LITERARY GENRE:

PROSE
21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World
1st Semester, SY2022-2023
 DEFINITION
• derived from the Old French prose, which in turn originates in
the Latin expression prosa oratio (literally, straightforward or
direct speech).
• a form or technique of language that exhibits a natural flow of
speech and grammatical structure.
• lacks the more formal metrical structure of verse that can be
found in traditional poetry.
• comprises full grammatical sentences, which then constitute
paragraphs while overlooking aesthetic appeal
SUB-GENRE OF PROSE:
PROSE FICTION
• narrates a story that is a product of imagination
 PROSE FICTION
1. Short Story
• typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained
incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single
effect or mood
• In terms of length, word count is typically anywhere from 1,000 to 4,000
for short stories, however some have 15,000 words and are still classed
as short stories
 PROSE FICTION
2. Flash Fiction
• a fictional work of extreme brevity that still offers character and plot
development; usually with less than 1000 words
• Six-word story
• Twitterature- the 280-character (including punctuations/spaces) story
• Dribble – a 50-word story, also known as minisaga
• Drabble – a 100-word story, also called as microfiction
• Sudden fiction – a 750-word story
 PROSE FICTION
3. Novel
• often involves multiple major characters, sub-plots, conflicts, points of view, and
twists.
• Due to its considerable length, a novel is meant to be read over a period of days.
• The plot moves forward through many characters, actions, thoughts, time
periods, and situations.
• The reader often feels that the story deviates and is affected by the involvement
of different sub-stories and sub-plots, by the passage of time, or by the
involvement of new important characters– this is considered the real beauty of a
novel
• word count is 40, 000+
 PROSE FICTION
4. Novella
• longer than a novelette and is sometimes called a long short story or a short
novel.
• It can involve multiple sub-plots, twists, and characters. Its length constraints
mean you'll find fewer conflicts in a novella than you will in a novel
• more often focused on one character's personal and emotional development
rather than with large-scale issues.
• Word count is 17, 000 to 40, 000
5. Novelette
• any work of fiction with a word count between 7,500 and 17,000; longer than a
short story
 PROSE FICTION
6. Parables - stories taken from the bible. “The Story of Ruth” and “The
Prodigal Son” are best examples
7. Folktales - stories in the oral tradition, or tales that people tell each
other out loud, rather than stories in written form.
• Myths
• stories that recount and explain the origins of the world and the phenomena
of nature.
• The characters in these stories are mainly gods and goddess
 PROSE FICTION
7. Folktales
• Legends
• stories based on supposedly real individuals and their marvelous deeds.
• sometimes popularly regarded as historical but unauthenticated.
• Fable – story using animals or inanimate objects as its characters; Aesop is the
most famous writer
• Fairytales - may involve fairies, giants, dragons, elves, goblins, dwarves, and
other fanciful and fantastic forces. Although originally not written for children,
in the most recent century, many old fairy tales have been "Disneyfied" to be less
sinister and to appeal to kids
 PROSE FICTION
8. Chick lit
• consists of heroine-centered narratives that focus on the trials and
tribulations of their individual protagonists".
• The genre often addresses issues of modern womanhood – from
romantic relationships to female friendships to matters in the
workplace – in humorous and lighthearted ways
SUB-GENRE OF PROSE:
PROSE NONFICTION
• works of fact/theory or are based on reality
 PROSE FICTION
1. Autobiography - a self-written account of the life of oneself
2. Biography - a detailed description of a person's life written by
someone else
3. Diary - a record (originally in handwritten format) with discrete entries
arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a
day or other period
4. Journal – a record of events which may not be daily
5. History – study of the past or records of important events
6. Others: essays, letters, news, academic papers etc.
ELEMENTS OF PROSE
 ELEMENTS
1. Character - a person, or sometimes even an animal or inanimate object, who/which
takes part in the action of a short story or other literary work
a. Classifications
• Protagonist – the major character
• Antagonist – a minor character; the villain
b. Kinds
• Flat/Static – relatively uncomplicated and do not change throughout the story
• Round/Dynamic – complex and undergo changes/development
c. Characterization (how characters are described)
• Physical appearance
• Thoughts
• Emotions/feelings
• Actions
• Speech
 ELEMENTS
2. Settings - the time and place in which when and where the story happens
 

3. Plot - a series of events and character actions that relate to the central conflict.
a. Introduction/beginning – where the characters and settings are introduced
b. Rising Action - where the problem or conflict arises
c. Climax - the highest point of the story or its most exciting part
d. Falling Action – where the problem is almost solved
e. Denouement/resolution - where the problem is solved
• Some stories have no endings and writers sometimes resort to cliff-hangers (feature a
main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking
revelation at the end of a story).
 ELEMENTS
4. Conflict - a struggle between two people or things in a short story
a. Man vs. Man – the main character of the story faces a struggle on one or more of its
characters
b. Man vs. Nature- the main character faces a problem about his environment,
especially the different phenomena brought by nature
c. Man vs. Himself – the main character finds a problem to himself, himself. It may be his
personality, weakness or lack of self-confidence and/or esteem
d. Man vs. Society – the main character faces a struggle on the society where he lives,
discrimination for example
e. Man vs. Circumstance – the main character faces a problem with a life-changing
situation or circumstance
 ELEMENTS
5. Theme - the central idea or belief in a short story
a. implied – not stated in the story; readers need to infer/guess the
theme
b. explicit – the story tells/states the theme, the readers just need to
identify it
 ELEMENTS
6. Point of View – the perspective from which the story is told
a. First person – the readers see the events through the eyes of the character telling the
story.
b. Second person - the narrator is speaking to YOU. This isn’t very common in fiction,
unless the narrator is trying to talk to the reader personally. We see second-person point of
view mostly in poems, speeches, instructional writing, and persuasive articles.
c. Third person - the narrator is describing what’s seen, but as a spectator. If the narrator
is a character in the story, then we are reading what he or she observes as the story unfolds.
• Limited – the narrator sees only what’s in front of him/her, a spectator of events as they unfold and
unable to read any other character’s mind.
• Omniscient – an omniscient narrator sees all, much as an all knowing god of some kind. He or she
sees what each character is doing and can see into each character’s mind. This is common with an
external character, who is standing above, watching the action
• Limited Omniscient – the narrator can only see into one character’s mind. He/she might see other
events happening, but only knows the reasons of one character’s actions in the story.
 REFERENCES
• Abelos, Alex V. et.al (2007). Philippine Literature: Rediscovering our Regional Heritage.
Mutya Publishing House, Inc.
• Rexroth, Kenneth (2020). Literature. Lifted from https://www.britannica.com/art/literature
• The importance of literature in a 21st century world (2020). Lifted from
• https://www.costercontent.co.uk/blog/writers-corner-importance-literature#:~:text=Literature
%20reflects%20human%20nature%20and,how%20others%20think%20and%20feel
• The Meaning of Myths, Folklore, Legends, and Fairy Tales (2020). Lifted from
• https://www.thoughtco.com/defining-terms-myth-folklore-legend-735039
• Meer, Syed Hunbbel (2016). Differences Between a Short Story, Novelette, Novella, & a
Novel. Lifted from https://
owlcation.com/humanities/Difference-Between-A-Short-Story-Novelette-Novella-And-A-N
ovel