UNDERSTANDING THE FOUR LITERARY GENRES

PART 1

SHORT STORY & POETRY

Understanding Short Story• A fictional narrative in prose that can be

read in one sitting.• It is an imaginative re-creation and recon-

struction of life and presents human life in two levels.

• (1) The world of objective reality made up of human actions and experiences.

• (2) The world of subjective reality dealing with human apprehension and comprehen-sion.

SHORT STORY & NOVEL• Both are fictional narrative of make be-

lieved world where the literary charac-ters seem almost real and the situation are likewise similar to life conditions and surroundings.

• Short Story differ from each other only in length and complexity; the Novel is longer because of several complications and twists to itsplot.

In General.........• People fictionalize their common experi-

ences and actions in order to give signifi-cance and meaning to them.

• The Authors short stories seek to convey to their readers not only matters capable of verification but also the unseen but imagina-tively percieved world of human motives,response,desires,and energies.

ELEMENTS OF SHORT STORY

CHARACTER SETTING

PLOT CONFLICT

POV TONE/MOOD

SYMBOLISM IMAGES

THEME

CHARACTERS• The Representation of a human being; persons involved in a

conflict. 5 Ways of Revealing Literary Characters

(1) What the characters do along with the circumstances in which they do it.

(2) How the Characters are described?(3) What the Character say and think?

(4) What other characters say about them?(5) What the author says about them?

Types of Character• ROUND CHARACTER *Is a dynamic character who recog-nized changes in the circumstances. *Is a fully- developed character,with many traits- bad and good - shown in the history.

Types of Character• FLAT CHARACTER *Also known as the stock or the stareotype character who does not grow and develop. *A flat character is not fully developed and do not undergo changes.

Others1. Protagonist - hero/heroine2. Antagonist - a foil to the protagonist3. Deuterogamist - second in importance4. Fringe - one who is destroyed by his in-ner conflict.5. Typical or Minor Characters

SETTING-The locale and period in which the events occur. A story must take place in space and time and therefore must have some setting. but the impor-tance of setting varies greatly from story to story .Usually the setting is introduced at the be-ginning,However the details about time and place and scattered throughout the story.

FUNCTION OF SETTINGa. It can give immediacy to a story. If the seting is recog-nizably credible,the actions that takes place in it absorb some of this credibility,as they do in semi documentary film.b.The setting can lend atmosphere to a story and thus contribute to its emotional effect.c. The setting can either directly into the meaning of a story.

CONFLICT• The struggle of complication involving the

characters; the opposition of persons or forces upon which the actions depends in drama or fiction. (there is conflict ,if there is a struggle which grows out ofthe inter-play of opposing forces (ideas/interests)

Types of ConflictINTERNAL CONFLICT• occurs when the protagonist struggles

within himself or herself.• protagonist is pulled by two courses or

action differing emotions

Types of ConflictINTRAPERSONAL CONFLICT-pits protagonist against someone else-person against personEXTERNAL CONFLICT -person against society happens when the protagonist is in conflict with the val-ues of his/her society

CONFLICT• Person Vs Self• Person Vs Person• Person Vs Society• Person Vs Nature• Person Vs Supernatural• Person Vs Machine/Technology

PLOT• A causally related sequence of events;

what happens as a result of the main conflict is presented in structured for-mat;is the sequence of events which in-volves the character in conflict.

• The plot is the skeleton or blueprint of the story.

PLOT: NARRATIVE ORDER• Sequence of event is called Narrative Order.• Chronological-most common type of narrative order in

children's books.• Flashback-occurs when author narrates an event that

took place before the current time of the story. • Time lapse- occurs when the story skips a period of time

that seems unusual compared to the rest of the plot.

PYRAMIDAL STUCTURE OF PLOT

BEGINNINGMIDDLEENDING

EXPOSITION RESOLUTION

COM

PLIC

ATIO

N

CLIMAX

DENOUEM

ENT

PLOT• EXPOSITION - Introduces the time and place and setting

and the main characters.• COMPLICATION- unfolds the problem amd struggles that

would be encountered by the main characters leading to the crisis.

• CLIMAX- Highest moment of interest and greatest emo-tion. Also known as CRISIS OR POINT OF NO RETURN.

•

PLOTDENOUEMENT- untying of the entangled knots ,or the part that shows a conflict or prob-lem is solved,leading to its downward move-ment or end.• RESOLUTION-ending

KINDS OF PLOT

MAN INA

HOLE

MAN ON

ROAD

MAN IN ATUB

MAN IN A HOLE

This is the Oldest and most popular kind of plot,the action begins with a man or group of men getting trapped in some

kind of hole,goes on to show how they try to climb out and ends with them either

escaping to safety or sliding back to the buttom for good.

MAN ON ROAD

This kind of plot is found more often in a

novel than in a short story. A novel is expanded short story.It has

the same elements as in a short story .Many novels and some short

story achieve unity ,not through a sin-gle action,but through a single hero,

walking through various stages on the road of life. (EPISODIC).It tends to stretch out.

MAN IN A TUB

Landy,et.al. explain this kind of plot by giving a story of the Greek Mathematician,Archimedes,who was once asked to determine

whether a crown belonging to a ruler,was made of pure gol.For some weeks he puzzled about the problem but without

success.He knew that silver weigh less than gold ,but how could he measured any silver the crown may

contain without destroying the crown? Still buffled,he went one day to the bath,and as he stepped into a tub ,observed the overflow of water. It suddenly dawned on him that he

found the solution to his problem.So overjoyed that he forgot his towel and ran home through the street naked ,

shouting “Eureka” Man in a tub is straight forward,constructed,ussualy common place event, and then a flash

of realization ,can form skeleton of a plot.

PLOT DEVICESCHRONOLOGICAL ARRANGEMENT. It start from the beginning

of the events.

MEDIAS RES.This starts at the middle of the story

FLASHBACK.Past events are shown to justify the conflict at present and use to reveal an information to understand charac-

ter's nature FORESHADOWING.A device to give sign of something to

come;its purpose is to create suspense,to keep the readers guessing what will happen (when)

STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS.A continuous and random flow of ideas,feelings,sensations ,associations and perceptions as they

register on tje protagonist's consciousness.

POINT OF VIEW• the writers feeling and attitude toward his

subject;determines who tell the story: it identifies the narrator of the story.(also, the form of narration that affects the story itself.

Classification of P.O.VFIRST PERSON-the writer uses pronoun "I".

He/She could be a participant or a

character of his own work.

OMNISCIENT-the writer/

narrator or sees all : he can

see into the minds of

characters and even report's

anyone's inner-most

thoughtsTHIRD PERSON

-the writer is merely an

obsever and uses pronoun in third

person.

NAME CHARACTERISTICS PRONOUNS

FIRST PERSON Speaker part of the story ,can observe ,characters but reveals feelings and reaction only of self.

I,me,mime,we,us,our (s)

THIRD PERSON Story told only as one,Character can observe.

he,him,his,her (s), she:they them,theirs

LIMITED THIRD PERSON Narrator not part of the story,cannot read any characters mind.

he,him,his,her (s), she:they them,theirs

OMNISCIENT Narrator/author knows all and sees all.

he,him,his,her (s), she:they them,theirs

TONE/MOOD• The attitudes or mixture of attitude taken by

the writer toward his work: it can be ironic,friendly,informal,angry,humorous ,jeering,solemn,impersonal,nostalgic,or some com-bination of these.

SYMBOLISM• stand for something other than theme-

selves,they bring to mind not their own concrete qualities,but the idea or ob-structionthat is associated with them.

• For a symbol to carry this double meaning ,the affinity between the sym-boland the thing symbolized must be rec-ognizable.

SYMBOLISM• An object can achieve symbolic meaning in

many ways.For example,by tradition(wedding ring), by religion(the cross) or by natural re-semblance (a rose).

• A symbol then does double duty.It designates something real,something we can see or touch, and it also for something else that is real even if intangible.

SYMBOLISMWARNING ABOUT SYMBOLS.(1) Do not become a symbol hunter,looking for symbols where they are not or making fantastic interpretations of stories on the basis of supposed symbols,A good symbol is not a code to be deciphered.Rarely will it be so abstruse that the perceptive reader wil not feel its ef -fect even if he is not conscious of its presence or fails to give it a name.

• (2) remember that symbolnever changes the essential meaning of the story .Its usual func-tion is to support meaning that is already evi-dent,whatever force it has madeclear by the whole context of the stpry.

IMAGES

• Images are usually characterized by con-crete qualities rather than abstract meaning;these appeals to the sense of taste ,smell,feel,sound or sight.

THEME• The central or dominating idea in a lit-

erary work;it is the topic or subject of the selection,which is sometimes stated by a character or by writer himself,but oftentimes,it is merely implied or sug-gested.

Understanding Poetry• Poetry is generally considered to be the oldest of the

arts,Long before our forefathers,learned to write,they sangand recited lines of verse.

• Most closely related to music.It appeals to the senses and imagination.It is meant to be heared.

• Poet choose word for their sounds as well as for their meanings.They combine these words to create vivid pic-tures and to express deep feelings.

Some of the best definition of poetry

Gemino Abad contends that "a poem is meaningful orga-nization of words.“T.S. Eliot categorized poetry as "the fusion of 2 peoples of mind:emotion and thought.“Manuel Viray states that " poetry is union of thougjts and feelings"William Wordsworth says "Poetry is the spontaneous overflowof powerful feelings recorded on tranquility."Edagar Allan Poe thinks "it is rhythmic creation of beauty"

Some of the best definition of Po-etry

Percy B. Shelley states,"It is the record of the best and happiest moments of the happiest and best mind"Jamie G. Ong posits, "that poetry is the "essence" of the creative imagination of man"

ELEMENTS

ELE-MENTS

OFPOETRY

SENSE

SOUND

STRUCTURESPEAKER

SEN-SORY/

POETIC IMAGES

a. Diction-denotatibe/connotative meanings/symbol.b.Images and sense impressions-sight,sound,smell,taste,touch,motion,emotionc.figure of speech-simile,metaphor,hyperbole etc.

SENSE is revealed through the meaning of words; images and symbols.

SENSE

SOUND a.tone color -alliteration,assonance,consonance,rhyme,repition,anaphora.b.rhythm-order recurrent alteration of strong and week elements in the flow of the sound and silence.c.meter- stress duration,or numbwr of sylla-bles per line,fixed metrical pattern, or a verse form:quantitative,syllabic and accentual syl-labic.d.rhyme scheme-formal arrangement of rhymes in stanza

SOUND is the re-sult of a combina-tion elements.

STUCTURE a.word order-natural and unnatural ar-rangement of the word.b.ellipsis-omitting some words of econ-omy and effect.c.punctuation-abundance or lack of punctustion markd.shape -contextual and visual design:jumps,omission of spaces,capitalization and lower case.

STRUCTURE refers to(1)arrangement of words and lines to fit together and(2) the organization of the parts from the hole

SPEAKER• All poems have a speaker,the voice that talks

to the reader.In some poem,the speaker has a clear identity,using I and me.In other poems, the speaker remains in the background.

SENSORY/POETIC IMAGES• by using sensory or poetic images or words

and phrases that appeal to the five senses,a poet recreates an experience.The reader can then imagine just how things look,sound feel,smell,taste.

FIGURES OF SPEECH

Simile