LIT
C-111: Introduction to Literary
Course Pack for Cebu Technological University-Main Campus
By: CHRISTIAN RAY C. LICEN, Ph.D.
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Preface
Students of the human condition, welcome to AY 2025-2026!
At the heart of human experience is our ability to tell stories. Since time
immemorial, we have always been storytellers, as evinced by the myths, legends, and
folktales told by our ancestors in a very remote past. According to Terence Deacon, we
tell stories about our real experiences and invent stories about imagined ones, and we
even make use of these stories to organize our lives. In a real sense, we live our lives in
this shared virtual world. When writing was invented, oral literature froze into the written
structure of the language and eventually found its way into print. As linguistically adept
species, literature continues to shape the human experience, most especially in this
time of rapid technological advancements brought about by the industrial revolution
where our shared humanity is being tried and tested. At the core of learning from this
experience is your ability to view the world as a text in itself.
For this reason, your views of the world as a textual literary experience should be
informed by criticism. This course introduces you to the scholarly discipline of literary
studies, including the basic tools, techniques, and frameworks. A survey of methods
and key concepts and categories in literary studies, the course examines how texts are
produced, circulated, consumed, received, and archived. It explores fundamental
questions that relate to the nature of literature, the function of interpretation, and the
uses of a broad range of forms of textual communications today. It encourages you to
appreciate the relevance of description and evaluation of literary works toward
developing in them analytical and interpretive skills needed to engage with and produce
close readings of text.
Course Learning Outcomes
Within the semester, you should be able to:
1. discover multiple perspectives in analyzing and evaluating literary pieces (PO
1, 2, 14)
2. explain the relevance of such perspectives via critical theory (PO 3, 4, 7, 9)
3. compare and contrasted literary schools of thought, movements and concepts
(PO 8, 11, 15)
4. express orally and in writing analyses on issues raised in sample texts (PO 12,
14, 15)
5. evaluate significance of such modes of thinking using different literary texts
(PO 16, 17, 18)
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Table of contents
Preface 1
Table of Contents 2
Preliminary
Lesson 1: Literary Theory 3
(Definition, Nature, Characteristics, Four
Basic Methods)
Lesson 2: Literary Theories via the Liberal
Humanist Tradition, Structuralism, &
Post-structuralism
Midterm
Lesson 3: Psychoanalytic Criticism 18
Lesson 4: Feminist Criticism 22
Lesson 5: Queer, Gay, & Lesbian Criticism 26
Prefinal
Lesson 6: Marxist Literary Theories 29
Lesson 7: New Historicism and Cultural Materialism 32
Lesson 8: Ecocriticism 35
Final
Lesson 9: Narratology 37
Lesson 10: Post-theory
Lesson 11: The Literary Research Colloquium 39
References 44
Biography of the Author
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PRELIMINARY
LESSON 1: Literary theory (Definition, nature, characteristics, and
METHODS)
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOME
The learners…
trace the emergency of a literary theory (CLO 1); and
determine its nature and characteristics (CLOs 1, 2)
INTRODUCTION
Approaching a literary work is an interpretative activity. Unlike scientific-technical texts
and business correspondence, literary texts direct the reader’s attention to the message and
form, where the aim is to co-create the meaning and significance of a literary text for various
purposes. Thus, the writer (producer), text (literature), and reader (receiver) enter a symbolic
transaction in determining the ways by which we perceive reality in its many dimensions.
PREPARATION
Directions: To have a taste of the dulce et utile or the delight and function appeal of
literature and how your perceptions of it articulate your understanding of the text, read “Flip
Gothic” by Cecilia Manguerra-Brainard and do the following individually on short bond paper. To
access the short story, click this link:
https://cbrainard.blogspot.com/2013/07/fiction-flip-gothic-by-cecilia.html>
Understanding the Story
1. In a Venn diagram, compare and contrast Mindy and Arminda. Provide 3-5
characteristics in bullet points.
2. How important was Mindy’s “experience” in Ubec? Cite at least 3 events in
the story that can be considered an eye opener for Mindy; hence leading to
her gradual transformation.
3. Describe Mindy’s reaction upon learning the truth about her mother when she
was a newborn. Has this contributed to a softening of the relationship with
her mother, Nelia?
4. According to the grandmother, Mindy’s problem has been a “question of
identity”. Why is this so? Point out any major event, circumstance, or
situation that could have triggered this identity crisis.
5. The story is told through epistles or letter exchanges between Arminda’s
mother and grandmother. Do you think this is an effective way to convey the
story of Mindy’s transformation? Defend your answer in 1 paragraph.
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6. Who is Cecilia Manguerra-Brainard? What do you think motivated her to write
this story?
7. Towards the end, it is revealed that Arminda finally wrote to her parents. As
Nelia or Jun, what could be your letter reply? You can use a separate sheet
for this.
PRESENTATION
Literary Theory Defined
All your answers on Part One are gleaned from a close reading of Brainard’s short story
“Flip Gothic”. You read the text via the elements of character, setting, language/style, and
theme. In the M.H. Abrams tradition of interpretation, this way of critically engaging yourself
with the “internal” elements of the text is objective. There are other four major ways to read the
text: mimetic, in which you view the text from its external realities, say historically, cultural,
social, political, or environmental; expressive, in which you locate the meaning and significance
of the text through the author’s life, that is his family background, professional status, triumphs
and challenges; and affective, in which you situate your understanding of the literary work via
how your personal views and experiences. In this regard, the four major approaches guide us
in our interpretation of the work’s meaning and significance. This, in its essence, is literary
theory from a liberal humanist perspective. However, as critical paradigms emerge one after
the other, there’s more to the four ways of reading literature than meets the eye.
The same goes for the reading of literature. Since it is mainly an interpretative activity,
the goal is always to find meaning from a certain perspective. This is called critical reading.
Moreover, when we read a work of literature by viewing it from a dominant position, we are
already theorizing about or approaching how a particular issue or message is seen, heard, felt,
or otherwise understood. So to speak, imagine literary theory as a pair of lenses through which
you view the text you are reading. In this regard, the four major approaches guide us in our
interpretation of the work’s meaning and significance.
However, as critical paradigms emerge one after the other, there’s more to the four ways
of reading literature than meets the eye. We can generate a combination of perspectives, such
as but not limited to the following below. According to Maramba (as cited in Sialongo et.al. 3-4),
the following are:
Formalistic approach Literature is viewed intrinsically. The author, age or any other
external aspects are irrelevant. You focus your attention to
the literary elements.
Moral or humanistic In this approach, you discuss man and his nature by
approach presenting him as a rational being endowed with intellect,
good will, and the ability to control his passions. The question
of good or bad is premised in this approach.
Historical approach The meaning of a literary work is located via its milieu or
setting and the historical moment in which it was written.
Sociological approach The locus of meaning lies in the expression of man within a
social context which necessitates a conflict wrought by his
social class, politics and ideology. Further, it emphasizes
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social relevance and social commitment.
Cultural approach This kind of reading situates literature as a manifestation of a
nation’s or race’s culture and tradition encompassing the
interstices of religion, gender, class, environment, technology,
aesthetic practices.
Psychological approach In this approach, you view a literary work as an expression of
personality, inner drives and desires that work the way dreams
do. Your attention is directed to the psychological disposition
of the author in relation to the work, or zero in on any aspect
of his work such as characterization and dialogue in threshing
out leitmotifs, symbols and images.
Impressionistic approach This kind of reading puts your personal encounters and
experiences at the core by elucidating your reaction-response
based from the literary work. Put this way, this approach
seeks to communicate how the literary work makes an impact
in your personal life.
PRACTICE
Directions: Revisit your understanding of the short story Flip Gothic. Then with a partner, state
your interpretation of the short story in 2-3 sentences following the question cues below:
1. Mimetic interpretation (What socio-cultural realities are being “mirrored” or represented?)
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2. Expressive interpretation (Do a quick research online on Cecilia Brainard’s biography.
What aspects of her life are found or present in the story?)
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
3. Objective interpretation (Explain how the characterization of Mindy leads to the conflict
of the narrative)
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
4. Affective interpretation (Relate your personal experience of “identity crisis” to that of
Arminda’s)
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
REFERENCES
1. Brainard, Cecilia Manguerra. Flip Gothic.
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2. Rubric of the essay.
https://www.slideshare.net/jennytuazon01630/rubrics-in-essay
3. Sialongo, Erlinda B., et.al. Literatures of the World. Manila, Philippines: Rex Book Store,
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