“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.