Introduction to
Literature
What is Literature?
Intended Learning Outcomes
▪ Demonstrate understanding of the nature of literature
▪ Define what literature is
▪ Determine the qualities of literary work that makes it great
▪ Enumerate the literary standards that serve as the criteria for
establishing the ‘greatness” of literature
▪ Write a reflective essay showing students’ insights from the
essay authored by Saint-Beauve
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What is Literature
Bautista (2007)
▪ Is a product of life and about life ▪ Is the linguistic evidence of the
▪ Is a written record of man’s best mental and emotional attempt of
thoughts, fine feelings and people to shed light on human
emotions struggles and aspirations
▪ Is an aggregate body of printed
matters in the world
▪ Is one of the most important
forms of art that has ever been
invented
▪ Is derived from the Latin word
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“litterae” which means letters
Why study literature?
Aims of Literature
• To inspire and uplift the taste
• To enjoy (for pleasure)
• To widens experiences
• To Broadens sympathies with people
• To fire one’s emotion/imagination
• To develop a critical mind
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Values Derived from Literature
▪ Intellectual-gives us more knowledge and realizations
▪ Emotional- personal appeal made to the reader
▪ Aesthetic- beauty enclosed in a literary work
▪ Didactic – moral aspects imparted
▪ Functional –use it as avenues to express ideas
▪ and thoughts, to echo grievances
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What makes a work great?
1. Artistry- appeals to the sense of beauty
2. Intellectual Value – enrich mental activity
3. Suggestiveness- moves and stirs feelings and imagination
4. Spiritual Value-brings out moral values making us better persons
5. Permanence – enduring
6. Universality- timeless and timely, forever relevant appeals to one and
all anytime, anywhere
7. Style – unique way in which a writer sees life, forms his ideas, and 9
Literary Genres
1. Fiction – narrative literary works whose content is
produced by the imagination
2. Essay – short composition that reflects the author’s
outlook or point of view on a particular subject
written in prose and is generally analytic,
speculative, or interpretive
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Literary Genres
3. Drama – made up of verse and prose, it involves
dramatic art in its presentation, and is usually for
theatrical performance
4. Poetry – verse and rhythmic writing with imagery that
evokes an emotional response from the reader
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Important Aspects in a Literary Work
1. Form –verbal and artistic structuring of ideas
▪ Form of stanzas, rhyme, meter for poetry
▪ Arrangement of incidents in a plot
▪ Sequence in which ideas are developed for the novel
▪ Development and sequence of ideas in an essay
▪ Always connected with arrangement and significant patterns
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Important Aspects in a Literary Work
2. SUBJECT
▪ refers to a person or idea, events and human
condition or system of value
3. POINT OF VIEW-
▪ refers to the angle of vision of the narrator
▪ the voice through which a writer tells a story
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Divisions and Types of
Prose
Divisions and Types of Prose
FICTION ▪ NON-FICTION
-defined as series of imagined -based merely on facts rather
facts which illustrate truths than on the imagination,
about human life although may contain fictional
1. Short Story elements
2. Novel 1. Essay 3. Tragedy
2. Drama 4. Comedy
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LITERARY
STANDARDS
Backgrounder
Schools of Philosophy
1. Epicureanism-Epicurus
- a man who believed that a life
free of extremes was best for
lessening pain and increasing
pleasure
- mental activity is a way of
gaining inner peace
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Schools of Philosophy
2. Stoicism- Zeno
- true happiness/inner piece
can be reached
by people when they find their
proper places in nature
- accept poverty, death, disease
as a will of God
- Stoic- means followers of Zeno
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Schools of Philosophy
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Schools of Philosophy
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Great Greek Philosophers
1. Socrates- “gadfly”
- his persistent questioning
of all ideas stung his
listeners
into thinking
- “ Know thyself”
-Socratic method
- was sentenced to death
by drinking a hemlock
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Great Greek Philosphers
2. Plato- most famous student
of Socrates
-established the most famous
school in Athens (Academy)
which existed for 900 years
-wrote The Republic that describe
an imaginary land in which each
person does the work
that suits the individual
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Great Greek Philosophers
3. Aristotle - wrote biology, math,
astronomy, physics, ethics,
logic, politics
- underscored that people could
be happy by being moderate
His works:
a. Doctrine of the Mean – the best way to meet
danger is through brave action
b. Politics –good and bad features of different kinds
of government
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Other Great Greek Personages
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Greek Literature
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Literary Standards
1. Artistry- appeals to the sense of beauty
2. Intellectual Value – enrich mental activity
3. Suggestiveness- moves and stirs feelings and imagination
4. Spiritual Value-brings out moral values making us better persons
5. Permanence – enduring
6. Universality- timeless and timely, forever relevant appeals to one and
all anytime, anywhere
7. Style – unique way in which a writer sees life, forms his ideas, and 30
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Greek Literary Heritage
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