MODULE 7

ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE AND THE COMBINED ARTS

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this module, students should be able:

1. Distinguish between formal and informal essay.

2. Explain the elements of literature and the combined arts.
3. Express the ideas of personal emotion in interpreting a literature or arts.
4. Discuss the different kinds of emotion.
5. Interpret the classification of literature.
6. Enumerate the elements of poetry.
7. Discuss the important elements of the literature, short story, essay, novel, and drama.
8. Describe the elements of drama

Introduction:

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. Writers, therefore,
should be careful in their choice of words and expressions of their
emotions and ideas in order to carefully organize sentences that would
manifest a high sense of value.

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

Pre-Competency Checklist: (Formative/Diagnostic Assessment)

Answer the following question for at least 3-5 sentences as you respond in every query.

1. What are the important uses of literature?

2. What are the elements of poetry?

Learning Resource:

1. Discussion of PowerPoint Presentation through Google classroom

2. Sanchez, Custodiosa, Loreto V. Jao and Paz Abad. INTRODUCTION TO THE HUMANITIES.
3. Ballo, Guido. THE CRITICAL EYE. A New Approach to Art Appreciation.
4. Calsado, Tony. ARCHITECTURE.
5. Horst, Louise. MODERN DANCE FORMS.
6. Dudley, L. and Austin, Faricy. THE HUMANITIES.
7. Ortis, Ma. Aurora R. Teresita Erestain, A. Guillermo, and M. Montano. ART: PERCEPTION AND
APPRECIATION.
8. https://www.slideshare.net/janril/art-appreciation-creativity-imagination-and-expression
9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJZVuu-L2wk
10. https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Art/A_World_Perspective_of_Art_Appreciation_(Gustlin_an
d_Gustlin)/01%3A_A_World_Perspective_of_Art_Appreciation/1.01%3A_What_Is_Art_Appreciation
#:~:text=Art%20appreciation%20centers%20on%20the,and%20a%20sense%20of%20beauty.
11. https://www.educationworld.in/the-importance-of-art-appreciation/

Explore: (Task/Activity)
The important elements of literature are:

1. Emotional appeal
2. Intellectual appeal
3. Humanistic value

Emotional appeal is attained when the reader is emotionally moved or touched by any literary
work like:
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
I My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

Elizabeth B. Browning
How Do I Love Thee?

Rizal's two revolutionary novels, the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, are good illustrations of
literature of intellectual appeal. Both add knowledge or information and remind the reader of what he has
forgotten. Specifically, in one of his philosophical ideas on consecration to a great idea," he said:

Don't you realize that it is a useless life which is not consecrated to a great idea? It is a stone wasted in the
fields without becoming part of any edifice. (Simoun to Basilio)

Humanistic value can be attained when a literary work makes the reader an I’m Coved person with a
better outlook in life and with a clear understanding of his/her inner self. To illustrate. here is a stanza from
Amado V. Hernandez's poem entitled Foreigner, which was translated by Cirilo F Bautista into English

Finds faults tooth things that are native - customs and living food and dress – were it not for his brown
skin you'd think he toas foreign and born somewhere else.

Guy de Maupassant's The Necklace is a very good example of a literary work which has a
humanistic value It shows that a woman's vanity changes the normality of life, but at the same time, the
change is to the advantage of the individual for it leads to self-understanding and a clearer outlook in life,

What would have happened if she had never lost those petals? Who knows? Who knows? How strange
life is, how fickle! How little is needed to run or to see!

The above-mentioned important elements of literature are embodied in the Holy Bible, as the Gospel
of St. John 3:16 states;

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Classification of Literature

Perrine stated that literature can be classified as escape and

interpretative literature. Escape literature is written for entertainment
purposes, that is to help us pass the time in an agreeable manner.
Interpretative literature is written to broaden and sharpen our
awareness of life. Escape literature takes us away from the real world
and enables us to temporarily forget our troubles.
Interpretative literature takes us through imagination, deeper into the
real world and enables us to understand our troubles Escape literature
has for its object only pleasure. Interpretative literature 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 the moral may be directly or indirectly stated.
 The Monkey's Point of View

Three monkeys sat on a coconut tree

Discussing things as they said to be
Said one to the others, now listen, you two,
There's a certain rumor that can't be true
That man descended from our noble race
The very idea! It's dire disgrace!
No monkey ever deserted his wife,
Starved his children and ruined their lives.
And you've never known a mother monk
To leave her baby with others to bunk
Or pass them on from one to another
Till they hardly know who is their mother
And another thing, you will never see
A monk builds a fence round a coconut tree
And let the coconut go to waste
Forbidding all the monk to taste.
Starvation would force you to steal from me.
Besides what monk would smoke a pipe
and burn the trees, pollute his air and kill himself?
Here's another thing a monk won't do
Go out at night and get a stew
Or use his gun or club or knife
To take some other monkey's life
Yes! Man descended, the ornery cuss,
But brother, he didn't descend from us!

- Anonymous

This literary work can either be for entertainment or for the purpose of mor analyzing. The
poem may make the reader understand, appreciate, and make him/her a better person.

2. Propaganda literature. This kind of literature is found not only in history books and advertising and
marketing books but also in some books describing one's personal success and achievements in life.

3. Psychological continuum of the individual-therapeutic value. It could be looked on as a

sophisticated modern collaboration of the idea of catharsis - an emotional relief experienced by the
reader thereby helping him recover from a previous pent-up emotion

The following are examples of therapeutic poems.

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will

When the road, you're trudging seems all uphill
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must but don't you quit

Life is queer with its twists and turns

As every one of us sometimes learns
And many a person turns about
When they might have won had they stuck it out
Don't give up though the pace seems slow.
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the struggler has given up

When he might have captured the victor's cup
And he learned too late when the night came down
How close he was to the golden crown.
 Success is failure turned inside out...
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems afar,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit...
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.

- Anonymous

Elements of Poetry

Poetry is as universal as language and almost as ancient. The

most primitive peoples have used it, and the most civilized have cultivated
it. Among the types of literature, poetry writing is the most challenging for
the following reasons: first, the choice of proper words or grammar,
second, the denotative and symbolic meaning of the chosen grammar and
third, the limitation imposed by the structure and rhythm of sounds. It is
the last reason, however, that makes a poem beautiful and appreciated
by the reader.

1. Denotation/Connotation. Denotation is the actual meaning of a word derived from the dictionary.
The word "home" for instance, by denotation means a place where one lives. Connotation is the
related or allied meanings of a word. The same word "home" suggests warmth, comfort, security,
love, and other meanings that are associated with its denotative meaning.

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, or we may say that an "image" is the mental
duplication of a sense impression. The most common imagery is visual, as we are made to see what
the author is talking about G. Burce Bunao's "Change" is filled with the poet's own personal imagery.

3. Figurative Language. The most commonly used and the most important of the figurative
language are the simile and the metaphor Both simile and metaphor are used as a means of
comparing things that are essentially unlike. The only distinction between them is that in a simile,
the comparison is expressed by the use of some words or phrases, such as like, as, then, similar to,
resemble or seem; in a metaphor, the comparison is implied, that is, the figurative term is substituted
for or identified with a literal term.

4. Rhythm and Meter. Our appreciation of rhythm and meter is rooted even deeper in us than our
love for musical repetition. It is related to the beats of our hearts and the intake and outflow of air from
our lungs. Rhythm is a part of our lives as there is rhythm in the way we walk, the way we talk, the way
we swim and other similar activities. Meter, in language, is the accents that are so arranged as to
occur at apparently equal intervals of time Metrical language is called verse.

5. Meaning and Idea. The meaning of a poem is the experience it expresses. Here, we can distinguish
between the total meaning" of a poem and its "prose meaning" The total meaning is the idea in a
poem which is only a part of the total experience it communicates. The value and worth of the poem
are determined by the value of the total experience, not by the truth or the nobility of the idea itself.
Prose meaning does not necessarily have to be an idea itself. It may be a story, a description, a
statement of emotion, a presentation of human character or a combination of these.

Elements of the Short Story

 As mentioned earlier, literature can be classified as escape
and interpretative literature. A story becomes interpretative as it
illuminates some aspects of human life or behavior. An interpretative
story presents us with an insight - large or small - into the nature and
condition of our existence. It gives us a keener awareness of what it
is to be a human being in a universe that is sometimes friendly,
sometimes hostile. It helps us understand our neighbors and ourselves.
A story has certain elements:

1. Plot. It is the sequence of incidents or events of which a story is composed. It might consist merely
of a sequence of related actions. The Life of Cardo by Amador T. Daguio is an example of a short
story with related incidents or events. Plot in a short story means arrangement of action. The action
refers to an imagined event or happening or to a series of such events.
2. Character. Reading for character is more difficult than reading for a plot, for character is much more
complex, varied, and ambiguous. Most short stories are focused on or evolves in just one-character.
3. Theme. It is the controlling idea or the central insight in a literary work. It is the unifying generalization
about life stated or implied by the story.

In many stories, the theme may be the equivalent to the revelation of human character. In
stating the theme in a sentence, we must pick the central insight, the one that explains the greatest
number of elements in the story and relates them to each other. The theme gives a story its unity.

The equivalent of the theme in literature and combined arts is the subject in painting,
sculpture, and music.
Story writers perform a service to us they interpret life for us, they either give us new insights
or refresh and strengthen old ones.

4. Symbol and Irony. A literary symbol is something that means more than what it is. It is an object,
a person, a situation, an action or some other item that has a literal meaning in the story but
suggests or represents other meanings as well.

Irony: is a term with a range of meaning, all of them involving some sort of discrepancy or
incongruity. It is a contrast in which one term of the contrast in some way mocks the other term.
According to Perrine, there are three kinds of

a. Verbal irony is a figure of speech in which the opposite is said from what is intended. The
discrepancy is between what is said and what is meant.
b. Dramatic irony is the contrast between what a character says and what the reader knows
to be true
c. 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 used and how it is used. Style on the other hand,
is a term which may refer to the precise use of language, both literary and figuratively; it may refer to
the total working out of the short story, taking all the other elements (character, plot, theme, setting)
into consideration (Edilberto Dagot et al, 1974)

Carmen Arcilla stated that symbolism has truly found its place in the Filipino short story
in English. This was revealed in her study on the "Symbolism in the First Prize Winning Short
Stories of the Philippines Free Press from 19561965 An example is her study of the short story of
Wilfredo Nolledo's "The Last Caucus," with JC and Bruno as principal characters. The two names are
symbolic, for JC is actually the initial of Juan Cruz, who was betrayed by his friend Bruno the betrayal
of JC by Bruno can be compared to Brutus' betrayal of Julius Caesar, two characters in a
Shakespearean drama.

Elements of the Essay

 An essay is simply defined as a literary composition on a particular
subject. It is usually short and it expresses the author's personal thoughts,
feelings, experiences, or observations on a phase of life that has interested him
(Irene Mabel Rich, 1965). Biography, history, travel, art, nature, personal life,
and criticism are among the innumerable subjects in the field of choice of an
essayist. Essay writers are usually people who have plenty of time for
reflection.

The essay can be roughly grouped as formal and informal. It is considered informal when the essay is
light, humorous, and entertaining, and formal when the essay is heavy, informative, and intellectually
stimulating.

When reading an essay, the following elements should be considered:

1. The issue introduced. This reflects the actual purpose of the writer
2. The writer's viewpoint and thought. The final stand of the author, whether is for or against the issue
he has discussed.
3. The relevance of the issue to the life of the reader. This refers to the reader's perception,
responsiveness, and enjoyment of the theme.

Love is man's very pulse. Filipinos, therefore, consider love no less significant. They value love, as
much as life, which is precisely why they have this peculiar sense of humor, this sense of balance. Like life,
they do not take love too seriously. They prefer to come out of it alive and admirable! Why? They have that
sense of humor which Bishop Fulton Sheen describes as "seeing things through If a beloved die, then
there's another chance at love. Or if one gets jilted, this heart pain is only a prelude to a forthcoming
happiness in love.

The paragraph above is taken from Visitation de la Torre's essay entitled The Filipino as Lover, This
is a very good example of an informal essay, for the issue is treated lightly and humorously, and the style is
entertaining The purpose of the author here is to give us a clear picture of Filipinos as lovers, they are serious
in love but when frustrated, they are brave enough to take the pains lightheartedly. Such attitude is based on
its desire to harmonize with nature through equilibrium-maintenance (pagkaka-pantay, di-pagkatalo) according
to Fr. Leonardo Mercado

Elements of the Novel

The novel is particularly applicable to a long work of prose fiction

dealing with characters, situations, and scenes that represent those of real
life and setting and action in the form of a plot. The purpose of fiction,
whether long (the novel) or short (the short story), is to recount a narrative
which gives us moral lessons and brings us pleasure (Van De Bogart, 1973)

Novels, like the other genres, have important elements such as

setting, plot, characters, theme, and at times a moral lesson.

The setting of a novel covers the time, the place, and the background. It involves characters, theme,
and at times a moral lesson not only geography but also the entire climate of beliefs, habits, and values of a
particular region and historical period (Van De Bogart, 1973). Sometimes, it emphasizes a certain locality like
Chinatown in Sta. Cruz, Manila in Edgardo Reyes' Sa Mga Kuko Ng Liwanag. It is essential that the setting is
in keeping with the story that is told.

The plot is the skeleton or framework which gives shape and proportion to the novel. It can also be
described as the story itself, the actual events or happenings in the novel, the most important substance
which concerns human activity and the changes which occur from the beginning to the end of the story. The
conflict is an important element of the plot. It may be caused by the physical environment like hostile
nature, social environment like the conventions, customs or traditions that exist in a cultural community,
other characters, or it may be a physical, emotional, and mental handicap within the main character
himself.

To understand the plot better, we should determine the ideals, motives, ambitions aspirations of the
main characters. As in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, the hero's only motive in life is to regain the love of
Daisy Buchanan, who is his only dream in life. The same can be observed in Edgardo M. Reyes' Sa Mga
Kuko Ng Litvanag, which narrated the story of Julio, whose main objective in going to Manila was to look for
his sweetheart, Ligaya.

The theme of the novel is compared to the subject of a painting. It is the universal truth found the
novel, the idea In Boris Pasternak's Dr. Zhivago the theme is one’s inhumanity to fellow human beings. A theme
does not mean moral value for latter is message that teaches the readers.

The characters are the moving spirit of the novel. They do not only act but also manifest the and
intellectual qualities endowed to them by the characters may be animated like Bubwit or Boomer, extra-
terrestrial beings like Uncle Martin in the TV series, "My Favorite Martian" 1976)

Characters involve two qualities morality and personality. Character in the first sense, morality, has
the older status as a technical concept in literary criticism. This will tell us the good guys from the bad guys.

Character the second personality, is more modern concept. personality, includes speech, hairstyle,
hobby, attitude toward work, and all of the complex attitudes and feelings that define the Character as person
quality important in literature because, as most authors have people are an interesting.

The consistency of character traits is essential in the story but this does not mean that character
cannot change as result of the circumstances through which he passes. The Nick Carraway, in Fitzgerald's
The Great Gatsby, changed the beginning of the story to complete adulthood at the Another change in
character traits manifested in Efren Abueg Dilim Sa Umaga, where the main character, Antero, showed
materialism and selfishness at the beginning and became selfless and nationalistic at the end of the novel.

The Elements of Drama

Drama, like prose fiction, utilizes plot and develops a arouses

emotion or appeals to humor, and may be either escapist or interpretative in
its dealings with Like poetry, it may draw upon all the resources of language,
including Much drama poetry, but drama has one characteristic peculiar to
itself. It is written primarily to be performed, not read. It normally presents
its action 1) through actors, 2) on stage, and 3) before an audience.

Despite the immense diversity of drama as a cultural activity, all

plays have certain elements common. They are: 1) plot, 2) character, 3)
thought, 4) language (dialogue), 5) theme, 6) climax, 7) music and spectacle,
8) costume and make-up, 9) scenery and lighting

1. Plot. It the term sometimes used to mean a summary of a play's story. It is concerned with what
happens in the story. More properly, it seems to be the overall structure of play. In this sense, it is the
most important element of Most plots follow the same general pattern. At the beginning of the play,
the author briefly and quickly introduces the characters and provides information about the earlier
events and the present situation. This introduction is called the Although the exposition is brief, the
information presented is very important for helps to explain what happens later or why a character
acts the way he does.

2. Character. The characters must be shaped to fit the needs of the plot, and all parts of the
characterization must fit together Unless the people in the play seem to be real people, the play will
not hold audience interest We will find them believable only if we know what they are like and can
understand why they act the way they do. The playwright, therefore, must make the characters
credible to the audience.
In addition to understanding what the characters are like, we should recognize each one's role
in the story. The main character, the person who is attempting to resolve the problem, is called the
protagonist. The conflict he/she faces, frequently involves a struggle with some force outside
himself/herself (external conflicts) as with an antagonist, and/or a struggle within himself/herself
(internal conflict)

3. Thought.Every play, even the most lighthearted comedy, involves thoughts in its broadest sense In
dramatic structure, thoughts include the ideas and emotions implied by the overall meaning of the
play, sometimes the theme. Not all plays explore significant ideas, but every play makes some
comment on human experience either through direct statement or more commonly by implication.

4. Language (dialogue). Language is a means of expressing the character and the thoughts
 dramatically. Language in the theater refers to the dramatic dialogue, which may be in prose or in
verse. Prose dialogue may be naturalistic or rhetorical. Naturalistic dialogue is the actual way
people talk, while the rhetorical dialogue is popularly described as high flown, florid, and
oratorical. Verse dialogue makes use of the conventions of poetry for the purpose of drama.
Dialogue is the conversation between two or more characters in a play.

5. Theme. It is what a story means. It is a conviction about the real world we live in, and it may be stated
in several ways. Theme tends to be complex, and may include contradictory evaluations (Colwell,
1968).
Theme may be directly or indirectly stated. The stated theme, rather than the enacted theme,
is the heart of a play. Theme is enacted throughout the plot.

6. Climax/Denouement. The climax is the scene or incident that is the fruition of the accumulated
suspense, and that stirs the most intense feelings or emotions. It can also be described as the turning
point of the story. It is very likely to be the most elaborately presented scene in the play. A full-length
play will have several big scenes, but the climax is to be distinguished from the other big scenes
by its great er intensity and its structural relationship to the denouement and development.
Denouement is the working out of the plot, following the climax. In this final part of the play,
usually brief but sometimes a full act, the playwright brings the conflict to an end and explains how
and why everything turned out the way it did.
It is the phase of the final part in the plot- pattern that clarifies or simplifies the complicated
situation, and the solution, the phase that gives the answer, whether favorable or unfavorable to the
question that the plot has presented. developed, and carried through a conclusion.
In a full-length play, it is frequently possible to assign certain incidents in the falling action to
denouement and certain incidents to the solution. In the one-act play, however, the denouement and
the solution are frequently indistinguishable.

1. Music and Spectacle. Aside from "background" music, there is music of speech and of movement.
Spectacle intensifies emotions, whatever these emotions are. In the theater, the element of a spectacle
heightens the atmosphere, weather of vitality or terror or sorrow.
Music and spectacle were an integral part of the performance of Greek dramas. We know
from historical evidence that the choir danced and sang their choral odes. Aristophanes' later comedies
called for spectacular costumes, especially for the choirs who played the role of frogs, or clouds, or
birds. Shakespeare resorted quite frequently, if not always, to the use of music in the production play.
The Elizabethan playhouse had a gallery reserved for musicians. Modern productions of Greek and
Elizabethan plays have increasingly made use of these two elements.
2. Costume and Make-Up. Every costume should be comfortable and securely put together so that the
performer does not have to worry about it once it is on. Before the dress rehearsal, all the parts of each
costume should be hung together and tagged. A dressing crew from the costume committee should
be on hand to help.
The make-up crew should be allowed plenty of time to do their work after each actor is
dressed. Everything in the make-up box should have its own place and be covered when not in use.
Make-up pencils should be sharp, sponges should be clean, and when grease paint and other materials
are running low, they should be replaced before they are needed.
3. Scenery and Lighting. Scenery and lighting, furniture-painted backdrops, or large props, should be
real. The scenery may be simple, for it is supposed only to suggest the scene. The imagination of
the audience will complete the picture.
Proper lighting can add a great deal to the realism of the play. Consider brightness, color, and
direction in lighting the play. Does the action take place in the bright light of morning, or in the dull-
gray of evening?
Is the scene gay or mysterious? White, yellow, amber, and pink lights bright en the stage and
are happy colors. Blue and green dull the scene and produce a cold effect. Red and purple are
mysterious.
Stage lighting is always electrical, and only the assigned and responsible persons should touch
the electrical equipment. An open flame such as a candle or a lantern is never used on the stage.

Importance of Reading Literary Works

Literary works of art like poetry, stories, novels, and plays are worth reading for they not only entertain
us or give pleasure. From some of the characters of the stories or novels, we learn moral values that can
improve your life. Reading literary works helps us acquire knowledge and information particularly the
individual's progress and achievement, thus serving as inspiration.
Post-Competency Checklist (Formative Assessment)
 1. What are the important uses of literature?
2. What are the elements of poetry?
3. Which element of poetry is considered as the most important? Justify your answer.
4. Why is a short story classified as interpretative rather than escape literature?
5. Give the elements of a short story.
6. Why is a plot an important element of a novel?
7. Compare drama and poetry.

Assignment:

1. Outline the development of the drama.

2. Distinguish between oriental and western drama.
3. What are the kinds of Philippine drama?
4. Compare moriones to ati-atihan.
5. Why is cinema or motion picture the most popular form of art and entertainment in the Philippine?
6. What are the elements of Philippine motion pictures?
7. Searches in the internet/youtube and watch the cenakulo or passion play of Calabanga and give your
reflection on it.

Acknowledgements:

This modules for Art Appreciation (Humanities 1) is a part of a different kinds of textbooks and other
materials written by different authors to develop its own instructional materials anchored on the curriculum and
responsive to the aptitudes and the teaching and learning environment of the Philippine setting. The writer
compiles the information from different author and prepared the information in modular format.

I would like to express their great gratitude, deep appreciation and thank to the following:

Sanchez, Custodiosa, Loreto V. Jao, Paz Abad, Ballo, Guido, Calsado, Tony, Horst, Louise, Dudley,
L., Austin, Faricy, Ortis, Ma. Aurora, R. Teresita Erestain, A. Guillermo, and M. Montano for their books,
pamphlets & hand-outs that served as a reference in preparing this module.

The Google chromes, whose picture were used in this module and for the electronics copy of books,
pamphlets & hand-outs.

My students in Art Appreciation (Humanities 1) for sharing and prepared the materials in preparing
this module and whose interest has been a source of inspiration.

To you all, my heartfelt thanks.

EMGIL P. PANGINDIAN
INSTRUCTOR I