“ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE AND THE COMBINED ARTS”
At present, not all written works can be considered literature. To understand a good
literary work, we should know first the important elements of literature. It is undeniable that the
medium of literature is language, and language is composed of words that are combined into
sentences to express ideas, emotions or desires.
In other words, a writer should bear these objectives in mind:
1. To strive in raising the level of the reader’s humanity and
2. To accomplish the purpose of making one a better person, giving him a high sense of value.
The important elements of literature are:
1. Emotional appeal
2. Intellectual appeal
3. Humanistic appeal
* Emotional appeal- is attained when the reader is emotionally moved or touched by any literary
work.
* Intellectual appeal- add knowledge or information
- It appeals to the mind
Classification of Literature:
Escape literature
- is written for entertainment purposes
- Takes us away from the real world and enables us to temporarily forget
our troubles.
Interpretative literature
-is written to broaden and sharpen our awareness of life.
-has for its object pleasure plus understanding
Uses of Literature:
1. Moralizing literature – here, the purpose of literature is to present moral values for the
reader to understand and appreciate.
2. Propaganda literature – this kind of literature is found not only in history books and
advertising and marketing books but also in some describing books one’s personal
success and achievement in life.
3. Psychological continuum of the individual- therapeutic value – it could be looked on as
a sophisticated modern elaboration of the idea of catharsis.
Elements of Poetry:
1. Denotation/ Connotation
Denotation- is the actual meaning of a word derived from the dictionary.
Connotation- is the related or allied meanings of a word.
2. Imagery – this may be defined as the representation of sense experience through language.
Images are formed as we see, hear, taste, smell and touch.
3. Figurative language
Simile – the comparison is expressed by the use of some words or phrases, such as, as,
than, similar to, reassemble or seem.
Metaphor – the comparison is implied, that is, the figurative term is substituted for or
identified with literal terms.
4. Rhythm and Meter
Rhythm – is a part of our lives as there is rhythm in the way we walk, talk, and swim and
other similar activities.
Meter- in the language is the accents that are so arrange as to occur at apparently equal
intervals of time.
5. Meaning and Idea – the meaning of a poem is the experience it expresses.
Total meaning – is the idea in a poem which is only a part of the total experience it
communicates.
Prose meaning – does not necessarily have to be an idea itself. It may be a story,
description, a statement of emotion, a presentation of human character or a combination
of these.
Elements of a Short Story:
1. Plot – it is the sequence of incidents or events of which a story is composed.
2. Character – reading for character is more difficult than reading for a plot, for character is
much more complex, varied and ambiguous.
3. Theme – it is the controlling idea or the central insight in a literary work.
4. Symbol and Irony
Symbol - a literary symbol is something that means more than what it is.
Irony – is a term with a range of meanings, all of them involving some sort of
discrepancy or incongruity.
3 Kinds of Irony
1. Verbal Irony – is a figure of speech in which the opposite is said from what is
intended.
2. Dramatic Irony – is the contrast between what a character says and what the reader
knows to be true.
3. Irony of situation – is the discrepancy between appearance and reality, between
expectation and fulfillment or between what is said and what would seem appropriate.
5. Language and Style
Language – refers to the idiom and how it is used.
Style – is a term which may refer to the precise use of language, both literary and
figuratively.
GOLDENSTATE COLLEGE
Pioneer Avenue, General Santos City, Philippines
Written Report
In
Hum.3 (Art Appreciation III)
(Elements of Literature and the Combined Arts and the Drama)
Submitted To: Miss Honeyvie Menendez
Submitted By: Peñafiel, Ana Mae L.
Villapando, Leo M.
Ogatis, Charmlou M.
Gabisan, Reslyn C.
Alaban, Jestoni C.
Braquis, John Paula M.