General Types of Literature

Types of literature

Prose which consists of those written akin to the common

flow of conversation in sentences and paragraphs
Poetry which refers to expressions in verse, following
certain forms of line and stanza, with measure and
rhyme, and melodious in tone.

Different kinds of prose

A The Novel - a long narrative divided into chapters

about events that may
be true or fictitious and spans a long period
of time.
Example: Noli Metangere by Dr. Jose
Rizal

The Short Story - this is also a narrative involving

one or more characters,
one plot, and one single impression.
Example: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

The Play - this is presented on a stage, is divided into

acts, and each act
has many related scenes.
Example: Romeo and Juliet by William
Shakespeare

The Legend - these are fictitious narratives usually

about the origin of
things, places, and peoples.
Example: LEGEND OF MOUNT MAYON By:
Anastacio C. Canciller.

The Fables - these are also fictitious and they are

stories with animals as
characters and conveying a lesson.
Example: The Wolf and the Lamb from
Aesop's Fables
 Anecdotes - these are products of the writer’s
imagination and the main
aim is to teach children a lesson.
Example: "Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
(a.k.a William Sydney Porter)

Essay - this expresses a viewpoint or opinion of a

writer about a given
topic.
Example: The Effect of Town Hall Meetings on
President Obama's Plan for Health Care Reform
(exampleessays.com)

Biography- this is a true to life story of a person

written by the person
himself (autobiography) or by another
person.
Example: Short bbiography of Jose Rizal
by Dr. Robert L. Yoder

News - this is a report of daily happenings in society

and published in the
newspapers or magazines.
Example:

Oration - this is a formal treatment of a topic

intended for oration in public
and written and delivered in a way that is
designed to persuade intellectually, and
emotionally.

3. Q: What are the different kinds of poetry? Give

example/s.

A: 1) Narrative Poetry. This form describes

important events in life
either real or imaginary.

a) Epic. This is an extended narrative of at

least 1,000 lines about heroic exploits
often under supernatural control.
 There are two kinds of epic poetry:
**popular or ancient such as the the
Ilocano Epic
**modern which has an author

b) Metrical Tale. This is also narrative but

shorter and written either as a ballad or
metrical romance.

c) Ballads. Of the narrative poetry, the

ballad is the shortest and simplest.

2) Lyric Poetry. Originally sang to

accompaniment of a musical instrument, this
form of poetry applies to any poem that is
short, simple, and easy to understand and
depicting the emotions of the poet.

a) Folk Songs. These are short poems

intended to be sung.

b) Sonnets. This is a lyric poem of 14 lines

dealing with an emotion, a feeling, or an
idea.

c) Elegy. This is a lyric poem which

expresses feelings of grief and melancholy
and whose theme is death.

d) Ode. This is a poem about a noble feeling,

expressed with dignity.

e) Psalms (Dalit). This is a song praising

God or the Virgin Mary and containing a
philosophy of life.

f) Awit (Song). These have measures of

twelve syllables (dodecasyllabic) and
slowly sung to the accompaniment of a
guitar or banduria.
 g) Corridos (Kuridos). These have
measures of eight syllables (octosyllabic)
and recited to a martial beat.

3) Dramatic Poetry. This kind of poetry

include the following forms:
a) Comedy. This form is usually light and
written for the purpose of amusing and
usually has a happy ending.

b) Melodrama. This is used in musical plays

with the opera.

c) Tragedy. This involves the hero

struggling mightily against great odds,
meets death or ruin without hope of
success and satisfaction.

d) Farce. This is an exaggerated comedy in

which situations are too ridiculous to be
true. The characters are caricatures and
are portrayed in an undignified and
absurd light.

e) Social Poems. This form is either purely

comic or tragic.