Lecture Notes on LITERARY ART

LITERATURE DEFINED

• Literature are written works collectively, especially those of enduring importance, exhibiting creative imagination and artistic skill (Funk and Wagnalls).
• Literature comes from the Latin word literature meaning writing; literatus which means learning; and thus is literate for learned.
• It is both oral and written work characterized by expressive or imaginative writing, nobility of thoughts, universality and timeliness.
• The best way to understand human nature fully and to know a nation completely is to study literature.
• Literature appeals to man's higher nature and its needs--emotional, spiritual, intellectual and creative.  Like all other forms of art, literature entertains and gives pleasure; it fires the imagination and arouses noble emotions and it enriches man by enabling him to reflect on life by filling him new ideas.

STANDARDS OF GOOD LITERATURE

• Artistry
• Intellectual value
• Suggestiveness
• Spiritual value
• Permanence
• Universality

TWO MAIN DIVISIONS OF LITERATURE

	PROSE	POETRY
Form	Written in paragraph form	Written in stanza or verse form
Language	Expressed in ordinary form	Expressed in metrical, rhythmical and figurative language
Appeal	To the intellect	To the emotion
Aim	To convince, instruct, imitate and reflect	Stir the imagination and set an idea of how life should be

PROSE

1. Prose drama-a drama in prose form.  It consists entirely of dialogues in prose, and is meant to be acted on stage.
2. Essay-a short literary composition which is expository in nature.  The author shares some of his thoughts, feelings, experiences or observations on some aspects of life that has interested him.
3. Prose fiction-

• Novel-a long fictitious narrative with a complicated plot.  It may have a main plot and one or more subplots that develop with the main plot.  Characters and actions representative of the real life of past or present times are portrayed in a plot.  It is made up of chapters.
• Short story-a fictitious narrative compressed into one unit of time, place, and action.  It deals with a single character interest, a single emotion or series of emotions called forth by a single situation.  It is distinguished from the novel by its compression.

ELEMENTS OF FICTION

1. Characters-are the representation of a human being; persons involved in a conflict.

• Round character-is a dynamic character who recognized changes in the circumstances; is fully developed character, with many traits shown in the story.
• Flat character-also known as the stock or the stereotype character who does not grow and develop; a flat character is not fully developed and do not undergo changes.
• protagonist-the main character
• antagonist-a foil to the character

2. Setting-the locale and period in which the events occur. A stoyr must take place in space, time, and therefore must have setting.  But the importance of setting varies greatly from story to story.  The setting gives immediacy to the story, can lend atmosphere to a story and can enter directly to the meaning of a story.

3. Conflict-the struggle of complication involving the characters; the opposition of persons or forces upon which the action depends in drama and fiction.

• Internal Conflict-occurs when the protagonist struggles within himself or herself; the protagonist is pulled by two courses of action or by differing emotions.
• Interpersonal conflict-pits the protagonist against someone else.
• External conflict-person against society

4. Point of View- the writer's feeling and attitude toward his/her subject; determines who tells the story; it identifies the narrator of the story.
   CLASSIFICATION:

• First person- the narrator uses the pronoun "I."  S/he could be a participant or a character in his own work; the narrator maybe the protagonist, an observer, a minor character, or the writer himself/herself.
• Third person- the writer is mereky an observer and uses pronoun in the third person.
• Omniscient-the narrator sees all; s/he can see into the minds of characters and evne report everyone's innermost thoughts.

5. Tone/Mood- the attitude or mixture of attitude taken by the writer toward his work.
6. Symbolism- stand for something other than themselves, they bring to mind not theri won concrete qualities, but the idea or obstruction that is associated with them.
7. Theme- the author's comment regarding the subject

8. Plot-a causally related sequence of events; what happens as a result of the main coinflict is presented in a structured format; is the sequence of events which involves the character in conflict.