21st Century

Literature
in the
Philippines
and the World
 What is
LITERATURE?
What is LITERATURE?
• In its broadest sense, any written
work.

• Derived from the Latin word

literatura/litteratura which
means “writing formed with letters”
What is LITERATURE?
• Broadly speaking, “literature is used
to describe anything from

CREATIVE WRTING -> TECHNICAL OR

SCIENTIFIC WORKS
What is LITERATURE?
• Most commonly refers to works of th
e creative
imagination including
- poetry
- drama
- fiction
- nonfiction
- journalism,
 Why do we
read
LITERATURE?
Why do we read literature?
• represents the culture and tradition
of a language or a people
• for pleasure and service
• historical or cultural artifact
• new worlds of experience
• we learn about books and literature
Why do we read literature?
Works of literature, at their best,
provide a kind of blueprint of human
civilization.
From the writings of ancient
civilizations like Egypt, and China, to
Greek philosophy and poetry; from the
epics of Homer to the plays of
Shakespeare, from Jane Austen and
LITERARY
THEORIES
Mimetic/Imitative Theory
• Literature is a mimesis (i
mitation of
something) -> re-creati
on
• Painting, poetry, music,
dancing, and sculpture a
re all imitations. They ar
e different only in the m
edia.
• This world is not the real
Mimetic/Imitative Theory

• A tragedy is an imit
ation of an action th
at is serious and co
m-plete (Aristotle’s
Poetics)
Expressive Theory
• „Literature is an expressi
on of the
author’s feelings and e
motion
• „“Poetry is a spontaneou
s overflow of powerful f
eeling” (Wordsworth in
“Preface to the Lyrical B
allad”)
“If I don’t write to empty my mind, I go
mad.”
-Lord Byron
Affective/Pragmatic Theory
• L„iterature ought to arouse a particular emoti
on, or affect, in the
perceiver
• „Literature should induce [the reader] an emot
ional state that will lead to action
• „Literature is the 'product' of the economic an
d ideological determinants of a specific era.
• „Literature reflects an author's own class or an
Objective Theory
• L
„iterature is an autonomous object

• L
„iterature is self-contained entity

• L
„iterature is a self-surpassing entity

• L
„iterature should be isolated from othe