A brief introduction to literature and literary works ...

1. English Literature
Prepared by: Mubariz Zirman

2. What’s literature?
• Literature is a product of someone’s
imagination, originality, thought, feelings,
emotions, idea etc.
• Literature is a reflection of the society, human
nature or reality.
• written or oral artistic works, especially those
with a high and lasting artistic value.

3. Importance of literature
• Literature improves your language
• It teaches you about the life, cultures and
experiences of people in other parts of the world.
• It entertains you and provides useful occupation in
your free time.
• It helps you compare your own experiences with the
experiences of other people.
• It makes you a wiser and more experienced person by
forcing you to judge, sympathize with, or criticize the
characters you read about.

4. Literature genres
Prose
– Fiction
– Non-fiction
Poetry
Dram

5. Prose
• the ordinary form of written language.

6. Fiction
• literature work about imaginary characters
and events like short story

7. Types of Fiction
• Historical fiction
• Realistic fiction
• Science fiction
• Fantasy
• Mystery
• Adventure
• folktales

8. Historical fiction
• A story that takes place in a historically
accurate time and setting. The characters and
some events are fictional.

9. Realistic fiction
• A story that seems real or could happen in real
life. It is set in present day and includes
modern day problems and events.

10. Science fiction
• A story that is typically set in the future or on
other planets. It is based on the impact of
actual, imagined, or potential science.

11. Fantasy
• A story that is imaginative, but could never
really happen. The setting may be of another
world. Characters might be magical.

12. Mystery
• A story that usually involves suspense and the
solving of a crime. Clues are typically given
throughout the story to solve the mystery at
the end of the book.

13. Adventure
• A story where a protagonist and other major
characters and are placed in dangerous
situations. The characters must use their wit
and skills to defeat the antagonist.

14. Folktales
• Fable
• Fairy Tale
• Legend
• Tall Tale
• Myth

15. Fable
• A brief story that is meant to tell a lesson or a
moral. The characters are usually animals with
human characteristics.

16. Fairy tale
• A story that has magical elements. The
characters are usually fairies, giants, elves, and
other magical creatures.

17. Legend
• A story usually about a national or folk hero.
This story takes place in a particular time and
place and is partly true and partly fiction. The
character traits of the hero are typically
exaggerated.

18. Tall tale
• A humorous story with extreme
exaggerations. The main character, or hero,
usually does impossible things with ease.

19. Myth
• A story that is often based on a historical
event that is meant to serve as an explanation
for some phenomenon of nature or human
behavior. Characters are usually gods.

20. Genres of fiction
• Short story
• Novel

21. Short story
• A brief artistic form of prose which is cantered
on a major main event with a few characters.

22. Elements of a story
• Plot
• Setting
• Characters
• Point of View
• Theme

23. plot
• Plot is what happens and how it happens in a narrative.
Stages of plot:
1. Exposition: The part of the plot that tells how the
story begins.
2. Raising action: The action in the story leading up to
the climax.
3. Climax: The point of crisis in the plot. It may be the
reader’s point of highest interest.
4. Falling action: the logical result of the climax
5. Resolution: the final outcome of the story.

25. Setting
• Time and place, where the action occurs and
state of mind at the time.
Setting is the place where character’s story
accurse.

26. Characters
• The people or animals in the story.

27. Types of character
• Protagonist: the main character
• Antagonist: a character in conflict with main character
• Round Characters: a character who needs attention to be
described
• Flat characters: a character readily described in a brief
summary
• Dynamic character: a character who change in the story
• Static character: a character who remains the same

28. Qualities of a good character
• Consistency : The personality should not change
unless there is a reason for it. (sometimes he
may be an inconsistent one as well)
• Plausibility: The lifelines of the character. The
reader should accept the character as a human
being. People from everyday life.
• Motivation: The cause for the character to act.
Necessary for the characters & also for the
readers.

29. Point of view
• The relationship of the narrator to the story.
1. Subjective/first person: a character in the
story
2. Objective/third person: as a witness of a
story

30. Theme
• A central message, concern, or insight into life
expressed through the story.
Types of theme:
1. Stated theme: clearly stated in the story
2. Implied theme: must inferred from the story

31. Novel
• A long artistic form of prose which covers both
main and sub events.

32. Non-fiction
• literature work about real characters and
events.

33. Characteristics of non-fiction
• The people, events, places and ideas
presented in nonfiction are real.
• Nonfiction is narrated by a real person.
• It presents facts, describes true experiences or
discuss ideas.
• Nonfiction is written for a specific audience or
group of readers.

34. Strategy for reading nonfiction
1. Recognize the author’s purpose, why the
write is writing.
2. Identify the author’s main points.
3. Identify support for the author’s points.
4. Recognize patterns of organization.
5. Vary your reading rate depending different
types of nonfiction materials and your
purpose.

35. Types of non-fiction
• Biography
• Autobiography
• Essay
• How-to
• Textbook
• Encyclopedia
• Magazine
• Research report
• Newspaper
• Memoir
• Atlas
• Brochure
• Editorial
• Advertisement

36. Purposes of non-fiction
• To entertain
• To inform
• To explain
• To persuade

37. Biography
• A history of someone’s life, or part of
someone’s life. This is a true story about a real
person.

38. Autobiography
• A biography written by a person about his/her
own life and history.

39. Essay
• A short composition, usually written from the
author’s point of view. Essays can be
persuasive, comparative, literary criticism,
political manifestos, arguments, observations,
recollections, or reflections.

40. How-to
• An instructional form of writing that
demonstrates how to do a task, activity,
procedure, etc.

41. Textbook
• A manual of instruction or standard book in
any branch of study. Textbooks are usually
written according to educational demands.

42. Encyclopedia
• A comprehensive written work that is used as
a reference. It contains articles on various
topics and branches of knowledge.

43. Magazine
• A periodical that contains articles, pictures,
advertisements, stories, etc. that is published
on a regular schedule.

44. Research report
• An informational, objective piece of writing
based on multiple accurate references.

45. Newspaper
• A publication containing news, information,
current events, and advertising. There are
feature articles on topics such as political
events, crime, business, art/entertainment,
society, and sports. Many newspapers also
include some editorial columns. Other
sections include advertising, comics, and
coupons.

46. Memoir
• A type of an autobiography. It is a writer’s own
account of one or two important events and is
told in the first person. It is descriptive and
highly personal.

47. Atlas
• A collection of maps of Earth, or parts of
Earth. The atlas presents geographic features,
political boundaries, and geopolitical, social,
religious, and economic statistics.

48. Brochure
• A pamphlet or leaflet advertisement.
Brochures may advertise locations, events,
hotels, products, services, etc. They are
usually brief in language and have an eye-
catching design.

49. Editorial
• An article that is usually in a newspaper or
magazine, or on television or the radio. This
article expresses the author’s personal
opinion and view on a particular topic.

50. Advertisement
• A public promotion of a product or service. It
is a form of communication used to help sell
these products or services. It usually describes
how the products or services can benefit the
customer.

51. Poetry
• Poetry is an imaginative awareness of
experience expressed through meaning,
sound, and rhythmic language choices so as to
evoke an emotional response.

52. Drama
• Drama is a story written to be performed by
actors. Although a drama is meant to be
performed, one can also read the script, or
written version, and imagine the action.

53. Types of drama
• Comedy or humor
• Farce
• Tragedy
• Horror
• Melodrama
• Fantasy
• musical

54. Comedy
A drama which makes the reader or audience
laugh either because of character or action.

55. Farce
• A drama in which characters become in
unlikely situations (something does not
happen in the way it should).

56. Tragedy
• A drama about death or suffering of the
character with sad end.

57. Horror
• A drama in which strange and frightening
things happen, for example dead people
coming to life and people being murdered.

58. Melodrama
• A drama in which characters show stronger
emotions than real people usually do (a
character become more angry or upset than is
really necessary).

59. Fantasy
• A drama based on imagination and something
unlikely to happen.

60. Musical
• A drama containing dance and music.

61. Active Reading Strategy
A strategy to mentally direct, perform and read a drama
1. Visualize: Picture the elements the playwright describes.
2. Listen: As you read, imagine how each character says his
or her lines. If possible read aloud.
3. Question: Note the question you have as your read.
4. Connect: Draw parallels between the play and your own
life.
5. Predict: Use direction and clues in the dialogue to guess
what is going to happen next.
6. Interpret: Think about character, assess why the
characters act as they do and what their action mean.
7. Respond: React to the Play. Consider your spontaneous
thoughts and feelings.

62. Thanks!