What is literature?

1. Content
• What is Literature
• What Is Literature For?
• Types of Literature
– Fiction
– Non-Fiction
– Poetry
• Rhyme scheme, Meter and Alliteration
– Prose
– Drama
– Media

2. What is Literature?
Literature is a term used to describe written and
sometimes spoken material. Derived from the Latin
word literature meaning "writing formed with
letters," literature most commonly refers to works of
the creative imagination, including poetry, drama,
fiction, nonfiction, and in some instances, journalism
and song.

3. What Is Literature For?
• The more writers we read, the better grows
our understanding of our own minds.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_conti
nue=203&v=4RCFLobfqcw

5. Poetry, Prose, Drama, Non-Fiction, and Media:
Other Types of Literature
Poetry
A lot of people think of rhymes and counting syllables and lines when they think of
poetry, and some poems certainly follow strict forms. But other types of poetry are so
free-form that they lack any rhymes or common patterns.
Poetry as experienced in the classroom is usually one of three types. There are the
shorter, more modern poems, spanning anything from a few lines to a few pages. Often
these are collected in books of poems by a single author or by a variety of writers. Edgar
Allen Poe’s “The Raven,” is one of the most commonly taught poems of this type. Then
there are the classical, formulaic poems of Shakespeare’s time, such as the blank verse
and the sonnet. And finally there are the ancient, epic poems transcribed from oral
stories. These long, complex poems resemble novels, such as Homer’s The Iliad and The
Odyssey.
Three other elements of poetry are rhyme scheme, meter (ie. regular rhythm) and
word sounds (like alliteration).

7. • Meter is a unit of rhythm in poetry, the
pattern of the beats. It is also called a foot.
Each foot has a certain number of syllables in
it, usually two or three syllables. The
difference in types of meteris which syllables
are accented and which are not.

8. Alliteration: Definition, Kinds & Examples
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htfFYooUffs
Alliteration in songs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p6BIWyBk60

9. TONGUE TWISTER – SHE SELLS SEA-SHELLS
She sells sea-shells on the sea-shore.
The shells she sells are sea-shells, I’m sure.
For if she sells sea-shells on the sea-shore
Then I’m sure she sells sea-shore shells.
http://www.espressoenglish.net/pronunciation-practice-with-tongue-twisters/

10. Poetry: Sonnets
The poems of William Shakespeare provide excellent types of poetry examples for
sonnets.
Sonnet 116 by Shakespeare
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments.
Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not
Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

11. Classwork – Oral Activity:
Create your own Tongue Twister.
Example:
• (T) He takes took taken me to dance Taki Taki…
• Pick a consonant.
• Write down as many words as you can think of that start with that letter.
The more alike they sound, the better.
• Make up a sentence that uses as many of your words as possible.

12. Prose
Prose can be defined as any kind of written text that isn’t poetry (which means
drama, discussed below, is technically a type of prose). The most typical varieties
of prose are novels and short stories, while other types include letters, diaries,
journals, and non-fiction
Examples of Prose in Literature
• As You Like It (By William Shakespeare)
• Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech (By Mother Teresa)
• David Copperfield (By Charles Dickens)
She wasn’t doing a thing that I could see, except standing there leaning on the
balcony railing, holding the universe together.
— JD Salinger, "A Girl I Knew" (short story)
I think... if it is true that there are as many minds as there are heads, then there
are as many kinds of love as there are hearts.— Leo Tolstoy, "Anna Karenina"

13. Drama
Any text meant to be performed rather than read can be considered
drama (unless it’s a poem meant to be performed, of course). In
layman’s terms, dramas are usually called plays.
When written down the bulk of a drama is dialogue, with periodic stage
directions such as “he looks away angrily.”
Since dramas are meant to be acted out in front of an audience, it’s hard
to fully appreciate them when looking only at pages of text. Students
respond best to dramas, and grasp their mechanics more fully, when
exposed to film or theater versions or encouraged to read aloud or act
out scenes during class.
Shakespeare’s plays are challenging, but rewarding when approached
with a little effort and a critical mindset. Popular choices from his
repertoire include Hamlet, Taming of the Shrew, and Romeo and Juliet,
among others.

14. Non-Fiction
Poetry and drama both belong to the broader category of fiction—
texts that feature events and characters that have been made up.
Then there is non-fiction, a vast category that is a type of prose and
includes many different sub-genres. Non-fiction can be creative,
such as the personal essay, or factual, such as the scientific paper.
Sometimes the purpose of non-fiction is to tell a story (hence the
autobiography), but most of the time the purpose is to pass on
information and educate the reader about certain facts, ideas,
and/or issues.
• Some genres of non-fiction include histories, textbooks, travel
books, newspapers, self-help books, and literary criticism.
• Non-fiction is often used to support and expand students’
understanding of fiction texts—after reading Hamlet students
might read critical articles (critique papers) about the play and
historical information about the time period and/or the life of
Shakespeare.

15. Media
The newest type of literature that has been defined as a distinct genre is
media. This categorization was created to encompass the many new and
important kinds of texts in our society today, such as movies and films,
websites, commercials, billboards, and radio programs. Any work that
doesn’t exist primarily as a written text can probably be considered
media, particularly if it relies on recently developed technologies.
Media literature can serve a wide variety of purposes—among other
things it can educate, entertain, advertise, and/or persuade.
More and more educators are coming to recognize the importance
of teaching media in the classroom. Students are likely to be exposed to
far more of this type of literature than anything else throughout their
lives, so it makes sense to teach them how to be critical and active
consumers of media.
Teaching media literacy is also a great way for educators to help students
become participants in their own culture, through lessons on creating
their own websites or home movies or commercials.

16. More Types of Literature
These are far from the only important genres of literature. Here are a few more that
are sometimes used in classrooms:
Oral Literature: The oldest type of literature, and the foundation on which culture was
built. Now most oral texts have been written down, of course, and are usually taught
in the form of epic poems or plays or folk tales.
Folklore/Folk Tales/Fables: A distinction is often made between regular prose and
folklore. Most folk tales were originally oral literature, and are short stories meant to
pass on a particular lesson or moral. They often have a timeless quality, dealing with
common human concerns that are just as relevant to us today, while still being
products of a very specific culture and time period.
Graphic Novels and Comic Books: It used to be that most educators saw comic books
as the lowest form of literature, not suitable or valuable for children. But times have
changed, and many teachers have come to realize that comic books and the more
modern graphic novels are both appealing to kids and are a valid form of literature in
their own right.

17. Find more information here:
https://www.brighthubeducation.com/homewo
rk-help-literature/100292-the-five-main-genres-
of-literature/

18. Written assignments
Write a reflective essay (#1)
Topic:
The importance of literature in teaching and learning
English
Find the instructions in the Word document:
ESSAY WRITING - Literature 1.docx
What is a Reflective Essay?
A reflective essay is a type of essay that requires you to analyze your own ideas,
experiences, and insights and then put them together in writing. Essentially, writing
reflective essays is all based on reflection and self-reflection: human’s capacity to
exercise introspection and willingness to explore one’s inner thoughts and/or
experiences.

19. Write a reflective essay (#2)
Read carefully the short story:
"The Lottery" By Shirley Jackson
Write a reflective essay on the short story "The
Lottery" By Shirley Jackson
Find this short story here:
https://sites.middlebury.edu/individualandthesoci
ety/files/2010/09/jackson_lottery.pdf

20. Write your own short story(#3)
A short story is A short story is a piece of
prose fiction that typically can be read in one
sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident
or series of linked incidents.
Use these tips to write your short story:
Writing Your Own Short Story
http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/exam
ples/cihock10/narrative.pdf