. I t st r et ches our mind. I t develops our imaginat ion, incr eases our
under st anding, and enlar ges our
