LITERARY FORM AND DEFINITIONS

21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World

Literary Forms
pertain to the structure or the way a piece was published. (short story, novel, poem, drama, or play)

Literary Genres
pertain to the category determined by the technique of the author in delivering his content (Comedy, Tragedy, Horror,
Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Mythology, Historical, Musical)

Alliteration
This is a very common figure of speech that involves using words that begin with the same sound.

Anaphora
This figure of speech uses a specific clause at the beginning of each sentence or
point to make a statement.

Assonance
This is a figure of speech that focuses on the vowel sounds in a phrase, repeating them over and over to create a great
effect.

Hyperbole
This figure of speech makes things seem much bigger than they really are by using grandiose depictions of everyday
things. ______ is often seen as an exaggeration that adds a bit of humor to a story.

Irony
This figure of speech tries to use a word in a literal sense that debunks what has just been said. It is often used to poke fun
at a situation that everyone else sees as a very serious matter.

Metaphor
The use of ________ compares two (2) things that are not alike and finds something about them to make them alike.

Simile
In this figure of speech, two (2) things are compared that are not really the same but are used to make a point about each
other.

Metonymy
In this figure of speech, a word that has a very similar meaning can be used for another.

Onomatopoeia
This is the use of a word that actually sounds like what it means.

Paradox
This figure of speech completely contradicts itself in the same sentence.

Personification
This is a way of giving an inanimate object the qualities of a living thing.

Pun
This play on words uses different senses of the word or different sounds that make up the word, to create something fun
and interesting.

Synecdoche
This is a figure of speech in which one thing is meant to represent the whole.

Understatement
This is a situation in which the thing discussed is made to seem much less important than it really is.

Fiction
is distinct from fact. Presumably, it is a product of imagination - invention - and it claims the freedom to dispense with
'what really happened' or where it really happened, or when it really happened, and nothing in it needs to be publicly
verifiable although much of it can be verified."

Non-Fiction
It is a writing based on facts, real events, and real people, such as biography or history

Elements of Fiction
1. Setting, 2. Character, 3. Plot, 4. Theme, 5. Narrator, 6. Style/Tone
Setting
it pertains to the time, place, and social context of a story.

Character
is a fictional person in a story, and the readers' first reactions to him are usually based on their subjective capacity to
empathize with the character's experiences.

Dynamic
is a person who changes over time, usually as a result of resolving a central conflict or facing a major crisis. Most _______
characters tend to be central rather than peripheral characters because resolving the conflict is the major role of central
characters.

Climax
It is the most intense, exciting, or important event in the story.
Falling Action
It is the part of a literary plot that occurs after the climax has been reached and the conflict has been resolved.

Theme
It refers to the central topic a text treats; it is the general idea or general observation about life and people. The _______
will lead the readers to the meaning of the story. Examples of ______ are love, friendship, war, crime and mystery,
revenge, etc.

Narrator
It is the voice that narrates the story. If the writer or author is the one who writes a story, the _______ tells it (figurative).
The _______ is the technique that writer's use to create a particular point of view from which they will tell the story,
present the actions, and shape the readers' responses.

First Person
the narrators report the event in the point of view of the "I" or he himself involved in the story. It differs from the
omniscient point of view for it creates greater degree of intimacy with the readers

Style
refers to the way the writers express themselves. It depends on diction (choice of words), syntax (grammar and sentence
structure), as well as voice and rhythm.

Tone
is the manner, mood, or pervading attitude that writers establish for characters, situations, and readers such as intimate
or distant, ironic or direct, hostile or sympathetic, formal or casual, humorous or serious, and emotional or objective.

Feminism
is a collection of movements and ideologies that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve equal
political, economic, cultural, personal, and social rights for women. This includes seeking to establish equal
opportunities for women in education and employment.
Formalism
refers to critical approaches that analyze, interpret, or evaluate the inherent features of a text.

Proverbs
are pithy sayings that contain advice or state a basic truth. They reflect folk wisdom as to how to act and live, hence, they
show the cultural values and the physical environment of the region where they originated.

Songs
Filipinos are music lovers. Music is a way for Filipinos to express their feelings and aspirations in life. Even the
most common people have their own music. Filipino folks clearly and lucidly express their experiences and
dreams through folk songs. Among the most popular traditional folk songs include "Bahay Kubo", "Paroparong
Bukid", "Magtanim ay 'Di Biro", and many others.
Bahay Kubo
Undoubtedly, the most popular traditional Filipino folk song.
The song tells of a small hut surrounded by a variety of vegetables. It was composed by Felipe de Leon.
Cenaculo/Senakulo

is a street spectacle/street play where penitents re-enact the carrying of the Cross and crucifixion of Christ.

is traditionally performed on a proscenium-type stage with painted cloth or paper backdrops that are called telon.

It takes at least eight (8) nights - from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday - to present the play. Christ is presented
traditionally as meek and masochistic, submitting lamblike to his fate in obedience to authority.
Pabasa/Pasyon
is a traditional Filipino ritual involving an uninterrupted chanting of the "Pasyong Mahal," an epic poem that covers the
life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Pabasa
Is evolved into a community activity that allows Catholic devotees to express their faith while reflecting on their sins
during Holy Week.