INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE

WITH PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

TCHR. SHEMDARWIN S. MEDEZ
WHAT IS LITERATURE?
• “LITERA”= Latin word which literally means an
“ACQUAINTANCE WITH LETTERS”
WHAT IS LITERATURE
• Webster defines literature as anything that is
printed, as long as it is related to the ideas and
feelings of people, whether it is true, or just a
product of one’s imagination.
WHAT IS LITERATURE

•It is a body of work, either written, oral,

or visual, containing imaginative
language that realistically portrays
thought, emotions, and experiences of
the human condition.
WHAT IS LITERATURE

•Is a product of particular culture that

concretizes man’s array of values, emotions,
action and ideas. It is therefore a creation of
human experiences that tells about people
and their world.
WHAT IS LITERATURE

•“Literature raises life to a new level of

meaning and understanding, and in the
process restores sanity and justice in an
insane and unjust world.” – Cirilo F.
Bautista
LITERATURE IS LIFE
L-Lifelong Learning
I-intuitive Insight
T-Theatre of Life
E-Enriching Education
R-Radical Richness
A-Artistry of forms and language
T-Truth in the Telling
U-Undeniably pleasurable
R-Rapturous appreciation
E-Epiphany in Experience
Importance of Literature

•Studying literature is like looking at the

mirror of life where man’s experiences, his
innermost feelings and thoughts are
reflected
•Through literature, we learn the culture of
people across time and space.
Importance of Literature

•We understand not only the past life of a

nation but also its present.
•Moreover, we become familiar not only
with the culture of neighboring countries
but also with that of others living very far
from us.
Literary standards
• Universality
• Artistry
• Intellectual Value
• Permanence
• Style
• Spiritual Value
• Suggestivenss
UNIVERSALITY

•Great literature is timeless and timely.

•Forever relevant, it appeals to one and
all, anytime, anywhere, because it deals
with elemental feelings, fundamental
truths and universal conditions.
artistry
• This is the quality that appeals to our sense of
beauty.

Intellectual Value
- A literary works stimulates thought. It enriches our
mental life by making us realize fundamental truths
about life and human nature.
Permanence

•A great work of literature endures. It

can be read again and again as each
reading gives fresh delight and new
insights and opens a new world of
meaning and experience its appeal is
lasting.
Style

•This is the peculiar way in

which writers sees life,
forms his ideas and
expresses them.
Spiritual Value

•Literature elevates the spirit by

bringing out moral values which
makes a better persons. The
capacity to inspire is part of the
spiritual value of literature.
Suggestiveness

•This is associated with the emotional

power of literature. Great literature
moves us deeply and stris our feeling
and imagination, giving and evoking
visions above and beyond the plane of
ordinary life and experience.
Literary Approaches
Literary Approaches

•Formalistic or literary
Approach. The study of the
selection is more or less based
on the so-called “literary
elements”
Literary Approaches
• Moral or Humanistic Approach
• Literature is viewed to discuss man and its nature
• It presents man as essentially rational; that is,
endowed with intellect and free will; or that the
piece does not misinterpret the ture nature of man.
• The approach is close to the “morality” of
literature, to questions of ethical goodness or
badness.
Literary Approaches

•Historical Approach
•Literature is seen both as reflection and
product of the times and circumstances
in which it was written.
Literary Approaches
• Sociological Approach Literature
• Viewed as the expression of man within a given
social situation which is reduced to discussions
on economy which will underscore the conflict
between the two classes-the rich and the poor.
Literary Approaches
• Psychological Approach
• Literature is viewed as the expression of
“personality” of “inner drives” or “neurosis”. It
includes the psychology of the author, of the
characters, and even the psychology of creation.
• It has resulted in an almost exhausting and
exhaustive “psychological analysis” of characters,
of symbols and images, of recurrent themes, and
others.
Literary Approaches
• Impressionistic Approach
• Literature is viewed to elucidate “reacting-
response “ which is considered as something
very personal, relative and fruitful.
Unconditioned by explanations and often
taking the impact of the piece as a whole, it
seeks to see how the piece has communicated.
Why do we need to study
Philippine Literature?
Why do we need to study Philippine
Literature?
•To trace our rich heritage of ideas and
handed down to us from our forefathers
•For appreciation of our heritage
•To understand that we have noble
traditions which can serve as the means to
assimilate other cultures
Genres of Literature

•Poetry
•Short Story
•Novel
•Drama
•Essay