Introduction to Literature Flashcards
- It is a body of written works.
2. Writings having excellence of form or expression and expressing ideas of permanent or universal interest.
Literature
- Deriving from the Latin littera, “a letter of the alphabet,” literature is first and foremost humankind’s entire body of writing
- It is a “slice of life”.
Literature
- It is a body of work, either written, oral, or visual containing imaginative language that realistically portrays thoughts, emotion, and experiences of the human condition.
- It is a product of a particular culture that concretizes man’s array of values, emotions, actions and ideas.
Literature
- It is a creation of human experiences that tells about people and their world.
Literature
an art that reflects the works of imagination, aesthetics and creative writing which are distinguished for the beauty of style or expression.
Literature
“Literature raises life into a new level of meaning and understanding, and in the process restores sanity and justice in an insane and unjust world.”
Cirilo F. Bautista
Importance of Studying Literature
Studying Literature is like looking at the mirror of life where man’s experiences, his innermost feelings and thoughts are reflected.
Importance of Literature (1)
- Through Literature, we learn the culture of people across time and space.
- Through Literature, we understand not only the past life a nation but also its present.
- We become familiar not only with the culture of neighboring countries but also with that of others living very far from us.
Importance of studying Literature: “Perhaps what makes literature a more delightful and enriching study than the rest that deal with the past is its potential of making readers identify with what they read through values learned.”
JF Floria
Importance of Literature (2)
❑To benefit from the insight of others
❑To open our minds to ambiguities of meaning
❑To explore other cultures and beliefs
❑To appreciate why individuals are the way they are
Importance of Literature (3)
❑To exercise our brain
❑To encourage us to question “accepted” knowledge
❑To appreciate the contributions literature has made to history
❑To see human tragedy
Importance of Literature (4)
❑To strengthen our mastery of the language
❑To recognize language devices and appreciate their emotional power
❑To see the admirable in everyday life
❑To know that we are not alone
Importance of Literature (5)
❑To refine our judgement
❑To learn to support our points of view and trust our own interpretations
❑To develop our empathy for those who are unlike us
❑To expand our vocabulary
Importance of Literature (6)
❑To improve our writing skills
❑To learn to use our language well
❑To improve our reading comprehension
What are the Literary Standards?
- Universality
- Artistry
- Intellectual value
- Subjectiveness
- Spiritual value
- Permanence
- Style
Literature appeals to everyone, regardless of culture, race, gender and time.
Universality
Literature has an aesthetic appeal and thus possesses a sense beauty.
Artistry
Literature stimulates critical thinking that enriches mental processes of abstraction, and reasoning.
Intellectual value
Literature unravels and conjures man’s emotional power to define symbolisms, nuances, implied meaning and images.
Subjectiveness
Literature elevates the spirit and the soul and thus has the power to motivate and inspire, drawn from suggested morals of different literary genres.
Spiritual value
Literature endures across time and draws out the time factor: timeliness and timelessness.
Permanence
Literature presents peculiar way/s on how man sees life as evidenced by the formation of his ideas, forms, structures and expressions which are marked by their memorable substance.
Style
What are the Literary Approaches?
- Formalistic approach
- Moral or Humanistic approach
- Historical approach
- Sociological approach
- Cultural approach
- Psychological approach
- Impressionistic approach
Literature is viewed intrinsically, independent of the author, age or any extrinsic factor. It focuses more on “literary elements”.
Formalistic approach
Literature is viewed to discuss man and its nature. It naturally presents man as essentially rational, endowed with intellect and freewill.
Moral or Humanistic Approach
Literature is seen both as a reflection and product of the times and circumstances in which it was written.
Historical approach
Literature is viewed as the expression of man within a given social situation which is reduced
Sociological approach
Literature is seen as one of the manifestation and vehicle of a nation’s/race’ culture and tradition.
Cultural approach
Literature is viewed as the expression of “personality” of “inner drives” or “neurosis”. It includes the psychology of the author, characters, and even the psychology of its creation.
Psychological approach
Literature is viewed to elucidate “reacting-response” which is considered as something very personal, relative and fruitful. It seeks to see how the piece has communicated.
Impressionistic approach
