Review Quiz 1

A.
Generally, there are 2 major genres of literature in terms

of structure: Prose and Poetry. Let’s get to know more of
these.
1. Prose
Prose is generally divided into two sub-genres: Fiction and
Nonfiction. Fiction pertains to literary narratives that portray
imaginary people caught in imaginary situations. Prose
consists of writing that do not really follow nor observe any
particular formal structures, unlike poetry. Prosaic writing
simply says something without necessarily trying to say it in
a beautiful way or using beautiful words
(https://www.studymode.com/essays/Two-Major-Types-Of-
Literature-1947353.html).
Its etymology comes from the Latin word fictio that means
“to invent or make-up.”
Nonfiction on the other hand pertains to literary narratives
that relate or refer to actual facts and factual information.
Common examples under this are memoirs, biographies,
personal essays.
The Basic Types of Prose
1. Novel- a long narrative divided into chapters involving
many characters, having events taken from true-to-life
stories and spanning a long period of time
2. Short story- a short narrative involving one or more
characters with one plot, and one single impression
3. Play- a narrative presented on a stage, divided into acts
and each act has many scenes
4. Legend- a fictitious narrative usually about origins of
living and non-living things
5. Fable- fictitious narrative that has animal characters that
speak and act like humans, it also teaches a lesson
6. Anecdote- a brief entertaining narrative, chiefly personal
or biographical, that gives a lesson to the reader
7. Essay- may be formal or informal and expresses the
viewpoint or opinion of the author about a particular problem
or event
8. Oration- formal treatment of a subject intended to be
spoken in public, it may appeal to the intellect, will or
emotion of the audience
9. Biography- Story about the life of a person
Elements of Prose
1. Plot - sequence of events or actions in the story
2. Setting - the milieu or location and the time of the story
3. Character - are the persons about whom the story is told
4. Characterization - shows how a character behaves in a
certain situation.
5. Point of view- the narrator of the story or the standpoint
where the story is presented
6. Conflict - clash or contradiction which upsets the
emotions and moves the story
7. Theme - the underlying idea; truth about life in the story
2. Poetry/Non-Prose
A poem is a composition written in verse which usually

takes patterns of measurements such as stress, syllables,
rhyme and rely heavily on figurative language, imagery,
symbols, rhetorical devices etc. Its etymology comes from
the Greek word “poiesis” which means making or creating.
Types of Poetry
1. Narrative Poetry- tells a story
1.1. Epic- a long narrative poem divided into distinct parts
and episode bound together by a common relationship to a
great hero, action, and time
1.2. Metrical Romance - a long rambling love story in verse
during the middle ages
1.3. Ballad- a short narrative poem intended to be sung
2. Lyric Poetry - expresses personal thoughts and feelings of
its author
2.1. Ode- extended poem, usually complicated in meter and
stanza form, it expresses enthusiasm and lofty praise for a
person or thing
2.2. Elegy- Poem of lamentation, the author’s personal grief
for loss of a loved one or a loss affecting the public as a
whole
2.3. Song- a short lyric poem intended to be sung
2.4. Sonnet- distinguished by its form: 14 iambic pentameter
lines which produces single effect
2.5. Haiku- Japanese type of poetry now written in 3 lines
with 5 syllables on the first 7 on the second and 5 on the
last line
3. Dramatic Poetry- portrays life and character through
action in powerful emotion-packed lines such as those in
Shakespeare’s plays
3.1. Comedy - aims to amuse the audience and ends happily
3.2. Tragedy - the chief character undergoes a morally
significant struggle which ends disastrously
3.3. Farce - exaggerated comedy based broadly on humorous
situations
3.4. Melodrama - a play with sensational actions, a
sentimental love story, extravagant emotions, and mostly
happy endings
3.5. Dramatic Monologue- one character speaks throughout,
but the presence, actions and words of other characters are
implies.
B. In addition, literature can also be classified according to

its content: Fiction and Non-Fiction
1.Fiction
Fiction may either be prose (paragraph/narrative form) or
non-prose (poetry). Simply, this literature is made-up or not
based entirely on real persons or events. Most of the
mentioned genres/sub-genres of literature above are
examples of fiction.
2. Non-Fiction
Non-fiction, in contrast to the former, is a type of literature
that is based on real events and people. This doesn't mean,
however, that non-fiction are not creatively written. They
are, too, but without the embellishment or exaggeration
commonly found in fiction; hence, non-fiction are creatively
written literature about real persons and events. Common
examples of non-fiction are the following:
2.1. Biography
2.2. Autobiography
2.3. Essay
2.4. Journal
Sometimes, the line separating fiction from non-fiction is a

bit hard to identify as some non-fiction may have been
subjectively written or some made-up parts are added in a
real even. You might be familiar with the movie Titanic --
the events such as the creation of the ship, its maiden
voyage, and the shipwreck all happened in reality; however,
the love story between Jack and Rose were added to give a
twist or another angle other than that of the sinking of the
ship. Over time, this has somehow made way to another
sub-genre of literature -- historical fiction.
Finally, as students of literature, it is quite important for you

to know and distinguish the difference between these
genres. The reason goes beyond merely knowing them .
Identifying the genre of a particular reading actually helps
you in preparing to read it and setting your expectations of
it. Knowing that what you are about to read, for example, is
a short story helps makes you expect that a problem will be
presented just a little bit after the characters have been
introduced to you, and that the resolution to just problem
will be given towards the end. Whereas, if you are reading
an essay, chances are, you will be able to find the main
point of the writer at the very first paragraph.
5. Requires different reading skills
6. Arouse autience attention

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A.

Generally, there are 2 major genres of literature in terms

A poem is a composition written in verse which usually

B. In addition, literature can also be classified according to

Sometimes, the line separating fiction from non-fiction is a

Finally, as students of literature, it is quite important for you

6. Arouse autience attention

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