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PREFACE
Great Books is designed simply to introduce literature to students and foster
appreciation, if not love, for it. The chapters of this course feature selections from
authors whose masterful craft have endured the test of time and reserve the right to be
universally studied and shared. We are talking from the ancient Sophocles, Homer to
the classic Shakespeare, Frost, Wordsworth to the contemporary Keret, Tiempo.
Although their heydays come from different timelines, one thing is clear: their works
share a kind of universality worthy of timeless recognition and praise.

LITERATURE: OVERVIEW

TARGET COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

CLO1: demonstrate understanding of literature and of the different literary masterpieces around
the world;
CLO2: show proficiency in giving interpretations of literary texts;
CLO3: analyze the importance of literature in its relation to its socio-cultural context and to its
universal appeal;
CLO4: create new perspectives through reflections of the UNIVERSALITY OF LITERARY
TEXTS.
CLO5: Develop literary appreciation.

LESSON 1: What is Literature?

LESSON OUTCOMES. At the end of this lesson, students are expected to attain the following:
a. explain literature and two of its genres;
b. determine the importance of literature; and
c. reflect on the impact of literature in our lives.

What is literature?

Literature, etymologically from the Latin word “litera” which defines as a letter from
the alphabet, can be defined as anything written. Your Physics textbook, for example,
is something you can expect as straightforwardly clear, something that provides you
information. But you don’t really expect it to spark interest per se. Let’s face it, you
don’t read the Physics textbook for the sake of the joy of reading, but because you
want to learn about that specific science and that’s just about it.

There is a certain kind of literature that people read without anticipating a practical
payoff. So much so that it9s not because it9s something that9s simply good for them, like how
people play sports. Sure, say, badminton can help keep us healthy, but that9s not why people
play. People play badminton because it grants them a certain kind of pleasure. We attend
concerts not because there is a reward waiting for us but because the experience in itself is
rewarding. Perhaps what keeps us hooked in the readerly experience is because it allows us to
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appreciate brilliance and admire achievement, but most of all, separate us out of reality for a
while. Although most of us can swing a badminton racquet or maintain a melody, it hits different
when we go to a badminton tourney or watch a musical. Why? Because it lets us witness a
higher level of performance that evokes our admiration. Generally, literature is historically and
culturally specific, which is why there are different collective nomenclatures for literature
according to place and even time. A few examples of this are: African Literature, Greco-Roman
Literature, Southeast Asian Literature, and many more.

Importance of Literature

Here’s an article from The Odyssey (https://bit.ly/2VODpgj) that best explains the
importance of literature:

1. Expanding horizons. First and foremost, literature opens our eyes and makes us see more
than just what the front door shows. It helps us realize the wide world outside, surrounding us.
With this, we begin to learn, ask questions, and build our intuitions and instincts. We expand our
minds.

2. Building critical thinking skills. Many of us learn what critical thinking is in our language
arts classes. When we read, we learn to look between the lines. We are taught to find symbols,
make connections, find themes, learn about characters. Reading expands these skills, and we
begin to look at a sentence with a larger sense of detail and depth and realize the importance of
hidden meanings so that we may come to a conclusion.

3. A leap into the past. History and literature are entwined with each other. History is not just
about power struggles, wars, names, and dates. It is about people who are products of their
time, with their own lives. Today the world is nothing like it was in the 15th century; people have
changed largely. Without literature, we would not know about our past, our families, the people
who came before and
walked on the same ground as us.

4. Appreciation for other cultures and beliefs. Reading about history, anthropology, or
religious studies provides a method of learning about cultures and beliefs other than our own. It
allows you to understand and experience these other systems of living and other worlds. We get
a view of the inside looking out, a personal view and insight into the minds and reasoning of
someone else. We can learn, understand, and appreciate it.

5. Better writing skills. When you open a book, when your eyes read the words and you take
in its contents, do you ask yourself: How did this person imagine and write this? Well, many of
those authors, poets, or playwrights used literature to expand their writing.

6. Addressing humanity. All literature, whether it be poems, essays, novels, or short stories,
helps us address human nature and conditions which affect all people. These may be the need
for growth, doubts, and fears of success and failure, the need for friends and family, the
goodness of compassion and empathy, trust, or the realization of imperfection. We learn that
imperfection is not always bad and that normal can be boring. We learn that life must be lived to
the fullest. We need literature in order to connect with our own humanity.
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Different Genres of Literature

Fiction. This is a genre in literature that is typically based on imagination, but could also be
based on real-life events. Types of literature in the fiction genre include but not limited to the
following:

Short Story. Sometimes called Flash Fiction, it refers to works of fiction that are shorter and
less elaborate than a novel, typically read in one sitting. Examples of a short story are Fogtown
by Timothy Montes and Midsummer by Manuel Arguilla.

Novel. It refers to works of fiction that have considerable length and complexity. Novels are
published as books. Examples of a novel are The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and
Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Novella. It refers to works of fiction that are relatively longer than short stories but
shorter than novels. Examples of a novella are The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and
The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy.

Poetry. A type of literature that conveys a thought, describes a scene or tells a story in
a concentrated, lyrical arrangement of words.

Types of literature in the poetry genre include but not limited to the following:

Sonnet. A type of poem that is only one stanza and fourteen lines. Examples of sonnets
are Amoretti LXXV: One Day I Wrote Her Name by Edmund Spenser and Remember by
Christina Rossetti.

Ballad. A type of poem that tells stories most often based on a legend or a folk tale.
Examples of ballads are Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe and La Belle Dame Sans
Merci by John Keats.

Elegy. A type of poem that reflects upon death or loss. Examples of elegies are The
Lost Sister: An Elegy by Joyce Carol Oates and Elegy Written on a Country Church by
Thomas Gray.

Epic. A type of poem that is long and narrative and normally tells a story of a hero or an
adventure. Examples of epics are Beowulf and Biag ni Lam-ang.

Ode. A type of poem that addresses and often praises a certain person, thing, or event.
Examples of odes are Ode of Solitude by Alexander Pope and Ode to the West Wind by
Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Free Verse. A type of poem that has no regular meter nor rhyme scheme and usually
follows the natural rhythms of speech. Examples of free verses are Song of Myself by
Walt Whitman and This Is Just To Say by William Carlos Williams.