CHAPTER I: CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE

Introduction :

Contemporary literature reflects existing developments in society and culture. This chapter will tackle
about fiction and how it can be interpreted and evaluated. It will also discuss the different types and
elements of fiction. The students will develop a sense of comprehension about the issues and challenges
in contemporary literature.

LESSON 1: Interpreting and Evaluating Fiction

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to: a. Explain the characteristics, types and
elements of fiction; and b. Interpret and evaluate fiction.

Fiction: The Story and the Moral Fiction is subjective and evocative. It is "made up," and indirect in its
communication. A work of fiction may evoke.

: •the thrill of imagining impossible or unavailable experiences

•intrigue with playing out "what if" or" if only" scenarios

• feelings and perceptions of another historical period, or simply observations on the human condition
We thus read fiction not to gain new information so much as to experience the ideas and feelings a story
inspires within us. Readers have different expectations from fiction and nonfiction. Proof is a major issue
with nonfiction; emotional involvement is a major issue with fiction. We expect a story (fiction) to grab
us, an essay (nonfiction) to convince us. We will suspend belief when reading a romance novel or
science fiction, but demand reason and evidence from nonfiction. For passing time or sheer enjoyment,
of course, simply reading the story can be satisfaction and reward enough. We do not have to analyze
everything we read. The point is to be able to interpret when we want to—or have to. Both fiction and
nonfiction can be subjected to analysis and interpretation. These two forms of expression are, however,
examined somewhat differently. One analyzes a nonfiction text.

•to discover underlying themes and perspectives, as well as

• to realize how choices of content and language shape the reader's perception and encourage the
reader's acceptance. Analyzing Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, for instance, we can recognize not only
remarks on the dedication of a cemetery, but comparisons between images of the living and dead,
between what has been done and what must be done. We analyze fictional works for recurring themes
that reflect on the broader human experience. People do not really tell nursery rhymes so that children
will know about a girl named Cinderella or about pigs who built houses. The stories have deeper,
unstated meanings: virtue rewarded (Cinderella) or the folly of a lack of industry (The Three Little Pigs).
We respond to both the story and an underlying message.
On the surface, Melville's Moby Dick, for instance, might be seen as an adventure story about a man
hunting a whale. On closer analysis and interpretation, the novel might be seen as a depiction of man's
battle to subdue nature or of a battle between good and evil. Since fiction is indirect, fiction can require
a significant degree of analysis and interpretation if one is to get beyond simply following the story.

Fiction is Subjective Fiction is, by definition, subjective. A novel, story, drama, or poem is the expression
of an author's imagination. The characters and situations are "made up." Readers expect fiction to
reflect the real world; they do not expect it to portray the real world. And yet fiction can seem very real
without being factual. Poems can capture feelings or images to perfection. Events depicted in movies
such as Schindler's List , Amistad , or Titanic can appear just as they might have in real life. Fiction can be
true, however, only in the sense that the actions or behaviors "ring true" with what we know of the
world. The sentiment may be real, but the characters and incidents are the fruits of the author's
imagination. And author and directors—as in the movies referred to above —often use "dramatic
license" to distort history for dramatic effect.

Fiction is Evocative: Images and Symbols Fiction conveys meaning indirectly (other than, of course,
through morals at the ends of fables). The specifics are not significant. We draw meaning from the types
of actions. This principle lies behind the fact that television crime series follow essentially the same plot
line, week after week. It does not matter whether a crime victim is a socialite, a prostitute, a drug dealer,
or politician, whether the crime is murder, extortion, or robbery. The message that the police always
catch the criminal remains the same. Fiction evokes ideas and feelings indirectly by triggering emotional
responses and mental pictures. Fiction commonly communicates through images and symbols. Color is
often symbolic, as with the red passion of the Scarlet Letter in the novel of that title. Sunlight often
conveys truth or reason. In Willa Cather's short story "Death Comes to the Archbishop" the
development of the Bishop's garden is a metaphor for the expansion of Catholicism in the New World.
And then there is the politically incorrect use of white and black for good and bad, as in old Western
movies. Readers must be open to associations and reflection, creative in their understanding and
interpretation. They must recognize a richness of figurative language and concomitant element of
ambiguity. The more evocative a text, the more the reader must do the work of finding meaning within
the text.

Interpretation: A Personal Understanding The meaning of fictional works is more personal than that of
nonfiction texts. With nonfiction texts, we assume any two readers will come away with pretty much the
same understanding of what the text states. While we may not agree with someone else's
interpretation, we should be able to follow their analysis. With fiction, the meaning is dependent on the
perceptions, imagination, and feelings of the reader. In both cases, however, we demand that an
interpretation be based on evidence on the page. And in both cases, part of understanding is
understanding one's own interests, values, and desires and how they affect what one looks for and how
one thinks about what one finds.
Analyzing and Interpreting Fiction: Perspectives The discussion of nonfiction texts focused on the
analysis of choices of content, language, and structure. The same focus is useful for the analysis of
fiction--with some adjustments. The discussion examines:

• the general perspective on each of the three major genres: novels (stories), drama, and poetry •the
application of the notions of content, language, and structure for each genre

Fiction, we saw above, is mostly about telling stories and expressing feelings. The content of fiction may
take the form of the events of a story, especially in novels and short stories, spoken remarks, especially
in drama, or images and symbols, especially in poetry.

Literary Fiction

 Written with serious artistic intentions by someone who hopes to enable readers to broaden
understanding of life and to empathize with others  Literary writers are more like explorers who take
us out into the midst of life, show us the props and mirrors and seek to dispel the illusions. Provides
keener awareness of our humanity in a friendly and hostile world.

Usually need to read twice.

Plot: the sequence of events through which an author constructs a story.

Structure: usually chronological or cause/effect, however, a complex structure is often required to

convey complex meanings, so it may be more experimental and unpredictable.

LESSON 2: Types and Elements of Fiction

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

a. Explain the characteristics, types and elements of fiction; and b. Interpret and evaluate fiction.

ELEMENTS OF FICTION

Conflict: a clash of actions, ideas, desires, or will.  Man vs. Himself  Man vs. Man  Man vs. External
Force (physical nature, society, or “fate”)  Man vs. Nature (environment)  Protagonist: central
character in a conflict, sympathetic or unsympathetic  Antagonist: any force against protagonist\
Suspense  Mystery: an unusual set of circumstances for which the reader craves

an explanation

 Dilemma: a position in which he or she must choose between two courses of action, both undesirable
Ending Is it logical within the story’s own terms and does it afford a full, believable revelation?  Surprise
Ending: a sudden, unexpected turn or twist, and furnishes meaningful illumination, not just a reversal of
expectation  Happy Ending: more common in commercial fiction.  Unhappy Ending: more common in
literary fiction because it more closely mirrors real life and forces readers to contemplate the
complexities of life.  Indeterminate Ending: no definitive conclusion is reached, but need not be in
terms of a resolved conflict.

Artistic Unity  There must be nothing in the story that is irrelevant.  Nothing that does not advance
the central intention of the story. Plot Manipulation: unjustified turn in the plot by the situation or the
characters.

Deus ex machina: Latin for “god from a machine”—the protagonist is rescued at the last moment from
some impossible situation by a god descending from heaven. Chance: the occurrence of an event that
has no apparent cause in previous events or in predisposition of character. Coincidence: the chance
occurrence of two events that may have a peculiar correspondence. Consider the function of plot in
trying to understand the relationship of each incident to the larger meaning of the story.

Example: focus on its central conflict or examine the way incidents and scenes are connected as a way of
testing the story’s plausibility and unity. Characterization Direct Presentation: readers are told straight
out what the characters are like, or they have another character in the story describe them. Little
emotional impact Indirect Presentation: the author shows us the characters through their actions; we
determine what they are like by what they say or do. In good fiction, characters are dramatized.

Principles of Characterization

1. Characters are consistent in their behavior unless there is a clear reason for the change

2. Character’s words and actions spring from motivations the reader can understand and believe

3. Characters must be plausible or lifelike, not perfectly virtuous or monsters of evil; nor can they have
some impossible combination of contradictory traits. The character could have existed, so we have the
illusion the person is real.  Flat Characters: usually have only one or two predominant traits; they can
be summed up in a sentence or two.  Round Characters: complex and many sided; they have the three-
dimensional quality of real people.  Stock Characters: type of flat character; stereotyped figures who
have recurred so often in fiction that we recognize them at once: silent sheriff, mad scientist, brilliant
detective.  Static Character: does not change during the story.  Dynamic Character: (developing)
undergoes distinct change of character, personality, or outlook. Usually experiences an epiphany which
is a moment of spiritual insight into life or into the character’s own circumstance. This epiphany usually
defines the moment of the dynamic character’s change.
Theme  The controlling idea or central insight  The unifying generalization about life stated or implied
by the story  Gives the story its unity  What view of life does the author want readers to support? 
The theme should be expressible in the form of a statement with a subject and a predicate.  NOT JUST
“motherhood” or “loyalty”  Theme must be a statement about the subject.  The theme should be
stated as a generalization about life.  It is the central and unifying concept of a story.  There is not one
way of stating the theme of a story. Avoid reducing the theme to some familiar saying that we have
heard all our lives: “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Example: Motherhood sometimes has more
frustrations than rewards. Loyalty to country often inspires heroic self-sacrifice.

. Point of View  Who tells the story and how much do they know about the thoughts of the characters?
 Omniscient: the story is told in first person by a narrator whose knowledge and prerogatives are
unlimited.  Third Person Limited: from the viewpoint of one character in the story. No knowledge of
what other characters are thinking or feeling.  First Person: the author disappears into one of the
characters, who tells the story in the first person. This may be either a minor or major character,
protagonist, or observer, and it will make a considerable difference whether the protagonist tells the
story or someone else tells it. Shares the limitations of the third-person limited point of view. 
Objective Point of View: (dramatic POV) the narrator disappears into a kind of roving sound camera.
This camera can go anywhere but can record only what is seen and heard. It cannot comment, interpret,
or enter a character’s mind. Symbol: something that means more than what it suggests on the surface.
It may be an object, person, situation, action or other elements. Name Symbolism: Adam, Phoenix
Object Symbolism: flag, wedding ring, red, quilts Action Symbolism: journey Setting Symbolism:
landscape, railway station Clues for identifying symbols:  The story itself must furnish a clue that a
detail is to be taken symbolically usually by emphasis, repetition, or position.  The meaning of the
literary symbol must be established and supported by the entire context of the story.  A symbol may
have more than one meaning—a cluster of meanings.

1. Allegory: a story that has a second meaning beneath the surface adding significance.

2. Fantasy: nonrealistic story and transcends the bounds of known reality.

3. Humor: appears in the many serious works, usually conveyed through irony

4. Irony: a technique used to convey a truth about human experience by exposing some incongruity of a
character’s behavior or a society’s traditions. Irony helps to critique the world in which we live by
laughing at the many varieties of human eccentricity and folly. Both evoke responses that are
intellectual and emotional at once. Verbal Irony: simplest kind, sarcasm, word play .Dramatic Irony: the
contrast between what a character says or thinks and what the reader knows to be true. Situational
Irony: the discrepancy is between appearance and reality, expectation and fulfillment, or what is and
what would seem appropriate “Miss Caroline told me to tell my father not to teach me anymore, it
would interfere with my reading.” –To Kill a Mockingbird Sentimentality: contrived or excessive emotion
Uncle Tom’s Cabin vs. Beloved Editorialize: Sentimental writers often try to make words do what the
situation faithfully presented by itself will not do. They comment on the story and, in a manner, instruct
us how to feel. Or they overwrite and poeticize–use an immoderately heightened and distended
language to accomplish their effects. Also, they excessively use detail which all point one way, toward
producing emotion rather than conveying truth. Dying child always happy, never moody or crying.

5. Style – The author’s type of diction (choice of words), syntax (arrangement of words), and other
linguistic features of a work.

6. Theme(s) – The central and dominating idea (or ideas) in a literary work. The term also indicates a
message or moral implicit in any work of art. Exploring the Different Types of Fiction By Sarah Parsons
Zackheim, Adrian Zackheim Fiction is a general term used to describe an imaginative work of prose,
either a novel, short story, or novella. Recently, this definition has been modified to include both
nonfiction works that contain imaginative elements, like Midnight in the Garden Of Good and Evil
byJohn Berendt (Random House, 1994) and Dutch by Edmund Morris (Random House, 1999), and novels
consisting largely of factual reporting with a patina of fictionalization, such as Memoirs of a Geisha by
Arthur Golden (Knopf, 1997). However, in the truest sense, a work of fiction is a creation of the writer’s
imagination. The two main types of fiction are literary and commercial. Commercial fiction attracts a
broad audience and may also fall into any subgenre, like mystery, romance, legal thriller, western,
science fiction, and so on. For example, The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller
(Warner, 1992) was a hugely successful commercial novel because the book described the fulfillment of
a romantic fantasy that is dear to the heart of millions of readers. Written in a short, easy-to-read style,
the book was as mesmerizing to 15-year-olds as it was to 100-year-olds. Other blockbuster commercial
fiction authors include John Grisham, Sidney Sheldon, Danielle Steele, and Jackie Collins. Literary fiction
tends to appeal to a smaller, more intellectually adventurous audience. A work of literary fiction can fall
into any of the subgenres described in the following sections. What sets literary fiction apart, however,
is the notable qualities it contains — excellent writing, originality of thought, and style — that raise it
above the level of ordinary written works. A recent work of literary fiction that enjoyed wide popularity
was Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier (Atlantic Monthly Press, 1997). Other popular authors of literary
fiction include Toni Morrision, Barbara Kingsolver, John LeCarre, and Saul Bellow. Mainstream fiction is a
general term publishers and booksellers use to describe both commercial and literary works that depict
a daily reality familiar to most people. These books, usually set in the 20th or present-day 21st century,
have at their core a universal theme that attracts a broad audience. Mainstream books deal with such
myriad topics as family issues, coming of age initiations, courtroom dramas, career matters, physical and
mental disabilities, social pressures, political intrigue, and more. Regardless of original genre or
category, most of the novels that appear on the bestseller list are considered mainstream, whether the
author is Sue Grafton, Arundhati Roy, Michael Crichton, or David Guterson. Mystery Mystery is a popular
genre, boasting a huge established audience. All mysteries focus on a crime, usually murder. The action
tends to center on the attempts of a wily detective-type to solve the crime. And the climax usually
occurs near the end, in a leisurely setting where all the elements of the mystery are neatly assembled
for the reader’s convenience. The solution, complete with surprises, is then delivered to the characters
and the reader alike. Mystery subgenres include spy, detective, and crime stories. You can find a vast
network of mystery writers associations, conventions, and conferences, as well as publications to help
mystery writers pursue their craft. For information, contact Mystery Writers of America.

Great practitioners in this genre include Arthur Conan Doyle, Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and
Earle Stanley Gardner, creator of Perry Mason. Present day giants include Carl Hiaason, James Ellroy,
Robert Parker, James Lee Burke, and Elmore Leonard.

Romance is a huge category aimed at diverting and entertaining women. In romance novels, you have
elements of fantasy, love, naïveté, extravagance, adventure, and always the heroic lover overcoming
impossible odds to be with his true love. Many romances, especially the gothic romance, have an easy-
to-follow formula — a young, inexperienced girl living a somewhat remote existence is courted or
threatened by an evil man and then rescued by a valiant one. Other subgenres include historical,
contemporary, fantasy romance, and romantic suspense. If historical detail and settings interest you, try
writing a regency or historical romance. If you enjoy a dash of mystery or intrigue, then romantic
suspense novels are for you. However, if you’re interested in more modern stories with sexual candor,
then consider writing a contemporary romance. Certainly, you have lots of opportunity in the field of
romance writing, which is the largest, most diverse, and most popular of the commercial genres. And
romance writers’ organizations can provide exact writing guidelines. To receive a set of guidelines,
contact Romance Writers of America. First-class romance writers include Jude Deveraux, Victoria Holt,
Judith McNaught, Daphne Du Maurier, Jennifer Greene, and Nora Roberts.

Women’s fiction It’s common knowledge in the publishing industry that women constitute the biggest
book-buying segment. So, it’s certainly no accident that most mainstream as well as genre fiction is
popular among women. For that reason, publishers and booksellers have identified a category within
the mainstream that they classify as Women’s Fiction. And its no surprise that virtually all the selections
of Oprah’s Book Club are in this genre. From a writer’s perspective, some key characteristics of these
books include a focus on relationships, one or more strong female protagonists, women triumphing over
unbearable circumstances, and the experiences of women unified in some way. The field includes such
diverse writers as Barbara Taylor Bradford, Anne Rivers Siddons, Alice McDermott, Judith Krantz, Anne
Tyler, Rebecca Wells, and Alice Hoffman.

Science fiction/fantasy
Science fiction/fantasy novels depict distant worlds and futuristic technologies that whirl readers far
away from the here and now and yet provoke contemplation of contemporary issues. Imaginative,
thoughtful, and other-worldly, this robust category is made even more popular by the Star Wars and
Star Trek series. Leading science fiction and fantasy writers include Ray Bradbury, Arthur Clarke, Isaac
Asimov, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien, as well as the current, multi-best-selling, young adult author J.K.
Rowling. To obtain professional assistance in this genre, contact the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers
of America.

Suspense/thriller Suspense novels and thrillers are tense, exciting, often sensational works with
ingenious plotting, swift action, and continuous suspense. In this genre, a writer’s objective is to deliver
a story with sustained tension, surprise, and a constant sense of impending doom that propels the
reader forward. Unlike mysteries, thrillers are dominated by action in which physical threat is a constant
companion, and a hero (James Bond, for example) is pitted against a nefarious villain. This genre
includes the great espionage writers, including John Le Carre, Len Deighton, Ian Fleming, Clive Cussler,
and Frederick Forsythe. It also includes the police procedurals of Patricia Cornwell, Tony Hillerman, and
Lawrence Sanders, as well as the courtroom bestsellers of Scott Turow, Richard North Patterson, Steve
Martini, and John Grisham, and the military thrillers of Tom Clancy and Stephen Koontz. Western Known
simply as westerns, these novels about life on America’s post-Civil War western frontier usually involve
conflicts between cowboys and outlaws, cowboys and Native Americans, or Easterners and Westerners.
While this category still has a mass-market audience and a thriving regional market, it’s not the popular
genre it was 25 years ago. If you’re interested in writing a western, contact the Western Writers of
America Zane Grey and Louis Lamour, both deceased, are still among the popular western writers.
Horror Filled with gut-wrenching fear, this popular genre keeps readers turning the blood-filled pages.
From a writer’s perspective, the defining characteristic is the intention to frighten readers by exploiting
their fears, both conscious and subconscious: fears of supernatural forces, alien visitations, madness,
death, dismemberment, and other terrifying notions. Tracing its roots back to the classic tales of Edgar
Allan Poe, the horror genre today is dominated by Stephen King, whose vast output of bestsellers under
his name as well as his alter-ego Richard Bachman has dominated the bestseller lists for nearly 25 years.
Other major horror writers include Mary Shelley, Roald Dahl, Clive Barker, Peter Straub, Dean Koontz,
and Anne Rice. While horror isn’t science fiction, the SFWA provides a great deal of information and
community services aimed at horror writers. To obtain its professional assistance, contact the Science
Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

Young adult This genre includes any type of novel with a protagonist in the 12 to 16 age range that
speaks to the concerns of teenagers. Currently, J.K. Rowling and her amazing Harry Potter (Scholastic
Press) books are dominating the field. Rowling’s accomplishment — a truly universal story, brimming
with magic and fantasy as well as likable characters that readers identify with — is an amazing feat.
Watch out for all the Harry Potter wannabes in the coming year. Success stories in this genre share many
of the qualities evident in the Harry Potter books: a memorable voice (J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye,
Little Brown, 1951), believable characters (Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Perigee, 1959), and a willingness
to write about the disturbing subjects that preoccupy teens and preteens (Are You There God, It’s Me,
Margaret by Judy Blume, Dell Yearling, 1972, or Holes by Louis Sachar, FSG, 1998).

LESSON 3: Introduction to Contemporary Literature 29 1950- PRESENT

“This literary era defines a time period but it also describes particular style and quality of writing.” What
is Contemporary Literature? The literature of the contemporary period not only refers to a quality/style
of writing but also to poetry and prose, which includes works of fiction such as: novels, novellas, essays,
and dramatic works. Characteristics of the Contemporary Style

Reality-based stories

Believable story-line, sometimes portraying a harsher reality or degradation of society

Current, modern setting

“Well-defined, realistic, highly developed” and strong character (s).

Well-structured

Writing is “more character driven than plot driven”

I. STORY

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to: a. Acquaint themselves with styles and
concerns of contemporary stories.

WHAT IS A STORY? A story or narrative is a connected series of events told through words (written or
spoken), imagery (still and moving), body language, performance, music, or any other form of
communication. You can tell a story about anything, and the events described can be real or imaginary;
covering both fiction and nonfiction; and leaving no topic, genre, or style untouched. There are stories
about all things and all times; past, present and future. Whenever you’re telling somebody about a
series of events, you are telling a story, no matter what the subject nor when they occurred. As such,
stories are of great value to human culture, and are some of the oldest, most important parts of life.
Aside from being a part of every single type of literature, stories are at the foundation of creativity and
part of just about everything we do, particularly when it comes to entertainment, recording, and
reporting of any form. So, they are shared in all different ways—from oral and written storytelling or
journalism; to TV, film, and radio; to fine arts, stage performance and music; and so on. In one form or
another, stories have been a part of human culture and society for thousands of years—likely since man
has existed! They’re found in the past and present of people from every culture, religion, and ethnicity;
in every region and language. So, all of that considered, the concept of a story is actually a bit difficult to
fully cover or describe. Some would say that life is made up of a series of never-ending stories. From a
simple commute to school or work, to all the events of our lives,everything has a story.

 EXAMPLES OF STORY Here are a few examples of the same story told different ways. You can
sometimes tell a story in just one line: The girl met the love of her life and lived happily until the day she
died.

Or, it could be more detailed: When the girl was 22, she met the love of her life. It was her last day of
college, and when she saw him, she knew he was the one she was going to be with forever—and the
boy knew the same. After graduation, the boy and the girl ran away together to elope. They lived
together happily for the rest of their days. Now really, even the second example is just a tiny story. We
can tell it in all kinds of ways and of all different lengths, from one line to a series of novels. After all, if
the couple lived an entire lifetime together, there would be countless events that together make up the
story of their life.

 TYPES OF STORIES The range of types of stories is pretty much endless. For that reason, this article will
divide stories into two very broad categories—fiction and nonfiction. Within each there are a huge
number of possibilities in terms of subject matter, genre, type of delivery (oral, written, performance),
narrative style, and so on.

Fiction stories are based on made-up or imaginary events. There are dozens upon dozens of types of
fiction stories and genres, including but not at all limited to:

Fairy tales

Historical fiction

Folklore

Fantasy

Mythology
Science-fiction

Legends

Love stories

Epics

Horror stories

Dramas

Ghost stories

Adventure stories

Bedtime stories

Non-fiction stories can cover any kind of real-life event or experience. But, they often fall into these
kinds of categories:

Historical events

Memories and experiences

News and current events

Cultural history

Biographies and autobiographies

Crime and justice

Science

Travel stories

Love

Survivor stories

Family

War stories
 IMPORTANCE OF STORY Stories are, have been, and always will be an absolutely essential part of
human culture. Stories are how we learn about each other, our past, and our cultures. Whether they are
created for entertainment or to recount a real-life event—new stories are literally being lived, told, and
created every second of every day. So, even if there was only one story for every person who ever lived,
that would still be billions of stories in the world; it would be impossible to measure how many have
existed.

 EXAMPLES OF STORY IN LITERATURE As literature is, first and foremost, written storytelling, there are
limitless examples of stories in literature; across every style and genre of writing. We’ve been writing
down stories for thousands of years—truth be told, written stories have taught us most of what we
know about mankind’s history and culture! That said, here are a few examples:

Example 1 Author Shel Silverstein is known for the quirky and memorable stories he tells through
poetry. Here is “Masks” from his collection of poems Everything On It: She had blue skin. And so did he.
He kept it hid And so did she. They searched for blue Their whole life through, Then passed right by—
And never knew. As you’ve just read, Silverstein tells a whole story in just eight short lines of poetry.
Tons of poems do the same in even fewer lines. Either way, you can see that a story definitely doesn’t
have to be lengthy.

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Example 2 A fairy tale is a classic type of story about imaginary events. When we want to tell a fairy tale,
we often start with the famous words “Once upon a time,” which adds a more whimsical feel to what
we are about to share. Here’s an example from Rapunzel of Grimm’s Fairy Tales: Once upon a time there
was a man and a woman who had long, but to no avail, wished for a child. Finally, the woman came to
believe that the good Lord would fulfill her wish. Through the small rear window of these people’s house
they could see into a splendid garden that was filled with the most beautiful flowers and herbs. The
garden was surrounded by a high wall, and no one dared enter, because it belonged to a sorceress who
possessed great power and was feared by everyone. The fairy tale’s intro is just a small part of the story,
telling us about the beginning and a bit about the characters who will be the focus. Example 3 Of course,
newspapers and magazines are filled with stories. As you know, a news story reports on real events that
have happened. Here’s a passage from a CNN Tech article: There’s no other shopping bonanza quite like
Alibaba’s Singles Day, which has once again smashed records. The tech giant reported $17.8 billion in
sales during this year’s frenzy, breaking the record of $14.3 billion set in 2015. That’s more than Black
Friday and Cyber Monday combined. Reading a news story gives you an update on events that are
happening throughout the world. Here, Tech Crunch writes about China’s 11.11 Singles’ Day, the world’s
biggest shopping event. The story specifically reports on the money that Alibaba made in their latest
Singles’ Day event.

 EXAMPLES OF STORY IN POPULAR CULTURE Stories are a part of every type of today’s media, from
TV, film, and radio; to what gets shared on social media platforms; music; stage performance; art
exhibitions, celebrity magazines—you name it, and you’ll find stories. But here are a few examples of
stories in popular film and TV culture, told through performance, music, and animation. Example 1 Cult-
classic fantasy film The Never-ending Story is about a story that goes on as long as time exists. It unfolds
in real time as the reader is reading it, who in this case is a boy named Bastian. But it’s soon revealed
that he has more of a stake in the story than he ever imagined… The Never-ending Story (9/10) Movie
CLIP – Call My Name (1984) HD

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Bastian finally realizes that he’s a part of the story he’s been reading, so in a way, it’s actually about him.
So long as he keeps reading, the story will continue. Example 2 Everybody knows Will Smith’s retro
anthem “Prince of Bel Air,” the theme song to the hit ’90s sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel Air. In the show’s
intro, Smith uses this rap to fill the audience in on his backstory: The fresh prince of Bel Air theme song
[short version] The song quickly reviews the story of his past, which serves as an intro to what the show
is about. He recounts the events that led to his life being turned “upside down”; the story of how he
became the Prince of Bel Air. Example 3 In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Hermione reads the
story of the Three Brothers, which is part of the wizarding world. The Story of the Three Brothers is
actually a story within a story—Harry Potter’s story. Rowling tries to make the wizarding world seem as
real as possible, and adding background is a big part of that. By sharing stories that her characters read,
she is giving evidence of the wizarding world’s storytelling and literary culture…and perhaps even some
history.

 CONCLUSION Stories are a major part of every aspect of our lives, from what we read to what we do
to what we talk and think about. They’re also crucial to our understanding of history and culture, and
have been recorded and passed on since man’s earliest days. Stories have always been and will always
be at the core of not only literature, but life!

II. POETRY Objectives:

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

a.Analyze elements of contemporary poetry; and

b. Trace the history, characteristics, and famous personality in contemporary poetry.

WHAT IS A POETRY?

Poetry is a type of literature based on the interplay of words and rhythm. It often employs rhyme and
meter (a set of rules governing the number and arrangement of syllables in each line). In poetry, words
are strung together to form sounds, images, and ideas that might be too complex or abstract to describe
directly. Poetry was once written according to fairly strict rules of meter and rhyme, and each culture
had its own rules. For example, Anglo-Saxon poets had their own rhyme schemes and meters, while
Greek poets and Arabic poets had others. Although these classical forms are still widely used today,
modern poets frequently do away with rules altogether – their poems 43

generally do not rhyme, and do not fit any particular meter. These poems, however, still have a rhythmic
quality and seek to create beauty through their words. The opposite of poetry is “prose” – that is,
normal text that runs without line breaks or rhythm. This article, for example, is written in prose.

ELEMENTS OF POETRY (Structure, Sound, Imagery, Figurative Language, Elements of Fiction, Poetic
Forms)

STRUCTURE

1-. Poetic Line – the words that form a single line of poetry. Example: “‘Twas the night before Christmas,
when all through the house” is the wellknown first poetic line of “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” by
Clement Clarke Moore.

2. Stanza – a section of a poem named for the number of lines it contains. Example: A couplet is a stanza
of two lines. The first stanza from “Barbara Frietchie” by John Greenleaf Wittier is a couplet: Up from the
meadows rich with corn, Clear in the cool September morn,

3. Enjambment – when there is no written or natural pause at the end of a poetic line, so that the word-
flow carries over to the next line. Example: the following lines from “Knoxville, Tennessee” by Nikki
Giovanni contain enjambment: and listen to gospel music outside at the church
4. Placement – the way words and poetic lines are placed on the page of a poem. Example: The
following are creatively-placed lines from a poem by E.E. Cummings: in Justspring when the world is
mudluscious the little lame ballonman whistles far and wee.

5. Verse – a line in traditional poetry that is written in meter. 44

Example: In “When I do count the clock that tells the time” from Shakespeare’s “Sonnet Number
Twelve,” the underlined syllables are accented, giving the line a metric pattern known as an iambic
pentameter (see Meter).

6. Capitalization and Punctuation – In poetry, rules of capitalization and punctuation are not always
followed; instead, they are at the service of the poet’s artistic vision. Example: in our backyard we plant
Tomatoes is the first stanza from “Laughing Tomatoes” by Francisco X. Alarcón. Notice the lack of
capitalization and punctuation.

SOUNDS

1. Rhythm – the basic beat in a line of a poem. Example: “Whose woods these are, I think I know” is the
first line from “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost. Notice that the accented words
(underlined) give the line a distinctive beat.

2. Meter – a pattern of stressed and unstressed (accented and unaccented) syllables (known as a foot) in
a line of poetry. Example: In an iambic pentameter, the pattern is five iambic (unaccented + accented)
feet in each line (see Verse).

3. End Rhyme – same or similar sounds at the end of words that finish different lines. Example: The
following are the first two rhyming lines from “The King of Cats Sends a Postcard to His Wife” by Nancy
Willard: Keep your whiskers crisp and clean, Do not let the mice grow lean,

4. Internal Rhyme – same or similar sounds at the end of words within a line. Example: A line showing
internal rhyme (underlined) from “The Rabbit” by Elizabeth Maddox Roberts: When they said the time
to hide was mine,

5. Rhyme Scheme – a pattern of rhyme in a poem.

Example: A quatrain – a stanza of four lines in which the second and fourth-lines rhyme – has the
following rhyme scheme: abcb (see Quatrain).

6. Assonance – the repetition of vowel sounds within words in a line. Example: A line showing assonance
(underlined) from “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore: The children were nestled all
snug in their beds

7. Consonance – the repetition of consonant sounds within words in a line. Example: A line showing
consonance (underlined) from “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore: Not a creature
was stirring, not even a mouse
8. Alliteration – the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. Example: Notice the
alliteration (underlined) in “Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out” by Shel
Silverstein.

9. Onomatopoeia – words that sound like their meaning. Example: buzz, swish, hiss, gulp.

10. Repetition – sounds, words, or phrases that are repeated to add emphasis or create rhythm.
Parallelism is a form of repetition. Examples: Two lines from “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll showing
parallelism: Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Read the poem
“The Bells” by Edgar Allan Poe and listen to the way the repetition of the word “bells” adds rhythm and
creates an increasingly ominous and morbid mood.

11. Refrain – a line or stanza repeated over and over in a poem or song. Example: In “Jingle Bells,” the
following refrain is repeated after every stanza: Jingle Bells, jingle bells, Jingle all the way!

Oh, what fun it is to ride In a one-horse open sleigh!

12. Word Play – to play with the sounds and meanings of real or invented words. Example: Two lines
from the poem “Synonyms” by Susan Moger: Claptrap, bombast, rodomontade, Hogwash, jargon, and
rant Two lines from the poem “Antonio” by Laura E. Richards: Antonio, Antonio, Was tired of living
alonio.

IMAGERY (see also Imagist Poetry)

1. Precise Language – the use of specific words to describe a person, place, thing, or action. Example:
Notice how Paul B. Janeczko uses proper nouns in his poem “Reverend Mona”: When the elders said she
was too old, Reverend Mona surrendered her tabernacle next to Fast Frankie’s Pawn Shop

2. Sensory Details – the use of descriptive details that appeal to one or more of the five senses. Example:
Notice the sensory details in the following lines from “The Sea” by James Reeves: The giant sea dog
moans, Licking his greasy paws.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

1. Simile – a comparison of two unlike things, using the words like or as. Example: “I read the shoreline
like an open volume.”

2. Metaphor – a comparison of two unlike things, not using the words like or as.

Example: “Ribbons of sea foam / wrap the emerald island.”

3. Personification – to ascribe human traits to non-human or non-living things. Example: “The unfurled
sailboat glides on / urged by wind and will and brilliant bliss.”

4. Symbolism – a person, place, thing, or action that stands for something else. Example: In “From
Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes, a set of stairs symbolizes life.
5. Hyperbole – the use of exaggeration to express strong emotion or create a comical effect. Example:
“I’m so hungry I could eat a hippo.”

6. Verbal Irony or Sarcasm – when you mean the opposite of what you say. Example: “My darling
brother is the sweetest boy on Earth,” she muttered sarcastically.

7. Situational Irony – when the outcome of a situation is the opposite of what is expected. Example:
After many years of trying, Mr. Smith won the lottery -- and immediately died of a heart attack.

8. Pun – a humorous phrase that plays with the double meaning or the similar sounds of words.
Examples: “Tomorrow you shall find me a grave man,” said the duke on his deathbed. The cookbook
Lunch on the Run by Sam Witch is awesome.

9. Allusion- a reference to a familiar person, place, or event. Example: The following two lines from the
poem “My Muse” contain an allusion to Pandora’s Box: hunched over from carrying that old familiar Box

10. Idiom - a cultural expression that cannot be taken literally. Examples: She is the apple of his eye. He
drives me up the wall.

ELEMENTS OF FICTION

(Poems may contain some or all elements of fiction. For example, a narrative poem (a poem that tells a
story) may contain all elements.)

1. Setting – the time and place where a story or poem takes place.

2. Point of View / Narrative Voice – the person narrating a story or poem (the story/poem could be
narrated in first person (I, we), second person (you), or third person limited or omniscient (he/she,
they).

3. Characterization – the development of the characters in a story or poem (what they look like, what
they say and do, what their personalities are like, what they think and feel, and how they’re referred to
or treated by others).

4. Dialog or Dialogue – the conversation between the characters in a story or poem.

5. Dialect or Colloquial Language – the particular style of speaking of the narrator and the characters in a
story or poem (according to their region, time period, and social expectations).

6. Conflict – the problem or situation a character or characters face in a story or poem.

7. Plot – the series of events in a story or poem. 49 8. Tone and Voice – the distinctive, idiosyncratic way
a narrator has of telling a story or poem (tone and voice depend on the intended audience, the purpose
for writing, and the way the writer or poem feels about his/her subject).

9. Style – the way a writer uses words to craft a story or poem.

10. Mood – the feelings and emotions the writer wants the reader to experience. 11. Theme and
Message – the main topic of a story or poem, and the message the author or poet wants to convey
about that topic.

TWENTY POETIC FORMS

1- Acrostic – a poem in which the first letter of each word forms a word – usually a name – if read
downward. Example: “A Rock Acrostic” by Avis Harley.

2- Couplet – two lines of poetry that rhyme and usually form one complete idea. Example: The poem
“Catch a Little Rhyme” by Eve Merriam is written in couplets.

3- Haiku - a Japanese three-line poetic form – usually about nature – with lines of three, seven, and five
syllables, respectively. Example: I call to my love on mornings ripe with sunlight. The songbirds answer.

4- Quatrain – a stanza made up of four lines, often containing a rhyme scheme. Example: “The Toaster”
by William Jay Smith.

5- Cinquain – a five-line untitled poem, where the syllable pattern increases by two for each line, except
for the last line, which ends in two syllables (2,4,6,8.2). Example: The cinquain that begins with “Oh, cat”
by Paul B. Janeczko.

6- Limerick – a humorous rhyming poem written in five lines and having a particular meter. It often
begins with “There once was a…” Example: Limericks by Edward Lear.

7- Sonnet – a poem that is 14 lines long, generally written in iambic pentameter. Example: “Sonnet 116”
by William Shakespeare.

8- Free Verse – a poem that does not follow a predictable form or rhyme scheme or metric pattern.
Example: “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes.

9- List or Catalog Poem – a poem in the form of a list, that uses sensory details and precise language to
persuade the reader to take notice of what is being listed. Example: “Things To Do If You Are a Subway”
by Robbi Katz.
10- Villanelle – a challenging poetic form that includes five tercets (aba rhyme) followed by a quatrain
(abaa rhyme) and a pattern of repetition of lines 1 and 3 of the first stanza. Example: “Is There a Villain
in Your Villanelle?” by Joan Bransfield Graham.

11- Ode – a poem that celebrates or praises something. Example: “Ode to Pablo’s Tennis Shoes” by Gary
Soto.

12- Lyric Poetry – poetry that expresses a poet’s personal experience, feelings, and emotions. Example:
“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth.

13- Blank Verse – a poem written in iambic pentameter, but with no rhyme. Example: Verses in Romeo
and Juliet by William Shakespeare.

14- Blues Poem – poems that – like blues songs – deal with personal or world issues. Example: “Evening
Air Blues” by Langston Hughes.

15- Nonsense Poem – a fun, usually rhyming poem that makes no sense, focusing instead on the sounds
and the rhythm of the poem. Example: “The Jumblies” by Edward Lear.

16- Concrete Poem – a poem that uses words to form the shape of the subject of the poem (also known
as a “shape poem”). Example: “Concrete Cat” by Dorth Charles.

17- Narrative Poem – a poem that tells a story. Example: “The Sneetches” by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel).

18- Ballad – a poem that tells a story, usually written in four-line stanzas. Example: “The Wreck of the
Hesperus” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

19- Epic Poem – a long and heroic narrative poem. Example: “The Odyssey” by Homer.

20- Imagist Poetry – poems that contain precise visual images. Example: “The Red Wheelbarrow” by
William Carlos Williams.

 EXAMPLES AND EXPLANATION

Example 1 Of all creatures that breathe and move upon the earth, nothing is bred that is weaker than
man. (Homer, The Odyssey) The Greek poet Homer wrote some of the ancient world’s most famous
literature. He wrote in a style called epic poetry, which deals with gods, heroes, monsters, and other
large-scale “epic” themes. Homer’s long poems tell stories of Greek heroes like Achilles and Odysseus,
and have inspired countless generations of poets, novelists, and philosophers alike.

Example 2 Poetry gives powerful insight into the cultures that create it. Because of this, fantasy and
science fiction authors often create poetry for their invented cultures. J.R.R. Tolkien famously wrote
different kinds of poetry for elves, dwarves, hobbits, and humans, and the rhythms and subject matter
of their poetry was supposed to show how these races differed from one another. In a more humorous
vein, many Star Trek fans have taken to writing love poetry in the invented Klingon language.
 IMPORTANCE OF POETRY Poetry is probably the oldest form of literature, and probably predates the
origin of writing itself. The oldest written manuscripts we have are poems, mostly epic poems telling the
stories of ancient mythology. Examples include the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Vedas (sacred texts of
Hinduism). This style of writing may have developed to help people memorize long chains of information
in the days before writing. Rhythm and rhyme can make the text more memorable, and thus easier to
preserve for cultures that do not have a written language.

Poetry can be written with all the same purposes as any other kind of literature – beauty, humor,
storytelling, political messages, etc.

 EXAMPLES IN POETRY LITERATURE

Example 1 I think that I shall never see --> A a poem lovely as a tree…--> A poems are made by fools like
me,--> B but only God can make a tree.--> B (Joyce Kilmer, Trees) 53 This is an excerpt from Joyce
Kilmer’s famous short poem. The poem employs a fairly standard rhyme scheme (AABB, lines 1 and 2
rhymes together and lines 3 and 4 rhymes together), and a meter called “iambic tetrameter,” which is
commonly employed in children’s rhymes.

Example 2 I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked,
dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix, angelheaded hipsters
burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night, who
poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat up smoking… (Alan Ginsberg, Howl)

These are the first few lines of Howl, one of the most famous examples of modern “free verse” poetry. It
has no rhyme, and no particular meter. But its words still have a distinct, rhythmic quality, and the line
breaks encapsulate the meaning of the poem. Notice how the last word of each line contributes to the
imagery of a corrupt, ravaged city (“madness, naked, smoking”), with one exception: “heavenly.” This
powerful juxtaposition goes to the heart of Ginsburg’s intent in writing the poem – though what that
intent is, you’ll have to decide for yourself.

Example 3 In the twilight rain, these brilliant-hued hibiscus – A lovely sunset This poem by the Japanese
poet Basho is a haiku. This highly influential Japanese style has no rhymes, but it does have a very
specific meter – five syllables in the first line, seven in the second line, and five in the third line.

 EXAMPLES OF POETRY IN POPULAR CULTURE Example 1 Rapping originated as a kind of performance

poetry. In the 1960s and 70s, spoken word artists like Gil Scott-Heron began performing their poems
over live or synthesized drumbeats, a practice that sparked all of modern hip hop. Even earlier, the beat
poets of the 1950s sometimes employed drums in their readings.

Example 2 Some of the most famous historical poems have been turned into movies or inspired
episodes of television shows. Beowulf, for example, is an Anglo-Saxon epic poem that has spawned at
least 8 film adaptations, most recently a 2007 animated film starring Angelina Jolie and Anthony
Hopkins. Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven has also inspired many pop culture spinoffs with its famous line,
“Nevermore.”
III. DRAMA Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to: a. Examine theatrical
structures of contemporary drama; and b. Trace the changes and development of contemporary drama.

Drama is a mode of fictional representation through dialogue and performance. It is one of the literary
genres, which is an imitation of some action. Drama is also a type of a play written for theater,
television, radio, and film. In simple words, a drama is a composition in verse or prose presenting a story
in pantomime or dialogue. It contains conflict of characters, particularly the ones who perform in front
of audience on the stage. The person who writes drama for stage directions is known as a “dramatist” or
“playwright.”

TYPES OF DRAMA Let us consider a few popular types of drama:

• Comedy – Comedies are lighter in tone than ordinary works, and provide a happy conclusion. The
intention of dramatists in comedies is to make their audience laugh. Hence, they use quaint
circumstances, unusual characters, and witty remarks. • Tragedy – Tragic dramas use darker themes,
such as disaster, pain, and death. Protagonists often have a tragic flaw — a characteristic that leads
them to their downfall.

• Farce – Generally, a farce is a nonsensical genre of drama, which often overacts or engages slapstick
humor. • Melodrama – Melodrama is an exaggerated drama, which is sensational and appeals directly
to the senses of the audience. Just like the farce, the characters are of a single dimension and simple, or
may be stereotyped. • Musical Drama – In musical dramas, dramatists not only tell their stories through
acting and dialogue, but through dance as well as music. Often the story may be comedic, though it may
also involve serious subjects.

DRAMATIC STRUCTURE The structure is how the plot or story of a play is laid out, including a beginning,
a middle and an end. Plays may also include subplots, which are smaller stories that allow the audience
to follow the journey of different characters and events within the plot. Plays also feature an element of
conflict, which does not necessarily mean a fight or argument but instead an obstacle that needs to be
overcome.

A typical dramatic structure is linear, with events occurring chronologically. This might include:
exposition - introduces background events and characters rising action - a series of events that create
suspense in the narrative climax - the part of the story where the suspense reaches its highest part
falling action - the main conflict starts to resolve resolution - the conclusion of the story where questions
are answered and loose ends are tied up A graph showing how dramatic tension changes during a
theatre performance, from the exposition through rising action, dramatic climax and falling action,
ending in a resolution. Structures can also be non-linear, with the action of the play moving forwards
and back in time. This is done through the use of flashbacks and flashforwards, to help make the play
more exciting or to highlight points through contrast and juxtaposition.
Alternatively, plays may follow a cyclical structure, with the play ending at the same time as it began.
This can be exciting for the audience as they try to work out how the character ended up in the position
they see at the start of the play. Traditionally, plays use acts and scenes to help define particular
moments in time, and a new scene will show the audience that the action is taking place in a different
location.

EXAMPLES OF DRAMA IN LITERATURE Example #1: Much Ado About Nothing (By William Shakespeare)
Much Ado About Nothing is the most frequently performed Shakespearian comedy in modern times.
The play is romantically funny, in that love between Hero and Claudio is laughable, as they never even
get a single chance to communicate on-stage until they get married. Their relationship lacks
development and depth. They end up merely as caricatures, exemplifying what people face in life when
their relationships are internally weak. Love between Benedick and Beatrice is amusing, as initially their
communications are very sparky, and they hate each other. However, they all of sudden make up, and
start loving each other. Example #2: Oedipus Rex (By Sophocles) Tragedy: Sophocles’ mythical and
immortal drama Oedipus Rex is thought to be his best classical tragedy. Aristotle has adjudged this play
as one of the greatest examples of tragic drama in his book, Poetics, by giving the following reasons:

•The play arouses emotions of pity and fear, and achieves the tragic Catharsis.

•It shows the downfall of an extraordinary man of high rank, Oedipus.

• The central character suffers due to his tragic error called Hamartia; as he murders his real father,
Laius, and then marries his real mother, Jocasta.

•Hubris is the cause of Oedipus’ downfall.

Example #3: The Importance of Being Earnest (By Oscar Wilde) Farce: Oscar Wilde’s play, The
Importance of Being Earnest, is a very popular example of Victorian farce. In this play, a man uses two
identities: one as a serious person, Jack (his actual name), which he uses for Cesily, his ward, and as a
rogue named Ernest for his beloved woman, Gwendolyn.Unluckily, Gwendolyn loves him partially
because she loves the name Ernest. It is when Jack and Earnest must come on-stage together for Cesily,
then Algernon comes in to play Earnest’ role, and his ward immediately falls in love with the other
“Ernest.” Thus, two young women think that they love the same man – an occurrence that amuses the
audience.

Example #4: The Heiress (By Henry James)Melodrama: The Heiress is based on Henry James’ novel the
Washington Square. Directed for stage performance by William Wyler, this play shows an ungraceful
and homely daughter of a domineering and rich doctor. She falls in love with a young man, Morris
Townsend, and wishes to elope with him, but he leaves her in the lurch. The author creates melodrama
towards the end, when Catherine teaches a lesson to Morris, and leaves him instead.

FUNCTION OF DRAMA

Drama is one of the best literary forms through which dramatists can directly speak to their readers, or
the audience, and they can receive instant feedback of audiences. A few dramatists use their characters
as a vehicle to convey their thoughts and values, such as poets do with personas, and novelists do with
narrators. Since drama uses spoken words and dialogues, thus language of characters plays a vital role,
as it may give clues to their feelings, personalities, backgrounds, and change in feelings. In dramas the
characters live out a story without any comments of the author, providing the audience a direct
presentation of characters’ life experiences.

LESSON 4: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE Objectives: At the end of the
lesson, the students should be able to: a. Identify issues and challenges in contemporary literature; and
b. Explain the development in genres in contemporary literature.

Eighteen Challenges in Contemporary Literature

1. Literature is language-based and national; contemporary society is globalizing and polyglot. 2.

Vernacular means of everyday communication "” cellphones, social networks, streaming video "” are
moving into areas where printed text cannot follow. 3. Intellectual property systems failing. 4. Means of
book promotion, distribution and retail destabilized. 5. Ink-on-paper manufacturing is an outmoded,
toxic industry with steeply rising costs. 6. Core demographic for printed media is aging faster than the
general population. Failure of print and newspapers is disenfranchising young apprentice writers. 7.
Media conglomerates have poor business model; economically rationalized "culture industry" is actively
hostile to vital aspects of humane culture. 8. Long tail Balkanizes audiences, disrupts means of canon-
building and fragments literary reputation. 9. Digital public-domain transforms traditional literary
heritage into a huge, cost-free, portable, searchable database, radically transforming the reader's
relationship to belle-lettres. 10. Contemporary literature not confronting issues of general urgency;
dominant best-sellers are in former niche genres such as fantasies, romances and teen books. 11.
Barriers to publication entry have crashed, enabling huge torrent of sub literary and/or nonliterary
textual expression. 12. Algorithms and social media replacing work of editors and publishing houses;
network socially-generated texts replacing individually-authored texts. 13. "Convergence culture"
obliterating former distinctions between media; books becoming one minor aspect of huge tweet/ blog/
comics/ games / soundtrack/ television / cinema / ancillarymerchandise pro-fan franchises. 14. Unstable
computer and cellphone interfaces becoming world's primary means of cultural access. Compositor
systems remake media in their own hybrid creole image. 15. Scholars steeped within the disciplines
becoming cross-linked jack-of-all-trades virtual intelligentsia. 16. Academic education system suffering
severe bubble-inflation. 17. Polarizing civil cold war is harmful to intellectual honesty.
18. The Gothic fate of poor slain Poetry is the specter at this dwindling feast.

CHAPTER II: POPULAR LITERATURE

Introduction:

Popular literature contains writings that are intended for the masses and those that find favour with
large audiences. In this chapter, the students must acquaint themselves with the nature, appeal and
social functions of popular literature. It will also talk about the characteristics and the different issues
and challenges of popular literature.

LESSON 5: Introduction to Popular Literature Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students should
be able to: a. Acquaint themselves with the nature, appeal, and social functions of popular literature.

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE, FUNCTION, AND VALUE OF LITERATURE

HOW DR. ELLIS DESCRIBES ‘LITERATURE’  Dr. Rod Ellis- known as the “Father of Second Language
Acquisition” (ASL) (1989:30) defines literature as: 1. The verbal expression of human imagination and 2.
One of the primary means by which a culture transmits itself.

I. NATURE WHAT IS THE NATURE OF LITERATURE?  Literature can be defined as an expression of human
feelings, thoughts, and ideas whose medium is language, oral and written.  It is not only about human
ideas, thoughts, and feelings but also about experiences of the authors.  It can be medium for human
to communicate what they feel, think, experience to the readers. ‘LITERATURE’ BASED ON DIFFERENT
POINT OF VIEWS

Literature is art,

Literature is language,

Literature is aesthetic,

Literature is fictional,

Literature is expressive, and

Literature is affective.

Literature is everything in print.

It means any writing can be categorized as literature.

LITERATURE AS ART FORM

1.IMAGINATIVE LITERATURE

 Is highly ‘connotative’ which means words that used in literary works have feeling and shades of
meaning that words tend to evoke.  Imaginative literature or “literature of power” includes poems,
short stories, novels, and plays. It interprets human experience by presenting actual truths about
particular events.

2.NON-IMAGINATIVE LITERATURE

Means that the words refer to meaning in dictionary.

 Non-Fictional Literature or “literature of knowledge” includes biographies, and essays which presents
actual facts, events, experiences and ideas. TWO CATEGORIES OF LITERATURE ACCORDING TO KLEDEN 
Kleden (2004:7-8) states that literature can be differentiate based on the kind of meanings that exist in a
text

. A.LITERARY TEXT consists of textual meaning and referential meaning and;

B.NON-LITERARY TEXT only consists of referral meaning.

The TEXTUAL MEANING is the meaning that is produced by the relationship of text itself. REFERENTIAL
MEANING it is produced by the relationship between internal text and external text (world beyond the
text).

LITERATURE DIFFER FROM ORDIANRY SPOKEN OR WRITTEN LANGUAGE  Literature uses special words,
structures, and characteristics. Primarily the language of literature differs from ordinary language in
three ways:

1.)Language is concentrated and meaningful.

2.) Its purpose is not simply to explain, argue, or make a point but rather to give a sense of pleasure in
the discovery of new experience, and

3.) It demands intense concentration from the readers. It indicates that the language of literature has
originality, quality, creativity, and pleasure.
LITERARY FROM THE USE OF LANGUAGE AND THE EXISTENCE

 From the use of language and the existence of meaning in literary works, it can be concluded that
poetry, prose and drama are put in literary works article, journalism, news, bibliography, memoir, and so
on can be categorized as non-literary works.

II. APPEAL

 Something that makes the viewers or readers attracted and interested in the literary piece.

III. SOCIAL FUNCTION OF LITERATURE ENTERTAINMENT FUNCTION Known as, “pleasure reading”. In this
function, literature is used to entertain its readers. It is consumed for the sake of one’s enjoyment.

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL FUNCTION Literature shows how society works around them. It helps the reader
“see” the social and political constructs around him and shows the state of the people and the world
around him. IDEOLOGICAL FUNCTION Ideological function shapes our way of thinking based on the ideas
of other people. Literature also displays a person’s ideology placed in the text consciously and
unconsciously.

MORAL FUNCTION Literature may impart moral values to its readers. The morals contained in a literary
text, whether good or bad are absorbed by whoever reads it, thus helps in shaping their personality.
LINGUISTIC FUNCTION Literature preserves the language of every civilization from where it originated.
They are also evidences that a certain civilization has existed by recording the language and preserving it
through wide spans of time.

CULTURAL FUNCTION Literature orients us to the traditions, folklore and the arts of our ethnic group’s
heritage. It preserves entire cultures and creates an imprint of the people’s way of living for others to
read, hear and learn. EDUCATIONAL FUNCTION Literature teaches us of many things about the human
experience. It is used to portray the facets of life that we see, and those that we would never dream of
seeing. Literature therefore, is a conduct for the chance to experience and feel things where we can
learn things about life. HISTORICAL FUNCTION Ancient texts, illuminated scripts, stone tablets etc. keeps
a record of events that happened in the place where they originated. Thus, they serve as time capsules
of letters that are studies by scholars and researchers of today.

IMPORTANCE OF LITERATURE

It entertains you and provides useful occupation in your free time.
 It makes you a wiser and more experienced person by forcing you to judge, sympathize with, or
criticize the characters you read about.

Literature improves your command of language.

 It teaches you about the life, cultures and experiences of people in other parts of the world.  It gives
you information about other parts of the world which you may never be able to visit in your lifetime.

It helps you compare your own experiences with the experiences of other people.

 It gives information which may be useful in other subjects, for example, in Geography, Science,
History, Social Studies and so on.

IMPORTANCE OF LITERARY CRITICISM

 As a tool in literary studies, critic plays an important role in doing studies or analysis about literary
work.  Applying criticism make our focus on certain aspect or element of literary work sharper than
reading as usual.

The reader can focus on an aspect as his interest toward the literary work.

UNIVERSAL CHARACTERISTIC OF LITERATURE

1.Timelessness

2.Eternity

3.Universality

4.Permanence

LITERATURE is a permanent expression in words of some thought or feelings or idea about life and the
world.

LITERARY CRITICISM AND ITS PURPOSE

Literary criticism refers to analysis and judgment of works of literature.

 It tries to interpret specific works of literature, and also helps to identify and understand different
ways of examining and interpreting them.

Study of literary criticism contributes to maintenance of high standards of literature.

It is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature.

 Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of
literature’s goals and methods. FUNCTIONS OF LITERARY CRITICISM  The modern understanding of
criticism is regarded as having two different functions which helps to achieve the main purposes of
criticism.  Criticism is the process of analysis and description and interpretation of literary works for the
purpose of increasing understanding and raising appreciation.

HOW DO YOU DO LITERARY CRITICISM?

Method to Applying Advanced Critical Techniques

Read the work of literature critically.

Evaluate as you read.

Brainstorm which aspect to write about.

Formulate a thesis statement.

Create an outline.

Select quotes and patterns that support your thesis.

Find other criticism to support your thesis.

TYPES OF LITERARY CRITICISM as:

 Such analysis may be based from a variety of critical approaches or movements, such

1.Archetypal Criticism

2.Cultural Criticism

3.Feminist Criticism

4.Psychoanalytic Criticism

5.Marxist Criticism

6.New Criticism (Formalist/Structuralism)

7.New Historicism

8.Post-Structuralism, and

9.Reader-response Criticism
ARCHETYPAL CRITICISM is a critical theory that interprets a text by focusing on symbols, images, and
character types in literary works that is used to discuss in plot, character or situation. It recognizes
conscious and unconscious symbols that relates to emotions, values, feelings to specific images. It
encourages the readers to examine basic beliefs, fear, and anxieties.

CULTURAL CRITICISM focuses on the elements of culture and how they affect one’s perceptions and
understanding of texts. FOUR ASSUMPTIONS: Ethnicity, religious beliefs, social class, etc. are crucial
components in formulating plausible interpretation of text. While the emphasis is on diversity of
approach and subject matter, Cultural Criticism is not the only means of understanding ourselves and
our art.

An examination or exploration of the relationship between dominant cultures and the dominated is
essential. When looking at a text through the perspective of marginalized peoples, new understandings
emerge.

FEMINIST CRITICISM is a product of the feminist movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s. It is the
representation of women in literature as an expression of the social norms about women and their
social roles and as a means of socialization. It focused on the images of the women in books by male
writers to expose the patriarchal ideology and how women characters are portrayed.

PSYCHOANALYTIC CRITICISM based on Sigmund Freud ID, ego and superego, the author’s own childhood
effects the book and character. It is a type of criticism that uses theories of psychology to analyze
literature. It focuses on the author’s state of mind or the state of the mind of fictional character.
Psychoanalytic criticism uses two different approaches; psychoanalysis of the author and psychoanalysis
of the character.

MARXIST CRITICISM applies political science and economics to the study of literature. Grew out of
writings of Karl Marx, who was highly critical of the capitalist system of economics and politics. It
concerned with the issues of class conflict and materialism, wealth, work, and the various ideologies
that surrounds these things. It connotes higher class do control arts, literatures, and ideologies. Marxism
As Compared To Feminist and New Historicism Like feminist critics, it investigates how literature can
work as a force for social change or as a reaffirmation of existing conditions. Like New Historicism, it
examines how history influences literature; the difference is that Marxism focuses on the lower class.

How to do Marxist Reading

1. Look for examples of oppression, bad working conditions, class struggles and other related issues.

2. Search for the “covert” meaning underneath the “overt” which is about class struggles, historical
stages, and economic conditions.

3.Relate the context of a work to the social-class status of the author.

4.Relate the literary work to the social conditions of its time period.

5.Explain an entire genre in terms of its social period.

6.Show how literature is shaped by political, economic, labor, and class conditions.

NEW CRITICISM (FORMALISM/STRUCTURALISM) New criticism was a formalist movement in literary

theory that dominated in American literary criticism in the middle decades of the 20th century which
emphasized close reading particularly of poetry, to discover how a work of literature functioned as a
self-contained, self-referential aesthetic object. FORMALISM refers to critical approaches that analyze,
interpret, or evaluate the inherent features of a text. These features include not only the grammar and
syntax but also literary devices such as a meter and figures of speech. It reduces the importance of a
text’s historical biographical and cultural context. NEW HISTORICISM was first developed in 1980 by the
American critic Stephen Greenbelts. It is based on the idea that literature should be studied and
interpreted within a wide context examining both how the author’s time, in turn recognizing that
current cultural contexts color that critic’s conclusion. POST-STRUCTURALISM offers a way of studying
how knowledge is produced and critiques structuralism premise. It rejects the idea of a literary text
having a single purpose, a single meaning, or one singular existence. It argues to understand an object
(e.g. a text), it is necessary to study both the object itself and the systems of knowledge that produced
the object. POST-STRUCTURALISTIC CRITIC must be able to utilize a variety of perspectives to create a
multifaceted interpretation of a text, even if these interpretations conflict with one another. It is
particularly important to analyze how the meanings of a text shift in relation to certain variables, usually
the identity of the reader.

READER-RESPONSE CRITICISM (RR) critic believes that a reader’s interaction with the text give its
meaning. The text cannot exist without the reader. It focuses on the reader or audience and the
experience of a literary work rather than the author or the context and form of work. If a tree falls in the
forest and no one is around to hear, does it make a noise? If a text sits on the shelf in a bookstore and
no one is around to read it, does the text have meaning? ROLE OF THE READER RESPONSE CRITICISM
The role of the reader is pivotal in the understanding of literature – they can use a psychoanalytical,
structural, feminist, etc. approach to formulate their criticism (anything goes). Readers are active in the
reading process. They cannot read literature passively but must react and therefore bring meaning to
the text.

LESSON 6: Popular Literature Genres 80

Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to: a. Describe the characteristics of
popular literature; and b. Differentiate popular from contemporary literature genres.

POPULAR LITERATURE GENRES:

1.Romance

2.Science Fiction

3.Detective Story

4.Comic Books

5.Comic Strip

I. ROMANCE

 WHAT IS A ROMANCE? In the strictest academic terms, a romance is a narrative genre in literature
that involves a mysterious, adventurous, or spiritual story line where the focus is on a quest that
involves bravery and strong values, not always a love interest. However, modern definitions of romance
also include stories that have a relationship issue as the main focus.

 EXAMPLES OF ROMANCE In the academic sense, an example of a romance is a story in which the main
character is a hero who must conquer various challenges as part of a quest. Each challenge could be its
own story and can be taken out of the overall story without harming the plot.

Example 1  A knight who wishes to prove himself by recovering a stolen heirloom from an enemy may
find himself attempting to make his way through a dangerous wood filled with thieves.

 Once he has accomplished this challenge, he may find himself climbing a tall mountain on which a
group of people are in trouble. He would save the group somehow, and then move on.  Then the final
stage: the enemy’s kingdom. There may be a fair maiden whom he meets and somehow helps or
rescues, or perhaps she helps him. But the fair maiden is not the focus of the story – his quest is the
focus. Each story can be taken out, yet each builds the hero’s strength to face his final quest. These
stories tend to be serious rather than humorous and touch on strong values. Example 2 A modern
romance would include:  The story of a character who keeps meeting the wrong type of people in his or
her relationships or has run into a problem with a current love relationship.  The story would focus on
the struggles the character faces while finding Mr. or Mrs. Right. The whole focus would be the
relationship, although the character may also be dealing with other struggles, such as losing a job,
handling difficult parents, etc. These stories may be funny, sad, tragic, serious, or a mix. The obvious
resolution to the conflict would be finding the right person or saving the present relationship.
 TYPES OF ROMANCE

a.GOTHIC

In Gothic romance, the settings are usually in distant regions and the stories feature dark and compelling
characters. They became popular in the late 19th century and usually had a sense of transcendence,
supernatural, and irrationality. Popular Gothic novels still read by many high school students today are
classics such as:  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

b.HISTORICAL

Historical romance takes place in times long past and appears romantic due to the adventure and
wildness of the time. This also provides value and meaning to the lifestyle of the characters. The
following novels fit in this sub-genre:

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott.

c. CONTEMPORARY/MODERN

Contemporary romance focuses on a love relationship and has a happy ending. There are two ways
these romance novels are written: as a series or category romance (the author writes a succession of
books that fit a theme or follow a storyline) or as a single-title romance. Even more so, within the sub-
genre romance, and as seen in many movies, there can be:

comedy-romance

tragic-romance

satire-romance

serious romance

Playwrights and poets also treat romance with various tones.

 THE IMPORTANCE OF ROMANCE

Romance is a natural human emotion. Sad love songs and poems when one is recovering from a broken
heart can help express unspoken feelings. Happy romantic movies and plays help people feel optimistic
that someday they will also find true love. However, there is some criticism that many modern romantic
stories make people develop unrealistic views about real relationships, as they expect love to be like it is
in the movies. Barbara Cartland was a British writer who wrote 723 romance novels before her death in
2000. While her novels were mainly historical in context, Cartland’s simple format for love stories and
success opened a whole new publishing field, specifically with companies such as Harlequin Romance
and Bantam. The plot lines she used focused on a simple model: handsome stranger, innocent and pure
female, and a conflict that required trust and dependence. The couple usually didn’t get along at first, or
they had a misunderstanding. Yet, the stories always ended in marriage and complete happiness. As a
result, more modern writers began filling the niche and the romance novel evolved on different levels.

II. SCIENCE FICTION

 WHAT IS A SCIENCE FICTION?

Science fiction, often called “sci-fi,” is a genre of fiction literature whose content is imaginative, but
based in science. It relies heavily on scientific facts, theories, and principles as support for its settings,
characters, themes, and plot-lines, which is what makes it different from fantasy. So, while the storylines
and elements of science fiction stories are imaginary, they are usually possible according to science—or
at least plausible. Although examples of science fiction can be found as far back as the Middle Ages, its
presence in literature was not particularly significant until the late 1800s. Its true popularity for both
writers and audiences came with the rise of technology over the past 150 years, with developments
such as electricity, space exploration, medical advances, industrial growth, and so on. As science and
technology progress, so does the genre of science fiction.  EXAMPLES OF SCIENCE FICTION Read the
following short passage: As the young girl opened her window, she could see the moons Europa and
Callipso rising in the distance. A comet flashed by, followed by a trail of stardust, illuminating the dark,
endless space that surrounded the spacecraft; the only place she had ever known as home. As she gazed
at Jupiter, she dreamed of a life where she wasn’t stuck orbiting a planet, but living on one. She
envisioned stepping onto land, real land, like in the stories of Earth her father had told her about. She
tried to imagine the taste of fresh air, the feel of a cool, salty ocean, and the sound of wind rustling
through a tree’s green leaves. But these were only fantasies, not memories. She had been born on the
ship, and if they didn’t find a new inhabitable planet soon, she would surely die there too. 84 The
example above has several prime characteristics that are common in science fiction. First, it is set in the
future, when humans no longer live on Earth. Second, it takes place on a spacecraft that is orbiting
Jupiter. Third, it features real scientific information—Europa and Callipso are two of Jupiter’s moons,
and as Jupiter is a planet made of gas, it would not be possible for humans to live there, explaining why
the ship is currently orbiting the planet rather than landing on it.

 TYPES OF SCIENCE FICTION Science fiction is usually distinguished as either “hard” or “soft.”

1.Hard science fiction

Hard science fiction strictly follows scientific facts and principles. It is strongly focused on natural
sciences like physics, astronomy, chemistry, astrophysics, etc. Interestingly, hard science fiction is often
written by real scientists, and has been known for making both accurate and inaccurate predictions of
future events. For example, the recent film Gravity, the story of an astronaut whose spacecraft is
damaged while she repairs a satellite, was renowned for its scientific accuracy in terms of what would
actually happen in space.

2.Soft science fiction

Soft science fiction is characterized by a focus on social sciences, like anthropology, sociology,
psychology, and politics— in other words, sciences involving human behavior. So, soft sci-fi stories
mainly address the possible scientific consequences of human behavior. For example, the Disney
animated film Wall-E is an apocalyptic science fiction story about the end of life on Earth as a result of
man’s disregard for nature. In truth, most works use a combination of both hard and soft science fiction.
Soft sci-fi allows audiences to connect on an emotional level, and hard sci-fi adds real scientific evidence
so that they can imagine the action actually happening. So, combining the two is a better storytelling
technique, because it lets audiences connect with the story on two levels. Science fiction also has a
seemingly endless number of subgenres, including but not limited to time travel, apocalyptic,
utopian/dystopian, alternate history, space opera, and military science fiction.

 IMPORTANCE OF SCIENCE FICTION Many times, science fiction turns real scientific theories into full
stories about what is possible and/or imaginable. Many stories use hard facts and truths of sciences to:

suggest what could really happen in the future

to explore what could happen if certain events or circumstances came to be or

suggest consequences of technological and scientific advancements and innovation.

Historically it has been a popular form for not only authors, but scientists as well. In the past 150 years,
science fiction has become a huge genre, with a particularly large presence in film and television—in
fact, the TV network “SciFi” is completely devoted to science fiction media. It is a particularly fascinating
and mind-bending genre for audiences because of its connection to reality.

III. DETECTIVE STORY

Detective story, type of popular literature in which a crime is introduced and investigated and the culprit
is revealed. The traditional elements of the detective story are: (1) the seemingly perfect crime; (2) the
wrongly accused suspect at whom circumstantial evidence points; (3) the bungling of dim-witted police;
(4) the greater powers of observation and superior mind of the detective; and (5) the startling and
unexpected denouement, in which the detective reveals how the identity of the culprit was ascertained.
Detective stories frequently operate on the principle that superficially convincing evidence is ultimately
irrelevant. Usually it is also axiomatic that the clues from which a logical solution to the problem can be
reached be fairly presented to the reader at exactly the same time that the sleuth receives them and
that the sleuth deduce the solution to the puzzle from a logical interpretation of these clues. The first
detective story was “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” by Edgar Allan Poe, published in April 1841. The
profession of detective had come into being only a few decades earlier, and Poe is generally thought to
have been influenced by the Mémoires (1828–29) of François-Eugène Vidocq, who in 1817 founded the
world’s first detective bureau, in Paris. Poe’s fictional French detective, C. Auguste Dupin, appeared in
two other stories, “The Mystery of Marie Roget” (1845) and “The Purloined Letter” (1845). The detective
story soon expanded to novel length. The French author Émile Gaboriau’s L’Affaire Lerouge (1866) was
an enormously successful novel that had several sequels. Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone (1868) remains
one of the finest English detective novels. Anna Katharine Green became one of the first American
detective novelists with The Leavenworth Case (1878). The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1886) by the
Australian Fergus Hume was a phenomenal commercial success. The greatest of all fictional detectives,
Sherlock Holmes, along with his loyal, somewhat obtuse companion Dr. Watson, made his first
appearance in Arthur (later Sir Arthur) Conan Doyle’s novel A Study in Scarlet (1887) and continued into
the 20th century in such collections of stories as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1894) and the longer
Hound of the Baskervilles (1902). So great was the appeal of Sherlock Holmes’s detecting style that the
death of Conan Doyle did little to end Holmes’s career; several writers, often expanding upon
circumstances mentioned in the original works, have attempted to carry on the Holmesian tradition.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson

Sherlock Holmes (right) explaining to Dr. Watson what he has deduced from a pipe left behind by a
visitor; illustration by Sidney Paget for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's “The Adventure of the Yellow Face,” The
Strand Magazine, 1893. Photos.com/Jupiterimages The early years of the 20th century produced a
number of distinguished detective novels, among them Mary Roberts Rinehart’s The Circular Staircase
(1908) and G.K. Chesterton’s The Innocence of Father Brown (1911) and other novels with the clerical
detective. From 1920 on, the names of many fictional detectives became household words: Inspector
French, introduced in Freeman Wills Crofts’s The Cask (1920); Hercule Poirot, in Agatha Christie’s The
Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920), and Miss Marple, in Murder at the Vicarage (1930); Lord Peter
Wimsey, in Dorothy L. Sayers’ Whose Body? (1923); Philo Vance, in S.S. Van Dine’s The Benson Murder
Case (1926); Albert Campion, in Margery Allingham’s The Crime at Black Dudley (1929; also published as
The Black Dudley Murder); and Ellery Queen, conceived by Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee, in The
Roman Hat Mystery (1929). In a sense, the 1930s was the golden age of the detective story, with the
detectives named above continuing in new novels. The decade was also marked by the books of Dashiell
Hammett, who drew upon his own experience as a private detective to produce both stories and novels,
notably The Maltese Falcon (1930) featuring Sam Spade. In Hammett’s work, the character of the
detective became as important as the “whodunit” aspect of ratiocination was earlier. The Thin Man
(1934), with Nick and Nora Charles, was more in the conventional vein, with the added fillip of detection
by a witty married couple. Successors to Hammett included Raymond Chandler and Ross Macdonald,
who also emphasized the characters of their tough but humane detectives Philip Marlowe and Lew
Archer, respectively. At the end of the 1940s, Mickey Spillane preserved the hard-boiled crime fiction
approach of Hammett and others, but his emphasis on sex and sadism became a formula that brought
him amazing commercial success beginning with I, the Jury (1947).

The Maltese Falcon (From left) Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Mary Astor, and Sydney Greenstreet in
The Maltese Falcon (1941), directed by John Huston. © 1941 Warner Brothers, Inc. The introduction of
the mass-produced paperback book in the late 1930s made detective-story writers wealthy, among
them the Americans Erle Stanley Gardner, whose criminal lawyer Perry Mason unraveled crimes in
court; Rex Stout, with his fat, orchid-raising detective Nero Wolfe and his urbane

assistant Archie Goodwin; and Frances and Richard Lockridge, with another bright married couple, Mr.
and Mrs. North. In France, Georges Simenon produced novel after novel at a rapidfire pace, making his
hero, Inspector Maigret, one of the best-known detectives since Sherlock Holmes. Other writers who
carried out the tradition of Holmes or broke new ground included Nicholas Blake (pseudonym of the
poet C. Day-Lewis), Michael Innes, Ngaio Marsh, Josephine Tey, Carter Dickson (John Dickson Carr), and
P.D. James. After 1945, writers such as John le Carré adapted the detective-story format to the spy
novel, in which he addressed the mysteries and character of the Cold War. The Mystery Writers of
America, a professional organization founded in 1945 to elevate the standards of mystery writing,
including the detective story, has exerted an important influence through its annual Edgar Allan Poe
Awards for excellence.

IV. COMIC BOOK

A magazine that presents a serialized story in the form of a comic strip, typically featuring the
adventures of a superhero. A comic is bound collection of comic strips, usually in chronological
sequence, typically telling a single story or a series of different stories.

Benefits of a Comic Book: Reading Comics provide narrative experiences for students just beginning to
read and for students acquiring a new language. Students follow story beginnings and endings, plot,
characters, time and setting, sequencing without needing sophisticated word decoding skills. Images
support the text and give students significant contextual clues to word meaning. Comics act as a scaffold
to student understanding. As Stephen Cary, a second language learner specialist and author of Going
Graphic: Comics at Work in the Multilingual Classroom, says: “Comics provide authentic language
learning opportunities for all students…. The dramatically reduced text of many comics make them
manageable and language profitable for even beginning level readers.” Also, according to Cary, comics
motivate reluctant readers. They engage students in a literary format which is their own. Comics speak
to students in a way they understand and identify with. Even after students learn to be strong readers
comics give students the opportunity to read material which combines images with text to express
satire, symbolism, point of view, drama, puns and humor in ways not possible with text alone.

Many students read fluently, but find it difficult to write. They complain that they don’t know what to
write. They have ideas, but they lack the written language skills to create a beginning, follow a sequence
of ideas and then draw their writing to a logical conclusion. Students frequently ask if they may draw a
picture when they’re writing. They are reaching for images to support their language ideas. Allowed to
use words and images they will resolve problems of storytelling which they would not otherwise
experience using words alone. Like reading, comics provide a scaffolding so that students experience
success in their writing. Students transfer specific elements directly into text-only writing. For example,
students learn that whatever text found in a word balloon is put inside quotes in their text-only writing.
Using Comic Life students have a new publishing medium. Comic Life documents can be printed,
emailed to parents or posted as a website very easily.

Key benefits of using comics in education

•A great visual Representation of Knowledge

•Presents what is essential

•Easier to remember a visual graphic containing key information

•Engaging through thinking, creating and writing.

•Perfect avenue for writing dialogue

•Incites students with low interest in writing

•Helps organization through storytelling and storyboarding

•Using visual images convey meaning to a story or topic

•Develops creative and higher level thought processes

•Develops composition techniques through visual-verbal connections

•Enriches reading, writing, and thinking

•Serves as and assessment and evaluation tool

•Sequencing promotes understanding

Example of comic strips:

V. COMIC STRIPS / STORY BOARD

A sequence of drawings, either in color or black and white, relating a comic incident, an adventure or
mystery story, etc., often serialized, typically having dialogue printed in balloons, and usually printed as
a horizontal strip in daily newspapers and in an uninterrupted block or longer sequence of such strips in
Sunday newspapers and in comic books. Series of adjacent drawn images, usually arranged horizontally,
that are designed to be read as a narrative or a chronological sequence. From extraordinary superheroes
saving the day to everyday adventures with a big orange cat, comic strips can capture the imagination
like no other medium. It’s a popular art form that not only entertains but also educates because of how
it can show or explain complex stories and concepts using images and dialogue. Comic strips and
cartoons are two effective instructional tools to use in class with students from different grades. They
are effective because they engage students in meaningful learning experiences where they get to
practice key skills such as writing, reading, speaking and communicating. By definition, a comic strip is
"an open-ended dramatic narrative about a recurring set of characters told in a series of drawings, often
including dialogue in balloons and a narrative text, published serially in newspapers" Story board is a
visual representation of a film sequence and breaks down action into individual panels. It is a series of
ordered drawings, with camera direction, dialogue or other pertinent details. It sketches out how a
video will unfold, shot by shot. Why use comic strips /story board in your teaching: Here are some of the
reasons why you might want to include comic strips/story board in your classroom instruction (see the
list of sources at the bottom of this post to learn more)

•Comics are fun, interesting and motivating.

•Comics promote a wide variety of skills: cognitive, intellectual, social, and cultural.

•Can be used with students in different school grades.

•Can be used to teach different school subjects.

• Can help students develop higher-order thinking skills (sequencing, predicting, inferring, synthesizing,
analyzing, evaluating...etc).

•Enhance students engagement with multimodal texts.

• Make students aware of the multimodal means through which meanings are constructed and
communicated.

•Ideal teaching tools for teaching a target language

•Visually illustrated content is much easier to process, understand and remember.

•Can be used to teach reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills.

Uses of comic strips in class There are different ways you can integrate comic strips in your classroom.
Here is an abbreviated list of ideas we put together based on various sources (see list at the bottom of
this post).

• Digital storytelling: students (in small groups or individually) create a narrative storyline and illustrate
it with relevant graphics.

•Students use comic strips to visually retell a story they have read.

•You can use comic strips to introduce a topic and have students brainstorm ideas

• Provide students with pre-designed comic strip with missing panels and ask them to fill in the blanks to
complete the story. (writing activity)

• Provide students with blanked out comic strip and ask them to write a story based on the illustrated
characters. (writing activity, promote predicting skills)

• Use comic strips to raise students awareness to topics such as racism, bullying, digital citizenship…etc.

• Use comic strips in language learning to teach vocabulary, grammar, communication (use of language
in contextual situations), writing, and reading.

• Use comics to improve students speaking skills by asking them to act out comics they created.
Alternatively, you can engage students in oral discussions about the content of the comics.

LESSON 7: Issues and Challenges in Popular Literature 94

Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to: a. React on issues and challenges in
popular literature; and b. Conduct a critical analysis between contemporary and popular literature.

CHALLENGES FACING POPULAR LITERATURE Literature is in crisis. Perhaps not many of my Profs would
agree with me on this premise, but they are immersed in a literary world where Virginia Woolf
conferences are a big deal and debates over the existence of spondees are heated. People don’t read
anymore. There are a few hangers-on, but even we read less than others used to. I freely and gladly
acknowledge that change in inevitable; the question is, what changes are good, and which are to be
fought? Literature is worth fighting for, but the literati are contributing to their own demise in many
significant ways. Here are some factors and causes of the literary crisis I’ve noticed:

1.Post-modernism.

“Whoah, whoah!” the English prof will argue, “if anything, pmism caused a proliferation of texts. There
are thousands and millions of works produced in the pm era, many of which have literary merit.”
Indeed, but that isn’t the problem. I assert that pm literature and theory have assisted in its decline
mainly because postmoderns argue that text and meaning are inherently separate—can’t get there from
here. It’s all subjective. It doesn’t mean. “All writing is lying.” Upon hearing these statements made by
the very people who study and produce literature, the common reader will say, “All right, I believe you.
Think I’ll watch some TV.” Segue…

2.Mass media.

There is a lot more to do in our free time than read, most of which is easier than reading. Reading is a
task that requires time and effort (usually); you can’t pitch convenience or speed to someone when
discussing literature. Movies are more action-packed (though usually watereddown); TV entertains;
video games excite; the internet always has a myriad of things to do. Why read? Sure, people in the
1800s and early 20th Century read far more than we do, but they had fewer diversions.

3.Lots of books are bad.

They just are. Sadly, it’s usually the brain candy that sells because it’s so sweet (and that’s fine), but it
won’t satisfy. Bad works of literature negatively affect the works that have lasting merit; people who
have had a bad experience reading rarely try again to enjoy it.

4.Rise of other academic subjects.

English is a major in decline in most places (I don’t have the stats to back this up, but I think I’m right),
partly for reason #1, and partly because there are a lot more options for a scholar these days.
International Relations, Biology, Art, Poli-Sci, Philosophy, Languages, Women’s Studies, et al. I’m quite
pleased that there are so many other courses for people to pursue, but it is taking its toll on lit.

5.No automatic connection to a job after college.

This one really troubles me. College, at its core, is NOT JOB-TRAINING!! Go to college to learn, young
student, and become a better person. Money is only money. If you graduate and don’t have a job right
away, that’s fine. You will find one if you apply yourself during school. The disciplines that have an
automatic field ready-made for the graduate are few. Sadly, I would posit that parents play a major role
in this category with the obligatory “What are you going to do with that major?” question. If college is
not the time in one’s life when one can feel free to explore, learn and grow by trying out a variety of
things and find our who one is without worrying about benefits or salary, when is?

6.Inaccessibility.

This debate is one I’ve touched on before: if a work of literature is dazzlingly brilliant but no one can
understand it, is it good? This is the question raised by books like Ulysses (not to mention Finnigans
Wake), The Sound and the Fury, Gravity’s Rainbow and lesser works like The Black Envelope. I don’t
have a good answer–a balance is too much to ask perhaps. However, when the artist writes above the
common reader’s ability to comprehend, readers will be alienated.

7.Overly-academic language.

This is the sister of problem #6. Academics have invented complicated terminology for everything. This
is not necessarily something bad–terminology often aids specificity and education; however, when
academic vocabulary gets out of hand (and it can), then a piece loses its utility. I find this all the time in
literary criticism. Yes, one must write intelligently and engage the concepts, but what I too frequently
find is pedanticism run wild. Critics like to condescend to their readers. The arrogance of this is
outrageous and wrong-headed. Critics, your very job is to educate those few who bother to read the
meager words you put down; make it worth their while. Make your points, enlighten where you can,
and shut up.

8.Death of aesthetics.

This problem became glaringly obvious thanks to Kyle’s post on the Washington Post story about Joshua
Bell playing in a Metro station. People–or should I say Americans?–do not appreciate art. We are
business people. Straight-forward, earn a buck, get it done, work on the weekends, open 24 hours,
overtime, few holidays, work till you die people. Why does art of any kind matter? Well, what else aside
from art slows us down? What else shows us beauty, beauty so amazing and alarming that we have to
appreciate it? From where do we gain insight into existence? Art does all these things, and its decline
will mean the decline of America in one way or many. Is there a solution to all these problems? Yes, and
it’s quite simple, as most good answers are: literature itself. The very best thing a literary scholar or
professor can do is get out of the way of the works. So many books I’ve read have changed my life.
There are multitudes of brilliant novels, short stories, and poems out there to be read, and not all of
them are long or complex. The purpose of the literati is to make literature clearer, more profound, and
more able to be grasped. And for heaven’s sake, we ought to make literature fun because…(gasp!)…the
reason we like to read is IT’S FUN! It’s enjoyable! If it’s not these things, one can just as easily find
something else that is fun. Perhaps this too is what is happening to literature, but the cure is only one
book, story, poem (or even painting, sculpture, musical piece, or song) away.

CHAPTER III: EMERGING LITERATURE

Introduction

Emerging literature is an integration of a traditional and technological driven form of literature. This
chapter will tackle about the different emerging genres of literature in the 21st century, the issues and
challenges in emerging literature and the interrelationship of contemporary, popular and emergent
literature.
Lesson 8: Introduction to Emerging Literature Objectives:

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to: a. Determine new emerging genres of
literature; and b. Discuss the elements and characteristics of these genres.

I. CREATIVE NON-FICTION

The New Emerging Genres of Literature I. Creative Nonfiction Also known as literary non-fiction or
narrative non-fiction. It is a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually
accurate narratives. Contrasts with other non-fiction, such as technical writing or journalism, which is
also rooted in accurate fact, but is not primarily written in service to its craft. As a genre, creative non-
fiction is still relatively young, and is only beginning to be scrutinized with the same critical analysis given
to fiction and poetry. It is a rich mix of flavors, ideas and techniques, some of which are newly invented
and others as old as writing itself. Creative nonfiction can be an essay, a journal article, a research paper,
a memoir, or a poem; it can be personal or not. The creative nonfiction writer produces a personal
essay, memoir, travel piece, and so forth, with a variety of techniques, writing tools, and methods.
He/she is required to use the elements of nonfiction, literary devices of fiction, and what Lee Gutkind
called “the 5 Rs of Creative nonfiction.” The following is a brief explanation of each:

Characteristics of Creative Nonfiction The creative nonfiction writer often incorporates several elements
of nonfiction when writing a memoir, personal essay, travel writing, and so on. The following is a brief
explanation of the most common elements of nonfiction:

1. Fact. The writing must be based on fact, rather than fiction. It cannot be made up.

2. Extensive research. The piece of writing is based on primary research, such as an interview or
personal experience, and often secondary research, such as gathering information from books,
magazines, and newspapers.

3. Reportage/reporting. The writer must be able to document events or personal experiences. 4.

Personal experience and personal opinion. Often, the writer includes personal experience, feelings,
thoughts, and opinions. For instance, when writing a personal essay or memoir. 5.
Explanation/Exposition. The writer is required to explain the personal experience or topic to the reader.
6. Essay format. Creative nonfiction is often written in essay format. Example: Personal Essay, Literary
Journalistic essay, brief essay.

Elements of Creative Non-fiction The main elements of creative nonfiction are setting, descriptive
imagery, figurative language, plot, and character. The overarching element or requirement that
distinguishes creative nonfiction from any other genre of writing is that while other literary genres can
spring from the imagination, creative nonfiction is, by definition, true. As you complete the assigned
readings in this chapter, keep track of the following elements as they arise in your readings: see if you
can identify each of them. Learning these elements now will form a solid foundation for the rest of the
class.

1. Setting Each story has a setting. The setting is the place where the story takes place. Usually, an
effective story establishes its setting early in the story: otherwise readers will have a difficult time
visualizing the action of the story. Below is an example of how a writer might establish setting in a way
which immerses the reader: by showing rather than telling. Example: I went to the lake. It was cool. My
breath escaped in ragged bursts, my quadriceps burning as I crested the summit. The lake stretched
before me, aquamarine, glistening in the hot August afternoon sun. Ponderosa pines lined its shores,
dropping their spicy-scented needles into the clear water. Despite the heat, the Montana mountain air
tasted crisp. Which of the above lakes would you want to visit? Which one paints a more immersive
picture, making you feel like you are there? When writing a story, our initial instinct is usually to make a
list of chronological moments: first I did this, then I did this, then I did that, it was neat-o. That might be
factual, but it does not engage the reader or invite them into your world. It bores the reader. Ever been
stuck listening to someone tell a story that seems like it will never end? It probably was someone telling
you a story rather than using the five senses to immerse you. In the example above, the writer uses
visual (sight), auditory (sound), olfactory (smell), tactile

105

(touch), or gustatory (taste) imagery to help the reader picture the setting in their mind. By the final
draft, the entire story should be compelling and richly detailed. While it's fine to have an outline or first
draft that recounts the events of the story, the final draft should include dialogue, immersive
description, plot twists, and metaphors to capture your reader's attention as you write.

2. Descriptive Imagery You have probably encountered descriptive imagery before. Basically, it is the
way the writer paints the scene, or image, in the mind of the reader. It usually involves descriptions of
one or more of the five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, or taste. For example, how would you
describe a lemon to a person who has never seen one before?

Example: Imagine you are describing a lemon to someone who has never seen one before. How would
you describe it using all five senses? Sight

Touch

Sound

Taste
Smell

One might describe a lemon as yellow, sour-smelling and tasting, and with a smooth, bumpy skin. They
might describe the sound of the lemon as a thump on the table if it is dropped, or squelching if it is
squished underfoot. By painting a picture in the reader's mind, it immerses them in the story so that
they feel they are actually there. Figurative. Figurative language can also take the form of simile: "aunt
Becky's attitude was as sour as a lemon." By comparing an abstract concept (attitude) to an object
(lemon), it imparts a feeling/meaning in a more interesting way. 106 3. Plot Plot is one of the basic
elements of every story: put simply, plot refers to the actual events that take place within the bounds of
your narrative. Using our rhetorical situation vocabulary, we can identify “plot” as the primary subject of
a descriptive personal narrative. Three related elements to consider are scope, sequence, and pacing.

4. Scope

The term scope refers to the boundaries of plot. Where and when does the story begins and ends? What
is its focus? What background information and details does the story requires? I often think about
narrative scope as the edges of a photograph: a photo, whether of a vast landscape or a microscopic
organism, has boundaries. Those boundaries inform the viewer’s perception. The way we determine
scope varies based on rhetorical situation, but I can say generally that many developing writers struggle
with a scope that is too broad: writers often find it challenging to zero in on the events that drive a story
and prune out extraneous information. Consider, as an example, how you might respond if your friend
asked what you did last weekend. If you began with, “I woke up on Saturday morning, rolled over,
checked my phone, fell back asleep, woke up, pulled my feet out from under the covers, put my feet on
the floor, stood up, stretched…” then your friend might have stopped listening by the time you get to
the really good stuff. Your scope is too broad, so you’re including details that distract or bore your
reader. Instead, focus on the most exciting or meaningful moment(s) of your day: "I woke up face-down
to the crunch of shattered glass underneath me. When I wobbled to my feet, I realized I was in a large,
marble room with large windows overlooking the flashing neon lights of the Las Vegas strip. I had no
idea how I got there!" Readers can expect this story will focus on how the storyteller arrived in Las
Vegas, and it is much more interesting than including every single detail of the day. 5. Sequence The
sequence of your plot—the order of the events—will determine your reader’s experience. There are an
infinite number of ways you might structure your story, and the shape of your story is worth deep
consideration. Although the traditional forms for a narrative sequence are not your only options, let’s
take a look at a few tried-and-true shapes your plot 107 might take. Freytag's Pyramid: Chronological

A. Exposition: Here, you’re setting the scene, introducing characters, and preparing the reader for the
journey.

B. Rising action: In this part, things start to happen. You (or your characters) encounter conflict, set out
on a journey, meet people, etc.
C. Climax: This is the peak of the action, the main showdown, the central event toward which your story
has been building.

D. Falling action: Now things start to wind down. You (or your characters) come away from the climactic
experience changed—at the very least, you are wiser for having had that experience.

E. Resolution: Also known as dénouement, this is where all the loose ends get tied up. The central
conflict has been resolved, and everything is back to normal, but perhaps a bit different.

6. Nonlinear Narrative A nonlinear narrative may be told in a series of flashbacks or vignettes. It might
jump back and forth in time. Stories about trauma are often told in this fashion. If using this plot form,
be sure to make clear to readers how/why the jumps in time are occurring. A writer might clarify jumps
in time by adding time-stamps or dates or by using symbolic images to connect different vignettes.

7. Pacing While scope determines the boundaries of plot, and sequencing determines where the plot
goes, pacing determines how quickly readers move through the story. In short, it is the amount of time
you dedicate to describing each event in the story. I include pacing with sequence because a change to
one often influences the other. Put simply, pacing refers to the speed and fluidity with which a reader
moves through your story. You can play with pacing by moving more quickly through events, or even by
experimenting 108 with sentence and paragraph length. Consider how the “flow” of the following
examples differ: The train screeched to a halt. A flock of pigeons took flight as the conductor announced,
“We’ll be stuck here for a few minutes.” Lost in my thoughts, I shuddered as the train ground to a full
stop in the middle of an intersection. I was surprised, jarred by the unannounced and abrupt jerking of
the car. I sought clues for our stop outside the window. All I saw were pigeons as startled and clueless as
I.

8. Characters A major requirement of any story is the use of characters. Characters bring life to the
story. Keep in mind that while human characters are most frequently featured in stories, sometimes
there are non-human characters in a story such as animals or even the environment itself. Consider, for
example, the ways in which the desert itself might be considered a character in "Bajadas" by Francisco
Cantú.

Characterization

Whether a story is fiction or nonfiction, writers should spend some time thinking about characterization:
the development of characters through actions, descriptions, and dialogue. Your audience will be more
engaged with and sympathetic toward your narrative if they can vividly imagine the characters as real
people. Types of Characters: Round characters – are very detailed, requiring attentive description of
their traits and behaviors. Your most important characters should be round: the added detail will help
your reader better visualize, understand, and care about them.

Flat characters – are minimally detailed, only briefly sketched or named. Less important characters
should take up less space and will therefore have less detailed characterization.
Static characters – remain the same throughout the narrative. Even though all of us are always changing,
some people will behave and appear the same throughout the course of your story. Static characters
can serve as a reference point for dynamic characters to show the latter’s growth.

Dynamic characters – noticeably change within the narrative, typically as a result of the events. Most
likely, you will be a dynamic character in your personal narrative because such stories are centered
around an impactful experience, relationship, or place. Dynamic characters learn and grow over time,
either gradually or with an epiphany.

9. Point of View The position from which your story is told will help shape your reader’s experience, the
language your narrator and characters use, and even the plot itself. You might recognize this from Dear
White People Volume 1 or Arrested Development Season 4, both Netflix TV series. Typically, each
episode in these seasons explores similar plot events, but from a different character’s perspective.
Because of their unique vantage points, characters can tell different stories about the same realities.
This is, of course, true for our lives more generally. In addition to our differences in knowledge and
experiences, we also interpret and understand events differently. In our writing,

narrative position is informed by point-of-view and the emotional valences I refer to here as tone and
mood.

A Non-Comprehensive Breakdown of POV FIRST PERSON POINT OF VIEW – Narrator uses 1st person
pronouns (I/me/mine or us/we/ours) Can include internal monologue (motives, thoughts, feelings) of
the narrator. Limited certainty of motives, thoughts, or feelings of other characters. Example:

I tripped on the last stair, preoccupied by what my sister had said, and felt my stomach drop.

SECOND PERSON POINT OF VIEW – Narrator uses 2nd person pronouns (you/you/your). Speaks to the
reader, as if the reader is the protagonist OR uses apostrophe to speak to an absent or unidentified
person Example:

Your breath catches as you feel the phantom step.

O, staircase, how you keep me awake at night.

THIRD PERSON LIMITED – Narrator uses 3rd person pronouns (he/him/his, she/her/hers,
they/they/theirs). Sometimes called “close” third person. Observes and narrates but sticks near one or
two characters, in contrast with 3rd person omniscient. Example: 

He was visibly frustrated by his sister’s nonchalance and wasn’t watching his step.

THIRD PERSON OMNISCIENT – Narrator uses 3rd person pronouns (he/him/his, she/her/hers,
they/they/theirs). Observes and narrates from an all-knowing perspective. Can include internal
monologue (motives, thoughts, feelings) of all characters. Example: 
Beneath the surface, his sister felt regretful. Why did I tell him that? she wondered.

STREAM-OF-CONSCIOUSNESS – Narrator uses inconsistent pronouns, or no pronouns at all.

Approximates the digressive, wandering, and ungrammatical thought processes of the narrator.
Example:

But now, a thousand empty⎯where? ⎯and she, with head shake, will be fine⎯AHH!
⎯

Typically, you will tell your story from the first-person point-of-view, but personal narratives can also be
told from a different perspective; I recommend “Comatose Dreams” to illustrate this at work. As you’re
developing and revising your writing, try to inhabit different authorial positions: What would change if
you used the third person POV instead of first person? What different meanings would your reader find
if you told this story with a different tone—bitter instead of nostalgic, proud rather than embarrassed,
sarcastic rather than genuine? Furthermore, there are many rhetorical situations that call for different
POVs. (For instance, you may have noticed that this book uses the second-person very frequently.) So,
as you evaluate which POV will be most effective for your current rhetorical situation, bear in mind that
the same choice might inform your future writing.

10. Dialogue The communication between two or more characters. For example: "Hate to break it to
you, but your story is boring." "What? Why do you say that?" he stuttered as his face reddened.
"Because you did not include any dialogue," she laughed.

Think of the different conversations you’ve had today, with family, friends, or even classmates. Within
each of those conversations, there were likely pre-established relationships that determined how you
talked to each other: each is its own rhetorical situation. A dialogue with your friends, for example, may
be far different from one with your family. These relationships can influence tone of voice, word choice
(such as using slang, jargon, or lingo), what details we share, and even what language we speak. Good
dialogue often demonstrates the traits of a character or the relationship of characters. From reading or
listening to how people talk to one another, we often infer the relationships they have. We can tell if
they’re having an argument or conflict, if one is experiencing some internal conflict or trauma, if they’re
friendly acquaintances or cold strangers, even how their emotional or professional attributes align or
create opposition.

Often, dialogue does more than just one thing, which makes it a challenging tool to master. When
dialogue isn’t doing more than one thing, it can feel flat or expositional, like a bad movie or TV show
where everyone is saying their feelings or explaining what just happened. For example, there is a
difference between “No thanks, I’m not hungry” and “I’ve told you, I’m not hungry.” The latter shows
frustration, and hints at a previous conversation. Exposition can have a place in dialogue, but we should
use it deliberately, with an awareness of how natural or unnatural it may sound. We should be aware
how dialogue impacts the pacing of the narrative. Dialogue can be musical and create tempo, with
either quick back and forth, or long drawn out pauses between two characters. Rhythm of a dialogue
can also tell us about the characters’ relationship and emotions.

The 5’Rs of Creative Nonfiction Lee Gutkind, who is a writer, professor, and expert on creative
nonfiction, wrote an essay called “The Five R’s of Creative Nonfiction.” In this essay, he identified five
essential elements of creative nonfiction. These include: 1. Creative nonfiction has a “real life” aspect.
The writer constructs a personal essay, memoir, and so forth, that is based on personal experience. He
also writes about real people and true events. 2. Creative nonfiction is based on the writer engaging in
personal “reflection” about what he/she is writing about. After gathering information, the writer needs
to analyze and assess what he/she has collected. He then must evaluate it and expression his thoughts,
views, opinions. Personal opinion is permissible and encouraged. 3. Creative nonfiction requires that the
writer complete research. The writer needs to conduct research to learn about the topic. The writer also
needs to complete research to discover what has been written about the topic. Even if a writer is
crafting a personal essay, he will need to complete secondary research, such as reviewing a personal
journal, or primary research, such as interviewing a friend or family member, to ensure that the
information is truthful and factual. 4. The fourth aspect of creative nonfiction is reading. Reading while
conducting research is not sufficient. The writer must read the work of the masters of his profession. 5.
The final element of creative nonfiction is writing. Writing creative nonfiction is both an art and craft.
The art of creative nonfiction requires that the writer uses his talents, instincts, creative abilities, and
imagination to write memorable creative nonfiction. The craft of creative nonfiction requires that the
writer learn and deploy the style and techniques of creative nonfiction in his/her work. Types of Creative
Nonfiction

Creative nonfiction is about fact and truth. The truth can be about a personal experience, event, or issue
in the public eye. There are many categories or genres to choose from, such as the personal essay,
memoir, and autobiography. The following is a list of the most popular types of creative nonfiction:

1. Personal Essay. The writer crafts and essay that is based on personal experience or a single event,
which results in significant personal meaning or a lesson learned. The writer uses the first person “I.”

2. Memoir. The writer constructs a true story about a time or period in his/life, one that had significant
personal meaning and a universal truth. The writer composes the story using the first person “I.”

3. Literary journalism essay. The writer crafts an essay about an issue or topic using literary devices, such
as the elements of fiction and figurative language.
4. Autobiography. The writer composes his/her life story, from birth to the present, using the first
person “I.”

5. Travel Writing. The writer crafts articles or essays about travel using literary devices.

6. Food writing. The writer crafts stories about food and cuisine using literary devices.

7. Profiles. The writer constructs biographies or essays on real people using literary devices. Guidelines
for Writing Creative Nonfiction Not only must the aspiring writer of creative nonfiction learn the
techniques, but he/she also requires a good understanding of the guidelines. The following are 12
guidelines for writing any type of creative nonfiction:

Research the topic. Both primary (interview, personal experience, or participant observation) and
secondary research (books, magazines, newspaper, Web)

Never invent or change facts. An invented story is fiction.

Provide accurate information. Write honestly and truthfully. Information should be verifiable.

Provide concrete evidence. Use facts, examples, and quotations.

Use humor to make an important point.

Show the reader what happened, don’t tell them what happened. To do this, dramatize the story.

Narrate the story. A story has an inciting incident, goal, conflict, challenges, obstacles, climax, and
resolution.

Write about the interesting and extraordinary. Write about personal experiences, interesting people,
extraordinary events, or provide a unique perspective on everyday life.

Organize the information. Two common techniques are chronological or logical order.

Use literary devices to tell the story. Choose language that stimulates and entertains the reader, such
as simile, metaphor, imagery.

Introduce the essay or other work with a hook. Its purpose is to grab the readers’ attention and compel
them to reader further. Popular hooks include a quotation, question, or thought-provoking fact.

End the creative nonfiction piece with a final, important point. Otherwise the reader will think, “So
what!” “What was the point? It was an interesting story, but how does it apply to me or my life?”

II. HYPER POETRY

Hyper poetry is a form of digital poetry that uses links using hypertext mark-up. It is a very visual form,
and is related to hypertext fiction and visual arts. The links mean that a hypertext poem has no set
order, the poem moving or being generated in response to the links that the reader/user chooses. It can
either involve set words, phrases, lines, etc. that are presented in variable order but sit on the page
much as traditional poetry does, or it can contain parts of the poem that move and / or mutate. It is
usually found online, though CD-ROM and diskette versions exist. The earliest examples date to no later
than the mid-1980s. Description: Hypertext poetry, is a subgenre of digital poetry. Digital poetry is
sometimes referred to as epoetry, electronic poetry, and cyberpoetry. The genre mostly falls into two
subgenres: interactive poetry and hypertext poetry (Poetry Beyond Text). Hypertext poetry utilizes the
components of hypertexts. Hyperlinks are embedded, throughout, or in some cases "each word, phrase
or line." Each link brings the reader to another page "that defines or expands on the idea represented by
the text of the poem" (Hypertext Poetry And 115 Fiction). The links most often stem from the "primary
text. However, some hypertext poems that do not have a primary text. In these works, the reader of the
poem choose the way he navigates the poem through the amount and pattern he chooses with the
hyperlinks (Montecino).

Example of Hyper Poetry: Do You Believe?

I was that kid who has read a lot of fairy tale books Princess with glass slippers, peter pan who fights
captain hook Fascinated, I remember each story my mom read to me I believed one day; they will
appear for me to see.

We all knew a lady who glows in a white silky dress The one with pretty wings and a gentle caress I
eagerly wait for her looking out my window, But she always exchanges my teeth with coins under the
pillow.

A big, chubby, good, old man in red The one who gives us gifts riding his sled Along with the help of his
elves and reindeers The time for enjoyment is here, let go of your fears!

Now who could’ve forgotten this man with and hourglass? Nope, he doesn’t come when we sleep in
class. He guards us in our sleep to avoid nightmares Like the ones with zombies, witches or grizzly bears.
116 Lastly, the cute little guy who loves a good hunting game Colorful eggs, baskets… You know him and
his name!

In the time of the year called “Easter” He’s the first one you will remember.

As the years pass, their story becomes untold Sweet old myths that’s good as gold Tooth fairy, Santa
Claus, Sandman, and the Easter bunny Do you believe in them? Do you believe like me?

Elements of Hyper Poetry:

1. Kairos With the digital revolution, there is a growing number of writers using electronic media to
create and publish their works (Kendall). Many writers in using electronic format expanded to include
the format of the hypertext, which is interactive in nature. Writers are able to break away from the
restrictions of paper (Kendall) and use content and features to create nonlinear poems that are
associated with the medium. The hypertext also allows writers to experiment with elements like
hyperlinks, images, sounds, and video (Kendall).

2. Audience The audience plays an interactive role in the navigating and reading a hypertext poem.
Astrid Ensslin argues hypertext poetry, which she terms hyperpoetry, is the "most creative and trans-
artistic genre" out of all the hypertext genres because it offers the most "multisensory textual
experience." She argues this because it incorporates "nomadism" and brings the reader away from the
"verbal narrative” (Ennslin). Hypertext Poetry is on the trend to become increasingly more popular in
the upcoming years, as more and more writers use digital media to create and publish their works. The
genre attracts users who want to be involved in the reading experience (Picot).

3. Content Hypertext poems can include the traditional components of a poem which are: words, lines,
and stanzas. Most are in the form of free verse. However, the genre also includes other multimedia
components including: sounds, visual images, and three-dimensional letters, which makes it hard to
identify most of the formal poetic conventions (Hypertext Poetry And Fiction).

4. Formal Features Hypertext poems include "hypertextual features" which are mostly composed of
hyperlinks that lead to a nonlinear reading of the text (Ensslin). Hypertext poetry also includes
hypermedia poetry. It moves beyond linking text to other websites, and adds features such as, "image,
sound, video and animation" (Millan). An example of these features could be a sound "of a lawn mower"
with words like "'mowing', 'stop', 'Sunday' and 'morning'" in succession across the readers screen
(Hypertext Poetry And Fiction). These types of features, or multimedia elements, make it hard to link
hypertext poetry to any formal poetry conventions (Hypertext Poetry And Fiction).

5. Ancestral Genres One ancestral genre to hypertext poetry is the hypertext. Hypertexts allow a
nonlinear reading of the text in which an audience is able to have an interactive experience with the text
through the use of hyperlinks, which when clicked on, bring the reader to another website (Christopher
Funkhouser). Hyperlinks, are often referred to as simply links, and utilize URLs, HTTPs, and HTMLs,
(What are Hyperlinks?). Usually hyperlinks are in the form of highlighted or "underlined" (Montecino)
words within the text, which when clicked bring the viewer to another website that provides an
expansion on the concept (What are Hyperlinks?). Christopher Funkhouser expands on the audience's
interactive role with the hypertext, and how based on his, "interest, engagement, and curiosity" he can
control his navigation of the text. Hypertext also functions as a collaborative text by blurring the roles of
author and reader become (Keep). Hypertexts are seen as electronic texts but Christopher Keep argues
that hypertexts are not restricted to "technology, content, or medium" (Keep). Oral poetry shares the
nonlinear shape of hypertext poetry. With each reading of an oral poem it changes shape, which relates
to how hypertext poetry changes for each reader that reads the 118 poem because of the nonlinear
interactive navigation of the text (Ennslin).

Notable Examples of Hypertext Poetry:

 Penetration: Is a well-known example of a hypertext poem. The poem is from the collection The
Seasons, which was published in 2000 by Eastgate. The collection consists of two poems: Dispossession
and Penetration. The poem is set up so that the reader has choice to begin the poem through different
perspectives. For example, by clicking on "daylight" the poem is in the perspective of the daughter (Di
Rosario). Then the path of the poem is dictated by the what the reader chooses after each passage, by
clicking on one of the series of choices below the passage (Di Rosario).

Low Probability of Racoons: Is a website set up by Peter Howard, a well-known digital poet, for some of
his works, some of which includes hyperlinks his own hypertext poetry.

III. CHICK LIT / CHICK LITERATURE

It consists of heroin-centered narratives that focus on the trials and tribulations of their individual
protagonists. It often addresses issues of modern womanhood – from romantic relationships to female
friendships to matters in the workplace – in humorous and lighthearted ways.

There are certain elements all chick lit novels have in common. 

They all feature a woman in her twenties or thirties as a protagonist

The novels are mostly set in urban environments, most notably New York or London.

The protagonists are career-women

The protagonists are often single although they usually all end up with someone.

Fashion often plays a big role in a chick-lit novels. The characters can either be 119 obsessed with it or
the plot itself can be centered around fashion industry.

The book covers often reflect this trend - they may feature articles of clothing, martinis, parties and
other symbols of a glamorous lifestyle.

IV. ILLUSTRATED NOVEL Generally, 50% of the narrative is presented without words. The reader must
interpret the images in order to comprehend the complete story. Textual portions are presented in
traditional form. Some illustrated novels may contain no text at all. Illustrated novels span all genres.

Elements of Illustrated Novel:

1. Panel - A distinct segment of the comic, containing images and text

2. Frame - The lines and borders that contain the panels

3. Gutter - The space between framed panels

4. Bleed - An image that extends to and/or beyond the edge of page

5. Captions - Boxes containing a variety of text elements (setting, description)

6. Speech Balloon - Enclose dialogue that comes from a specific speaker's mouth and can vary in size,
shape and layout

7. External Dialogue - Dialogue between two or more characters

8. Internal dialogue - Thought enclosed by a balloon that has a series of dots or bubbles leading up to it

9. Special-effect lettering - Lettering that draws attention to text; often highlights onomatopoeia and
impact words (wow, bang)

10. Closure - The reader's completion of meaning between panels

11. Long shot - Images that show objects fully from top to bottom

12. Extreme long shot - Images that show images or characters in a really small scale

13. Close-Up - Images shown in a large view

14. Extreme close-up - Image shown in a very large view

15. Splash page - A panel that takes up the whole page of a comic

16. Splash panel - A panel that takes up the space of several panels in a comic

17. Palette - The colors used in a comic

18. Emanata - Text or icons that represent what is going on in the character's head

19. Spread - Two facing pages in a printed book

20. Inset - A panel contained within a larger panel

21. Speed lines - Lines that represent motion

22. Reverse - Images in the opposite position from the previous panel

23. Signs - Text labels written on objects in comics

24. Voice over - A narratory block in which a narrator or character shares special information with the
reader

V. GRAPHIC NOVEL

Graphic novels use a sequence of illustrations to tell a story. They use the same text bubble and image
panel format that we find in comics, but unlike comics which are serialized, graphic novels are published
in book format, and usually tell a stand-alone, complete story. This again makes them different from
comic books which are usually just a bound collection of comic strips which were previously published as
a periodical serial. Graphic novels, are also very diverse because they are a format – so they can cover
any genre and any topic. In the past, graphic novels in any form were generally dismissed as inferior
literature – “not proper reading”! As a school librarian you may come across teachers and parents who
still feel this way about them. At best, they regard graphic novels as something to be tolerated in the
hope that eventually their child will “move on” to more “quality literature.” But at the end of the day
reading is reading and it is a well-known fact that children who read for fun and find pleasure in reading
become lifelong readers. In fact, graphic novels rightfully have a place alongside novels, picture books
and audiobooks as they offer a huge range of reading experiences. Their rich and complex texts also
require readers to examine, decode and combine multiple elements to acquire meaning. Elements such
as:

linguistic (written language)

visual (mood through colours, shading, composition etc.)

gestural (body and facial language)

spatial (panels, layout …)

symbolic (icons, balloons, visual representations and emanata).

So, it may actually be argued that the reader of a graphic novel has to work much harder than someone
reading a novel! Best of all, studies have shown that readers benefit from greater information retention
because they have to decode so many different elements using multiple literacies. This is why graphic
novels are increasingly being used in classrooms, and even in tertiary education. In addition, graphic
novels contain precise and rich language. They demand the authors to be concise. They don’t have long
paragraphs and the constraints of the page demand that the dialogue is kept to a minimum. As with a
picture book no word can be wasted, which forces the writer to be incredibly precise with the written
word. This models excellent writing and offers rich vocabulary because every word matters. As an
English teacher noted, among all the fun and silliness of Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas, just one page
featured the words ‘shun’, ‘redundancy’, ‘eschew’, ‘reiteration’ and ‘recapitulation’!

Advantages of reading graphic novels include:

They engage those readers, particularly reluctant boys, who can read but haven’t yet been hooked!

Provide scaffolding for ESL students.

Increase reading comprehension and vocabulary.

Serve as a bridge between low and high levels of reading.

Provide an approach to reading that embraces the multimedia nature of today’s culture

Serve as an intermediary step to more difficult disciplines and concepts.

Present complex material in a way that makes it easier to understand

Develop skills such as inference and deduction which play a vital part in the reading 122 experience

Develop analytical and critical thinking skills.

Offer another avenue through which students can experience art

In summary, graphic novels are an excellent resource for use in schools. They attract readers with their
visuals and actually encourage reading because they don’t seem as daunting as a whole book filled with
words. They are generally fast paced, and the word-to-picture correlation provides an easy way for
children to expand their vocabularies. The visual elements help early readers to decode text and derive
meaning whilst the relative speed and immediate enjoyment that the children receive when reading
these books also helps build reading confidence. More importantly, comics extend the reading for
advanced readers with the interaction of the written and visual narratives adding complex layers of
meaning. Another plus: the number of titles is expanding rapidly every year, so there’s something for
every child’s interests. Last, but not least, graphic novels positively impact on children’s visual literacy
skills, which are more essential than ever in a digital age. Consequently, it is possible to build a graphic
novel collection which challenges the good reader whilst also supporting those less enthusiastic. This is
the key strength of the graphic novel in a school library setting. They can be acquired simply to broaden
current leisure reading material, or used to support specific areas within the curriculum. In this way
graphic novels and comics have a definite educational role.

VI. TEXT-TALK NOVELS

The story was told through dialogues in the social network. The information of the whole work can be
read at thewebsites, and exchange by chat or using any. Stories told almost completely in dialogue
simulating social network exchanges.

Characteristics of a Text-talk Novel:

1. Cliff hangers are common. 2. Vowels are not written in SMS slang. 3. Plots are usually about love and
passion. 4. There are times that you need to pay for the next episodes.

VII. MANGA In Japan, Manga art is highly respected for its ability to create distinctive characters and
imaginative stories. It is a pop culture phenomenon that has spun off from simply art and comic stories
to Anime fairs, merchandise, and movies. The characteristics of Magna characters have made all this
possible. From the faces and hair to the clothing, accessories, and over exaggerated emotions, Manga is
in a world all to its own.

Types of Manga

 ShÔnen- Boy’s Manga (Pronounced Show-Nen)  ShÔjo- Girl’s Manga (Pronounced Show-Joe) 
Seinen- Men’s Manga (Pronounced Say-Nen)  Josei- Women’s Manga (Pronounced Joe-Say)  Kodomo-
Children’s Manga (Kow-Dow-Mow)
Elements of a Manga:

1. Face The face is the first characteristic you notice on a Manga character. With oversized eyes, an
almond-shaped face, and a very small mouth, the face stands out over the rest of the body. With the
rapid switch from distance to close-up shots, the face is key to drawing you into the character and
keeping you in the emotion of the story.

2. Hair A Manga character's hair is a key characteristic, and therefore needs to be elaborate and eye-
catching. It is not uncommon for the character's hair to be long with many lines and of an abnormal
color. This is the look of traditional Japanese Magna characters and creates a visual dynamism that
separates these characters from mainstream animation that comes out of the United States.

3. Clothing and Accessories The way a Manga character dresses and accessorizes represent who and
what they are. For example, if the character is of a spiritual nature, then they might wear a cloak or a
piece of cloth that floats to represent the spiritual plane. This represents who they are. For Magna
warrior characters, accessories are what define the character. Swords, spears and other weapons
represent what they are. These details are important and should not be ignored.

4. Exaggerated Emotions Manga characters are known for their over exaggerated emotions. When a
cartoon character cries, visible tears fall from their face, but when a Magna character cries, it rains down
in buckets. Eyes reduce in size, and the mouth either reduces in pain or expands if the character cries
out. The same can be said for anger. Magna evokes intense color in the face and steam coming off the
body. Magna characters become consumed by emotion.

VIII. DIGI FICTION

Digi-fiction is a literary experience that combines three media; book, movie/video, and Internet website.
In order to get the full story, students must engage in navigation, reading, viewing, in all three formats.

Why did digi-fiction emerge?

1. People’s attention span was becoming shorter and shorter and that it was important to give people
more options on how they consumed entertainment and books.

2. There has been a technological paradigm shift (from sit back media to lean forward media). What do
we need to know? 1. It can mean that the entire book can only be found online. 2. Sometimes works
include passcodes so that there will access to more information.

IX. DOODLE FICTION

A literary presentation where the author incorporates doodle drawings and hand written graphics in
place of traditional font. Drawings enhance the story, often adding humorous elements that would be
missing if the illustrations were omitted.
Characteristics of a Doodle fiction:  Simple drawings that can have concrete representational meaning
or may just be composed of random and abstract lines. 

Doodling engages the brain's “executive resources” - processes that help us plan, multitask and
concentrate.

It also acts as a mediator between the spectrum of thinking too much or thinking too little and helps
focus on the current situation.

Mathematicians and scientists use doodles to explain complex theories and equations. Business people
use doodles to map business plans and strategies. Across the globe, people from all walks of life are
doodling to help them communicate – to give visual representation and meaning to their ideas and to
help others. Elements of a doodle fiction: 1. Plot – in fiction, the structure of interrelated actions,
consciously selected and arranged by the author. 2. Characters – is a person in a narrative work of art
(such as a novel, play, television series, or movie). The character can be completely fictional or based on
a real-life person. 3. Setting – the setting is both the time and geographic location within a narrative or
126 within a work of fiction.

4. Person Point of View – is essentially the eyes through which a story is told. It is the narrative voice
through which readers follow the story's plot, meet its characters, discover its setting, and enter into its
relationships, emotions, and conflicts. 5. Theme – in works of fiction, a theme is the central idea or ideas
explored in the story. 6. Style – doodles are simple drawings that can have concrete representational
meaning or may just be composed of random and abstract lines, generally without ever lifting the
drawing device from the paper, in which case it is usually called a "scribble".

X. FLASH FICTION

Flash fiction goes by many names, including micro-fiction, micro-stories, short-shorts, short-short
stories, very short stories, sudden fiction, postcard fiction and nano-fiction. While it can be difficult to
pinpoint an exact definition of flash fiction based on word count, consideration of several of its features
can help provide clarity, like its brevity, length, background and purpose.

What Are the Rules of Flash Fiction? Flash fiction is the modern term given to a very short story, usually
one under 500 words in length. There is no standard definition and some people argue the term only
applies to stories of less than 300 words and others say that any story under 1,000 words qualifies.
Whatever the agreed length of flash fiction, it should still contain all the elements that you would expect
to find in a longer story.
Elements of Flash Fiction Explained:

Flash fiction must have a beginning, middle and an end.

For the story to have impact there should be some change in action or motivation of the protagonist.

The reader needs to feel that there is some kind of resolution by the end of the story.

Writing to such a tight brief is difficult. It is a different skill to that of writing a novel. Flash fiction
requires brevity.

An author needs to convey character and plot in a succinct manner and make every word count.

The Essentials of Flash or Micro Fiction

1. The story is short in length. This could be as brief as 6 words, or as long as 1,000.

2. The tale must engage with a reader's emotions. Your characters must be fully developed and not
cardboard cut-outs.

3. Good fiction includes a surprise or plot twist. The ending should be unexpected and not predictable.

4. The story should mark a change or epiphany for the main character. This could be a physical change,
or a change of mind that has lifechanging impact.

Characteristics of a flash fiction: If you’re writing a flash fiction story, it’s important to know how they
are similar—and different—to longer stories. Flash fiction is shorter, but it should not feel too short.
Here are some traits of strong flash fiction stories. 1. Story Structure: A flash fiction story is not the
shortened version of a longer story; it still follows the elements of plot, including a beginning, middle
and end, as well as a conflict and satisfying resolution. 2. Setting: Most flash fiction stories take place in
one setting, as moving between locations uses up too much space. It allows the writer and reader to
focus on the plot. 3. Characters and Backstory: Flash fiction pieces are plot-driven and include no more
than three or four characters. They may include some character development, but too much backstory
can use valuable space. 4. Description: One may think that flash fiction stories are short on description
to save space. However, a strong piece can balance vivid descriptions with a quick-moving plot. Stories
that lack description are not satisfying to read, and a flash fiction piece should feel complete.

XI. SIX WORD FLASH POETRY Six-Word Stories are especially challenging to write. They have no
beginning, middle, or end, but tell an entire story in only six words. The most famous example of a six-
word story is attributed to Ernest Hemingway: “For sale: Baby shoes, never worn.”

With Hemingway’s example, the story structure manages to establish character, conflict, and tone
without direct exposition. Readers are left to their own tragic interpretation when it comes to the words
that are not present. There are four elements that every flash fiction piece needs to have if you want it
to be good. And if you mix them just right, your flash fiction might even end up great. 1. Realistic
Characters/Settings The obvious concern in flash fiction is “how do I make my characters and setting real
in 1,000 words or less?” I have a few suggestions for you.

Show us things about your characters/settings that make them unique. In other words, skip the boring
stuff—your readers can fill that in on their own.

Keep your number of characters and settings low. One major or supporting character per every 300-
500 words is a good metric, and most flash fiction stories only have one setting.

Stick with one-character point of view if possible, or maybe two.

Whenever possible, write dialogue that both advances the story and reveals character.

2. Solid Plot/Structure “My story can only be 1,000 words long. Do I even need story structure?” Of
course, you do, perhaps now more than ever. A solid percentage of the stories Splickety rejects are for
one reason: nothing is happening. Adding story structure and having a recognizable plot can help you
get published instead of rejected.

Here are some ideas on how you can do that better:

Establish a recognizable beginning, middle, and end. Your story can begin in the middle of something,
but the conflict and characters have to develop in the middle. We also need some kind of resolution at
the end, even if it’s somewhat obscure.

In your beginning, start with a gripping hook (just like in a novel) to pull us into the story.

Your end line should also pack significant punch.

Remember: above all else, something has to happen.

3. Gripping Conflict/Tension If you haven’t heard by now, great fiction of any length needs both conflict
and tension in order to drive the characters and the plot. There are two kinds of conflict under which all
other kinds fall: internal and external. Both are useful tools for motivating your characters and moving
the story along by creating tension. Here’s how:

In general, conflict means that something opposes your character.

Internal conflict means that something within your character opposes him. Ask him questions to figure
out what it is. Is it a hidden disease? A hurt from his past? A dark secret? Self-doubt?

External conflict comes from outside the character, usually from one of three sources: other characters
(antagonists), the setting, or events.

Combine the two types of conflict against your character and he’s in for a rough ride— which means
your readers can expect a compelling story.
Not all conflict in your story has to be resolved in the traditional sense. It’s okay to let the reader wonder
how things worked out as long as you plant clues that give them an indication. If you’ve ever seen the
movie Inception, you know what I mean. 4. An Excellent Editor Yes, you need to pay your flash fiction
the same respect you’d pay your novel by ensuring that it is well-edited. Some of us are capable editors
on our own, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t get help here. For example, I run a flash fiction
magazine, have written six unpublished novels, and also hawk my own services as a freelance editor. Of
anyone in the world, I should be the most likely person to not need an editor for my own flash fiction,
right? Wrong. Though I combed through my most recent flash fiction piece (set to debut in the holiday
issue of Splickety Magazine) with unparalleled obsession, I sent it to two authors whom I trust for their
review as well. Guess what? They both found errors and places where I could improve the story. No
matter how good of a writer you think you are (or actually may be), you need to have another set of
eyes read and edit your piece before you submit it, especially if it’s to Splickety. We even included that
provision in our submission guidelines. Here are the practical editing strategies that will help you make
sure your piece is virtually perfect:

Remember that every word cut is to your benefit. You never know when you may have to add more
content later on.

Utilize others: critique groups and partners, test readers, or hire a professional.

Make sure that you follow all submission guidelines. That’s something that publishers really want you
to do.

XII. SCIENCE FICTION

It is often called “sci-fi,” it is a genre of fiction literature whose content is imaginative, but based in
science. It relies heavily on scientific facts, theories, and principles as support for its settings, characters,
themes, and plot-lines, which is what makes it different from fantasy.

Characteristics of a Science fiction: 1. Non-Human Characters It's a cliché that sci-fi fiction and film are
full of aliens. There's a reason that cliché exists—it's because it's true. Aliens are among the non-human
characters that we'll find in scifi. But sci-fi isn't just about aliens. It's about robots, for example, or
people who are just a little bit more (or less!) than human, like Frankenstein's monster. Sci-fi, in other
words, is very much about exploring the limits of being human. What exists beyond us regular folk living
on earth? Suppose there are "extraterrestrial" creatures. Would they be like us or would they be
different from us? And what about machines? Can't they have feelings, too? By focusing not only on
human, but non-human characters, sci-fi writers force us to consider what we even mean by the
"human."
2. Allegory Sci-fi works may be set in fantastic locations far away from where we mere mortals live, but
that doesn't mean that they have nothing to do with us. That's because even when sci-fi writers write
about distant worlds, they're really often writing about our own world. Sci-fi tends to be allegorical: the
best sci-fi works often have a hidden meaning, because they work as a commentary on our own world
and our own social and political systems. These sci-fi writers are a pretty sneaky bunch. They transport
us to distant worlds only to get us thinking about the way that we live in this world.

3. Science and Technology

Maybe it's a bit of a no-brainer to say that science is a big part of science fiction. We'll also add
technology to the mix, because science and technology are big in this genre. Hey, just because it's
obvious (we hear you saying "Technology in sci-fi?! Really, now?!") doesn't mean it's not true. What
makes sci-fi works sci-fi is the fact that their settings, their plots, their characters, their conflicts, all
center around science and technology in some sense. After all, we wouldn't have all of those great Sci-fi
works set in outer space if it weren't for the fact that science and technology allow characters to travel
to outer space in the first place.

4. Time Travel Often, the whole plot of a Sci-fi work is set in a distant time, usually in the future. Sci-fi
writers are obsessed with exploring times that are very different from ours. This, again, is one of the
defining characteristics of the genre. If we're reading a book where things are taking place in the distant
future, odds and good that it's a sci-fi book. And, because it's a sci-fi book, the goods are also pretty odd.

5. Journey We'll find lots and lots of journeys in sci-fi. People are traveling all over the place. They might
zip from galaxy to galaxy, or from time to time. If the whole universe were your oyster, wouldn't you be
jumping from one place to the next too? So, journeys are another recurring theme in sci-fi. If we pay
close attention, we'll find that there's hardly a sci-fi text that doesn't include some kind of voyage. This is
often one of the structuring devices in works of sci-fi.

6. Dystopia Sci-fi writers like talking about our world by pretending to talk about another world. They're
sneaky and nuanced like that. And one of sci-fi writers’ favorite ways to do this is to depict dystopia.
Some of us may have heard the word before, but for those of us who haven't, dystopia is the opposite of
utopia. A utopian society is wonderful: people are free and happy and the sun's shining and everything's
just dandy. In a dystopia people are oppressed, they're miserable, and everything they do is controlled
by some authority. Some of the most famous sci-fi works—like Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and
George Orwell's 1984—are futuristic depictions of dystopia. Sci-fi writers love warning us: "If we
continue down this road our society will look like this in a hundred, or a thousand years. And it ain't
pretty."

7. Age of Reason The roots of sci-fi really go back—way back—to the Age of Reason. That's the 18th
century we're talking about, when the Enlightenment changed the world as we know it. During this time,
philosophers and scientists emphasized the use of reason over superstition. More and more of the world
was being explored and mapped, and it was around this time that authors began writing texts
speculating about the future, and focusing their stories on scientific endeavor.
8. Advances in Science and Technology The Scientific Revolution, which got going in the 16th century in
Europe, had a huge (like, phenomenally large) impact on our understanding of the world. Scientists and
mathematicians like Galileo and Isaac Newton made discoveries that continue to impact us to this day
(heard of calculus? Yeah, we have Newton to thank for that). Advances in science and technology really
revved up in the late 18th/early 19th century, and these advances made sci-fi possible as a genre. During
this time, we learned a lot—and we mean a lot—about nature. And thanks to the industrial revolution,
beginning at the end of the 18th century, technology also developed at a very speedy pace.

9. Sci-Fi Magazines The golden age of sci-fi coincided with an explosion of magazines that published
science fiction. In fact, some of the most popular sci-fi works were first published in magazines that
released work in serial format.

The important elements of science fiction: 1. Speculation The speculative question "what if?" is the
starting point for all science fiction. Many scholars list Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein" as one of the
first science fiction books. Shelley's book gave an answer to the question of what would happen if a
scientist, Victor Frankenstein, used electricity to reanimate a corpse. Other science fiction stories answer
questions about what would happen if first contact with aliens occurred or if humans achieved faster-
than-light space travel.

2. Science Impacts

Science fiction frequently includes stories about the impact of scientific or technological change on
people. For example, H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine" explored the consequences of building a machine
that could carry its occupant far into the future. The "Star Trek" television shows and films portray a
future "Federation of Planets" that couldn't "boldly go" anywhere without the warp drive that allows the
Enterprise to travel between the stars.

3. Setting Science fiction stories often take place in the future or in alternate universes. The "Star Wars"
films, for example, contain many futuristic elements, even though they feature events that happened "a
long time ago in a galaxy far, far away." If they are set closer to the present day, they include scientific
speculation that differs from ordinary daily life -- as in "The Running Man" book and film, which tell the
story of a cop framed for a crime he didn't commit who must survive a deadly TV game show. 4. Related
Genres Horror is one of the most closely related genres to science fiction. Most people consider
"Frankenstein" to be both a horror and a science fiction story. Zombie stories are one of the most
popular current types of horror; some have a supernatural explanation, but others do not. For example,
the post-apocalyptic world of the television series "The Walking Dead" is the result of a zombie virus.
The "Alien" films include gruesome, horrifying alien monsters alongside less-frightening science fiction
elements such as cloning and space travel.
XIII. BLOG A blog is an online journal or informational website displaying information in the reverse
chronological order, with the latest posts appearing first. It is a platform where a writer or even a group
of writers share their views on an individual subject.

Blogging Sites

WordPress

Google Blogger

TypePad Is

Movable Type

Drupal

Ten characteristics of a blog: 1. A Blog Must Always Be Dynamic A common question about a blog is how
it relates to a website – are these two essentially the same, or are there any differences between them?
While websites are mainly presentational, blogs are always intended to engage. A website is therefore
static, as opposed to a blog that must be dynamic. The information offered by websites is presented on
static pages, in the form of an evergreen content that doesn’t require any updates. Blog posts, on the
other hand, are like diary entries; they include a publishing date and meta tags. New entries and regular
updates are key to running any kind of blog.

2. Posts Are Displayed in Reverse Order Unlike with a personal diary written in a notebook, blog entries
are displayed in reverse chronological order – the newest posts being on top. The latest ones push
previously published ones down the list until they completely disappear from the landing page. Older
posts are usually archived on the following pages, but they can also be organized by the month or year
when they were first published.

3. Most Blogs Have the Same Structure First comes a header with the menu or navigation bar to
declutter the page and make a great first impression. It’s followed up by the main content area on which
blog posts appear either by order of publishing or by relevance. Down below are contact pages, privacy
policies, and relevant links, neatly arranged in a footer. A sidebar highlights favorite entries and displays
social profiles and call-to-actions.

4. The Blog’s Leading Star Is Its Content Different blogs publish different types of posts, though a
majority of them relies on the power of the written word. Depending on the author’s intention, an
article is typically an opinion piece, an instructional guide, or a news post. Monotonous chunks of text
are separated with images or videos.

A blog post can also be a picture with little or no text. It’s a common trend in fashion and travel blogs,
though it’s also not rare for business-related niches to publish infographics instead of instructional
articles. But regardless of the medium, a blog is always defined by the quality of its published content. 5.
Headlines Should Be Attention Grabbers Naming a blog post is an art by itself. There’s a whole
philosophy behind writing article 136 headlines – a compelling one can truly silence the noise, instantly
generating clicks, driving traffic, and enticing a reader to read on. Nowhere in the online universe are
titles given the same kind of attention as here.

6. One Rule Applies to All Blogs: Relevancy Though every engaging content must be relevant, this rule
especially applies to blogs posts. They might differ in types, mediums, formats, and styles; in order to
arouse interest or evoke debate, they have to be original and unique; but to be read at all, blog posts
must always deliver upon their promise.

7. Blogs and Links Go Hand in Hand As a promotional strategy, link building is not limited to blog posts,
but it definitely is a characteristic that all decent blogs share. Blogs and links go hand in hand even when
marketing isn’t the goal. Internal linking, for instance, ensures intuitive navigation between mutually
relevant posts, thus providing an exceptional reading experience. It’s about the flow and facilitation of
knowledge transfer.

8. A Blog Is Founded on Personal Touch The word “blog” derives from an earlier version “weblog”, which
initially referred to personal online journals. Before blogs became political in the early 2000s, they were
merely means to make private thoughts and opinions public. The personal touch, however, remains
their vital characteristic to date. Even with today’s universal topics, the recommended interpretative
approach is the one that implies uniqueness. If the subject matter requires utmost objectivity, the
personal touch is accomplished through an individualistic writing style. Every blog author has an “About
Me” page and a distinct signature mark.

9. Posts Should Always Encourage Debate

The comment section is another mutual characteristic of respectable blogs. It’s typically located at the
end of every post, as a place for readers to engage in a conversation and leave their honest feedback.
The ability to provoke a response and encourage interaction is held in the highest regard by all readers.
10. All Blogs Are About Communication With or without open debate, communication is still the end
purpose of each and every blog 137 post. If the blog is promotional, its goal is to attract the audience
and open a dialogue that will hopefully convince them to buy what the owner is selling. If not about
sales, then it’s about spreading the word. Whether it imparts knowledge, provides solutions, or simply
entertains, blogging is a brilliant way of reaching out and communicating with the world. Without any
question at all, such a transformative power of free expression and exchange is the single most
important characteristic of any terrific blog.

Characteristics of a quality blog post Every blog post requires time and effort. The time spent on creating
quality posts translates directly into more clicks and higher site traffic, making the investment worth it.
There are many things that can influence the quality of your blog posts, and it all mostly depends on
your niche, style, and audience. However, no matter how diverse the blog posts are, there are still a few
things that everyone should pay close attention to if they want to leave an overall good impression on
their readers.

1. Thought-out Design We’ve already touched upon the topic of monotonous chunks of text and how
undesirable they are in blog posts. The reason behind this being how quickly your readers make a
judgment about your post. You have just about 50 milliseconds to make a good first impression. Blocks
of text are often overwhelming, and if the readers cannot scan through the text with ease, they’ll move
on from your site. So, make sure to use short paragraphs, break up the text with some interesting visuals
such as images, GIFs, videos, infographics, etc.

2. Perfect Length One of the most common questions about blog posts is how long they should be. The
simplest answer is long enough. Most would believe that because of the shorter attention span of
readers, the posts themselves should be shorter. 138

The fact of the matter is that as long as your post is informative and as long as it answers your
audience’s questions, it doesn’t matter how long it is. If you have a 500-word limit but have much more
to say on the topic, go right ahead. On the other hand, don’t spread out 500 words worth of content to
3000 words. The focus should be on the quality of the content. As long as the blog post offers value to
the reader, its length is unimportant.

3. Original Content Regardless of the niche you choose for your blog, it’s more than likely that someone
has covered the topic before. Everything’s already been said and done, but this doesn’t mean you
should just copy-paste the content. Primarily, to stand out from the crowd, you need to offer a new
approach to the covered topics. This can be done with your tone of voice, style of writing, or point of
view. Going back to that “personal touch”, if you’ve chosen a niche that you’re passionate about,
offering your own unique approach to it shouldn’t be difficult.

4. Great Research Every high-quality blog post requires time and effort invested in the research. The
more you devote yourself to the research, the easier it becomes to write the post. Primarily, this will
give you insight into other’s opinions on the topic, you’ll dive deeper into it, making it easier to form
your own unique approach to it. Secondly, the easiest way to lose readers is by being unreliable. Every
claim should be backed up by evidence, so links and citations from credible sources are essential.

Lesson 9: Issues and Challenges in Emerging Literature

Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to: a. Examine the characteristics of
new emerging genres of new literature; and; b. Discuss issues and challenges in emerging literature.

Before discussing the emerging trends in English literature, it is a must to understand the meaning of
literature. Literature is the mirror of society. In C.S. Lewis‟ words “Literature adds to reality, it does not
simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in
this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.” In a simpler way, literature is
what we see, feel, observe, and then penned down through different genres like poetry, novel, short
story, essay or drama. J. Long beautifully states “Behind every book is a man; behind the man is the race;
and behind the race are the natural and social environments whose influence is consciously reflected.”
Each age has its own characteristics revealing that particular period and its literature: 1. The Renaissance
Age (1500-1660) is known for the origin of intellectual liberty, of growing intelligence and comfort
among all classes; in Long’s words. 2. The Eighteenth-century literature, known as Neo-Classic Age
(1660-1798) also, demanded that poetry should follow exact rules; and proposed to have discovered its
rules in the classics of Horace and Virgil and Ovid. 3. The Age of Romanticism (1785-1830) verbalized
love for Nature in different ways like Wordsworth showing divine element in nature; S.T. Coleridge pen-
portraying supernaturalism; Lord Byron ferociousness; Keats presenting sensuous beauty and Shelley
abstract ideas. 4. Victorian Age (1837-1901) is an era of transition. In the later part of the nineteenth
century and in the beginning of the twentieth century, the growth of industrialization, urbanization and
the advent of the First World War brought the loss of faith in the traditional values and morals, and
caused the colossal wastage of human lives. A time period marked by peace, progress, sensibility on one
hand and massacre of spiritual and religious feelings on the other. Materialism and scientific attitude
brutally murdered human faith in God. It is difficult to define one typical characteristic of 20th and 21st
century. This age is full of experimentation and it is discussed in different genres. The literary canon of
20th and 21st century foregrounds an aesthetic shift which is more transitional; experimental, more
anxious, more liberal and self-interrogating too.

In pre-world war era, mostly writers remained loyal to the trends of Victorian age. Darwin’s Origin of
Species (1859) led the world towards mourning over the loss of God. But a change could be noticed with
H.G. Well’s Utopian Study of A Modern Utopia that captured optimistic mood and gave an expression
that science and technology would transform the world. Meanwhile, Aesthetic Movement gained
popularity due to its being in favor of Catholicism and mysticism. Aesthetes believed in the idea that the
art is useless if it is in commitment with the ideas of morality and standard of conduct. For them “art for
art’s sake” has been the motto of the movement. Oscar Wilde is considered to be the mentor of the
movement and he believed that the motive of art is to provide sensual pleasure only. His plays The
Importance of Being Earnest, A Woman of No Importance, and An Ideal Husband are some applauded
examples of aestheticism. W.B. Yeats‟ prose “The Secret Rose” (1897), “The Tables of the Law”; poems
“The Rose”, “Crossways” are some of the finest examples. As a result of all this, Post-world war
literature faced constant changes in literary trends. No particular school of thought or movement ruled
20th and 21st century. Some literary artisans believed in imitation while others did translation of classics
and regional literature. Ted Hughes translated Ovid’s Aeschylus and Euripides‟ works. Christopher Fry’s
translated works enhanced their already considerable reputation. Works of Munsi Prem Chand,
Rabindra Nath Tagore, Mahasweta Devi have been translated into English and other languages too.
Another trend in 20th and 21st century is Modernism which has its origin in the early 20th century.
Modernists explored and experimented with literary form and expression. They adhered to Ezra Pound’s
maxim “to make it new.” It was the outcome of drastic efforts to change traditional representation
styles into new ways of expressing sensibilities of the time. Some prominent writers and poets of this
movement are Ezra Pound, Marcel Proust and Virginia Woolf. Pound’s poems “Cathay”, “Umbra”,
“Lustra” and “Canto”; Woolf’s novels Mrs. Dalloway, To The Lighthouse and The Waves are examples of
modernist experiment. Modernism has arisen from two movements: “symbolism‟ and “imagism‟ which
highly affected the poetic creation of the time. Symbolism is a reaction against naturalism and realism.
Imagism finds its roots in the aesthetic philosophy of T.E. Hulme. The poets believed in utilizing common
speech; in creating new rhythms and moods; infinite choice of subject matter; excessive use of symbols
and images; yet providing clarity in style. Charles Baudelaire’s poetry volume Les Fleurs Du Mal marks
the beginning of symbolism. Amy Lowell is an American 144 Imagist who promoted the works of
imagists in England. Ezra Pound is renowned name in Imagism and he published an anthology under the
title Des Imagists to promote the works of the imagists. All of the modernists worked very hard to free
themselves from the shackles of traditional monopoly of writing form and content. Sigmund Freud and
Karl Marx are the two who questioned human rationality leading to a change in dealing of characters.
Instead of dealing with characters as action figures, modernist writers started handling them as
someone with thought and soul. This gave birth to another trend of Psycho-analysis. It gave a real life to
the characters in novel and drama. James Joyce is the first writer to fully understand the importance of a
character’s insight. In his novels Ulysses

and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, he introduced his characters with monologues. Virginia
Woolf coined “Stream-of-Consciousness” to let the readers have a look in the psyche of her characters.
This term denotes an endless flow of consciousness and it means that consciousness includes the entire
area of mind from illogical, pre-conscious and pre-speech level to rational and conscious speech level,
including thoughts, memories, associations and reflections. There are many other terms linked with the
stream of consciousness novel like “interior monologues”, “stream of thoughts”, all denoting that the
subject matter of this kind of novel is the inner psyche of man. “Stream-of-consciousness‟ technique in a
novel is better known as expressionistic technique in drama; Arthur Miller employs this technique with
perfection in plays like Death of a Salesman (1949). Jean Paul Sartre also focused on the value of a
character as an individual and made existentialism a famous movement of the time. They fought for the
existence of human being as an individual; as a free person in literary work. The one who is responsible
for his own actions. They believed that an individual is responsible for his life as he acts and reacts
according to his own free will and this determines his nature and directs his life. Concept of
existentialism is fully employed by Fyodor Dostoevsky in his novel Crime and Punishment and by Franz
Kafka in his novel The Trial. When philosophers talk about the value of individual, then Feminist writers
restate gender in association with other categories such as race and class. These writers use literature as
a strong medium to fight for the rights of women and especially of women writers. Toril Moi through her
book Sexual/Textual Politics and What is a Woman? fought for equal rights and understanding for
women. Helene Cixous’ text The Laugh of the Medusa warns readers, especially women, either to read it
fully or remain trapped in the language barriers created by men. Julia Kristeva and Simon de Beauvoir
also raised their voices to fight for women and their rights through the podium of literature. Post-
colonial Literature outshined the International arena of fight for the rights of “ThirdWorld‟. Emergence
of the writers or poets or playwrights from “Black or Dark continent‟ or 145 “Orients‟ stunned the
English literary world. Aboriginals from different colonies throughout the world came up with themes
and plots unveiling the brutal deeds committed under the mask of “Christian Burden”. Not only local
artists like Chinua Achebe in his novel Things Fall Apart or Wole Soyinka in his play Lion and the Jewel
but also white writers like Joseph Conrad in his novella Heart of Darkness reflected their strong
unhappiness towards Imperial government’s hypocrisy. Many British writers believed that it is the
responsibility of ruling government to look after the people being ruled. With emergence of artists from
once-colonized countries, a new trend emerged too, i.e. use of vernacular and colloquial language in
English literature. Writers like Mulk Raj Anand in his novels Untouchable and Gauri; Chinua Achebe in
the novel Things Fall Apart; Bapsi Sidhwa in her novel Ice Candy Man; Kamala Markandya in her novels
Nectar in a Sieve and A Handful of Rice have devised regional languages like Hindi, Punjabi, Parsi etc.
with standardized English. The major reason has been the dire need of introducing the First Nations with
the Idea that the nations once being ruled, are not at all without literature and culture. Also, to show
them how

they mistreat people with different skin color and race in their countries. V.S. Naipaul’s A House for Mr.
Biswas and Saul Bellow’s “The Victim” are the novels that portrayed the struggle of migrants in foreign
lands: how alienated and isolated they feel, how they long for the feeling of belongingness and how
indifferently they are treated. This indifference is a part of all the countries. People not only misbehave
with outsiders but with insiders as well. Dalit literature is the outcome of such ill-treatment. The so
called “twiceborns‟ always misbehaved with Dalits or harijans or untouchables. Unfortunately, India has
been a fertile ground for such discrimination since ages. Mulk Raj Anand’s Untouchable gives a detailed
account of it. A boy with calibre of becoming an officer remains a sweeper because of his low birth.
Omprakash Valmiki’s Joothan, Narendra Jadhav’s Untouchables and Baby Kemble’s The Prisons We
Broke have emerged as popular texts depicting issues of racial segregation and injustice. In Realist
Movement, authors attempted to represent familiar things as they were. They chose to reflect every day
and banal activities and experiences instead of using a romantic story line with exaggeration. Muriel
Spark combined satirical realism with implications of an extrarealist and spiritual dimension in her
novels like Robinson, The Bachelors etc. Samuel Clemens better known as „Mark Twain‟ also was
equipped with realism in his works as in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. G.B. Shaw, Arthur Miller,
Sean O’Casey, E.M. Forster etc. gave accounts of their time’s social, political and economic issues. G.B.
Shaw in his plays Saint Joan, The Apple Cart underlined the satire on the political reality of Britain from
time to time. Arthur Miller through his dramas All My Sons and Death of a Salesman pointed out
economic and social failures in the times of American economic depression. Sean O‟ Casey’s play Juno
and the Paycock also presents the failure of society in Ireland to provide social security to a family
during war. Marxist movement began in early 20th century with Karl Marx’s idea of utopian world; a
classless society. Many writers after Industrialization felt the requirement of a society without class-
struggle and clashes. John Galsworthy in his work Strife dealt with the conflict between proletariat and
capitalists. W.H. Auden was also a believer of communism in his early days and he projected this
through plays like The Dog Beneath the Skin and On the Frontier. Stephen Spender also participated in
communist flow but for a very short span of time. Science fiction is a trend which is the outcome of
totally opposite realms i.e. facts and imagination. H.G. Wells is one of the renowned fiction writers. He
remained fascinated by the prospects that science offered to man. His fantasies The Time Machine and
The Invisible Man show his interest in technology which attracted him to write the science fiction.
Kitchen Sink Drama is a product of 20th century theatre. It’s a way of writing where the protagonist is
projected as an „angry young man‟. John Osborne’s play Look Back in Anger is considered to be the first
play to present the angry young man of contemporary drama. Shelagh Delaney’s play A Taste of Honey
is another great example of such theatre. Comedy of Menace is a unique trend in which playwrights
focused on providing fun out of painful and tense situation. Harold Pinter’s play The Birthday Party is a
fine example where humor has been created out of terror.

David Campton, Nigel Dennis and N.F. Simpson are some authors producing comedy from horror.
Another style of play writing is “Theatre of the Absurd‟ where the action and reaction in the plot fails to
deliver any proper meaning. Samuel Becketts play Waiting for Godot projects this theatre as no one
knows anything about Godot: who he is, why others have been waiting for him, why he has failed to
come, etc. Moral Degradation, sexuality and homosexuality are openly discussed by authors in 20th and
21st century. They have boldness in dealing with these topics. D.H. Lawrence skillfully deals with
mother-son relationship or Oedipus complex in his novel Sons and Lovers. T.S. Eliot’s The Wasteland is a
sermon on degrading system of moral and spiritual values. Tennessee Williams‟ play A street Car Named
Desire focuses on sexual urges. William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies deals with moral corruption of
the society portrayed through kids. Literary artists have become quite bold and liberal in dealing with
hetro as well as homosexuality. After medievalism, in 21st century magic and mythology are again
trending. J.K. Rowling’s series Harry Potter novels, C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, Dan Brown’s
Novels The Da Vinci Code, Inferno, Angles and Demons are a few examples of use of mythology in
modern literature. Pop or popular fiction is plot-driven work written with the intention of fitting into
currently famous literary sub-genre. It is created in order to attract majority of audiences or readers
already familiar with the genre. It is also known as Genre fiction. Famous novelist Chetan Bhagat is a
pop-fiction writer. His works are 2 States: The story of Marriage, Half Girlfriend etc. The focus remains
on becoming best seller and for that the story could be taken to any level. Digital or Cyber literature is
the latest trend in which works of creation are exclusively on and for digital devices. In this trend of
literature, the writer relies on cyber medium like website, blogs or social media pages. Pry is a novella
from collaboration of Danny Cannizzaro and Samantha Gorman also known as Tender Claws. Jason
Nelson is another digital poet and net-artist. Michael Joyce’s 12 Blue and Jim Andrew’s Stir Fry Texts are
some more examples of digital literature. Multiple trends have emerged and are emerging in 21st
century. Some are like adaptations of traditional movements and techniques while others are the
outcome of science and technology. Hence, these ages depict modern literature through
social/political/religious milieus with different genres of poetry, novel and drama.

Lesson 10: The Interrelationship of Contemporary, Popular and Emergent Literature Objectives: At the
end of the lesson, the students should be able to: a. Discuss the relationship among contemporary,
popular and emergent literature; and b. Analyze the interconnectedness among literatures like
contemporary, popular and emergent literature.

The Contemporary Literature (1940s – 1960s) Contemporary literature is a vast group of written works
produced from a specific time in history through the current age. This literary era defines a time period,
but it also describes a particular style and quality of writing. Some see this period as an extension of
postmodern literature, but most refer to it as a literary era of its own.

A few scholars claim this period started at the end of World War II, and this is where the era's pairing
with postmodern literature comes in. The postmodern era began after WWII, in the 1940s, and lasted
through the 1960s. The contemporary period extends to the current day. Although there are a few
disagreements about the beginning of this literary period, the biggest dispute surrounds what qualifies a
written work as literature. The word refers to both poetry and prose, where prose includes works of
fiction such as novels and novellas, essays, and dramatic works. This term also refers to the quality of
writing. In order to be considered literature, a written work must uphold the highest writing standards
and contain a particular beauty and style. Many literary works become socially relevant and have the
power to influence the public. Much of contemporary literature comes from Western authors; however,
the term is not synonymous with English or American literature, and this literary period can apply to
written works from anywhere in the world. In fact, globalization opened the door to include
contemporary works written by many literary figures in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Genres
included in this literary period span a variety of writing forms in addition to novels and poetry. Flash
fiction, short stories, slam poetry, plays, memoirs, and autobiographies can all be included in this
category. Nonfiction is usually not classified as literature, but this era sometimes includes works of
creative nonfiction, which tell a true story using literary techniques. Typical characteristics of the
contemporary period include reality-based stories with strong characters and a believable story. Settings
usually keep to the current or modern era, so futuristic and science fiction novels are rarely included in
this category. Well- 154 defined, realistic, and highly developed characters are important in classifying a
written work as contemporary, and most writing in this category features stories that are more
character driven than plot driven. Contemporary literature features a somewhat modern narrative, but
it also contains a harsher reality. Contemporary written works tend to be influenced by the prosperous
lifestyle that followed WWII, but this literary class is rooted in the devastation that war brought to the
world. A new reality blossomed in the post-war mind, and it included a personal cynicism,
disillusionment, and frustration that is common to this literary period. The Catcher in the Rye is set
around the 1950s and is narrated by a young man named Holden Caulfield. Holden is not specific about
his location while he’s telling the story, but he makes it clear that he is undergoing treatment in a mental
hospital or sanatorium. The events he narrates take place in the few days between the end of the fall
school term and Christmas, when Holden is sixteen years old.

Rabbit, Run is the book that established John Updike as one of the major American novelists of his—or
any other—generation. Its hero is Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom, a onetime high-school basketball star who
on an impulse desert his wife and son. He is twenty-six years old, a man-child caught in a struggle
between instinct and thought, self and society, sexual gratification and family duty—even, in a sense,
human hard-heartedness and divine Grace. Though his flight from home traces a zigzag of evasion, he
holds to the faith that he is on the right path, an invisible line toward his own salvation as straight as a
ruler’s edge. Beloved, novel by Toni Morrison, published in 1987. The work examines the destructive
legacy of slavery as it chronicles the life of a Black woman named Sethe, from her preCivil War days as a
slave in Kentucky to her time in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1873. Although Sethe lives there as a free woman,
she is held prisoner by memories of the trauma of her life as a slave.

The Popular Literature (19th – 20th Century) Most of us have spent at least one delightful and lazy day
reading at the beach or at the park, in a hammock at home or at a mountain camp site. Usually, the
books we choose for such a delicious interlude are ones that have a vivid and exciting plot, lots of
sensory imagery, and one or two engaging characters. We refer to these books casually as Beach
Reading or Escape Reading - and sometimes we even say "junk" reading. But book lovers of all stripes
(from those who love the literary to those who never venture beyond the dime novel) will often have
favorites among the more "popular" books. Sometimes, even, very difficult and sophisticated literary
books are found in Beach Bags and on Lounge Chairs!

Jane Austen was, and continues to be a widely-read author. *Pride and Prejudice* has been read by
many, many people. Despite its universal appeal, this book is considered "literary" and is not counted as
a piece of "Popular Fiction." Contrast that with Mary Shelley's Monster. One of the most "popular"
books of all time in terms of overall readership, movie adaptation, and general icon recognition is Mary
Shelley's *Frankenstein.* It is considered "Popular Fiction." And yet, Shelley was a serious writer, and
this story is an acknowledged literary masterpiece in many ways. (We will be reading this great book in
our class!) On the other hand, Marie Belloc Lowndes' *The Lodger* (another text we will be reading)
was a raving success in late Victorian times but is less well known today - even though the subject
matter, Jack the Ripper, continues to inspire retellings! I use these three examples to illustrate that
"popular" fiction does not necessarily mean "junk" fiction or badly written prose! On the contrary! Much
of the literature that we have loved over the years is truly fine fiction and contains excellent writing. Of
course, there are thousands of pieces of fiction that were once popular that don't hold up so well - and
may have been rather indifferently written, as well. The sheer volume of the fiction that has been
published in the last 200 years leads us, sometimes, to assume that if a work was enormously popular, it
had to necessarily be inferior, too. In this class, I will argue that key pieces of "popular" fiction are still
both fun to read and important to literary study! So how, then, you might ask, DO we distinguish
between real "literary" fiction and "popular" fiction, if some of the popular ones are also important
literature? We can't, really; to a large extent there are overlaps and special cases and so forth in these
classifications. But in general terms, we can always include in Popular Fiction works that can be
categorized as "Genre" works. [You will note that our study curriculum is organized by genre.] If a novel
fits the criteria of Horror, Crime, Detective, Romance, Western, Science Fiction, or Fantasy, then we
usually can include it in Popular Fiction (even if it also has all the traits of Literary Fiction). Beyond the
large-scale genres that we easily recognize, publishers also define genre books by very specific sub-
genres. British novels, for instance, in which we never see the murder are called "Tea Cozy Crime
Novels"

WHEN DOES POPULAR FICTION BEGIN? The formal, publishing category of "Popular Fiction" begins in
the 19th Century - a time when wider literacy and cheaper printing make books available to middle-and-
lower-class readers. But, if we just look at the phenomena of popular stories, genre literature goes back
to the earliest folk tales and continues in privately-circulated manuscripts throughout history. We think
of "Tarzan" as being a creature of the 20th Century - a "popular" hero. Still and all, the concept of the
"wild man of the forest" shows up in tales from our earliest beginnings. Enkidu, the friend of Gilgamesh
(in the epic tale of Gilgamesh), was a rough and wild outsider, raised in the forest. The oldest surviving
manuscripts that tell this story are from a couple of eons ago, but we know they came originally from
ancient Sumerian times - 3000 BC or thereabouts! (This epic also includes an account of "The Flood" -
another popular tale!) So we do know that stories which engage the attention of many people over time
have always existed and continue to inspire popular literature. We have always been fascinated with
Romances, with Adventures, with Ghosts and Monsters and Crimes. However, once the "book" became
a part of entertainment options for the masses, though, we had a flowering of new stories and themes.
Some of these themes (the Science Fiction aspects of *Frankenstein*, for example) would not have been
possible in the world before 1800. The same is true of the Cowboy/Western genre. It was the rather
new and unexplored territory of American expansion that gave rise to the legends and novels about
cowpunchers. And, after 1900, when American Literature came to be appreciated and American writers
challenged the dominance of British writers in English, the categories, and the differences between
"literature" and "dime fiction" became muddier. Also, after 1900, a wider readership and better
distribution of books encouraged the recognition of even more new movements, genres, and writers.
Jack the Ripper in the London Fog Infamous murderer Jack the Ripper killed at least five London female
prostitutes in 1888. Never captured, his identity is one of English's most famous unsolved mysteries.

The Great Gatsby is a story about the impossibility of recapturing the past and also the difficulty of
altering one’s future.

To Kill a Mockingbird, novel by Harper Lee, published in 1960. Enormously popular, it was translated into
some 40 languages and sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. In 1961 it won a Pulitzer Prize. The
novel was praised for its sensitive treatment of a child’s awakening to racism and prejudice in the
American South.

The Emergent Literature (21st century – present) In the modern parlance, the term is associated with its
academic context, referring to the enduring works of fiction, philosophy, history, etc. that have been
studied for generations and shaped the foundations of our thought. Yet literature by its definition
includes any and all written works, a fact that has never been more relevant than in our current Internet
age, when the written word is more accessible and democratic than ever before. The “death of print”
has been much heralded over the past decade, precipitated by the rising accessibility of devices like
tablets and smartphones that have made the electronic medium cheaper and more universal. Book
sales, as well as magazine and newspaper subscriptions, have diminished, but our appetite for
information has grown larger and more impetuous.

Major journalistic sources, which have always thrived off a mixture of concision and theatrics, have
adapted to this shift. Twitter has created something of its own literary form, offering the use of hash
tags to help convey a message within 160 characters. Blogs have afforded both individual writers and
organizations, established or not, the opportunity of free publication. The hyper-textual nature of the
Internet, aided by now ubiquitous social media, helps keep discussion flowing both around the world
and around the clock. Online forums, which once belonged to a niche of dedicated computer
enthusiasts, have been incorporated by most major news sites. More “traditional” forms of literature,
including novels, plays, and poetry, have been less successful in conforming to new technology. Various
forms of “electronic literature,” including hypertext (interactive fiction), animated poetry, and even SMS
(text-message) fiction have grown yet still exist within a small niche. The dynamics commanded by the
continuous change of technological progress, the incredible rate of advancement and the rapid shift of
values which run pari passu with it, have kinesis as their key characteristic: a circulation of information
and people where almost everything is dissolvable and dispensable. But we have lost the optimism of
the unifying potential of this kinesis. It has altered any notions of romanticism. Such a literary exercise is
seen most in how authors have dealt with a post-9/11 world. Terrorism, clash and binding factors
between civilizations or populist and cheap criticism have dominated these early years of the 21st
century. Science fiction, therefore, has been rising in all its glory. This is because the dialectic between
the world and the materiality of language which “describes” it centers its attention on the multiple
fragmentation of a cultural “I”. The actant and his metamorphoses, in parallel with technological
advancement, become a decanted discourse. It fights against its obsolescence by swapping our
economic and social fabric with the unfamiliar. This destiny has actually been weaved since the 1950s.
The rise of science fiction is not disconnected from what the Theatre of the Absurd had already
implemented. Entangled between the boundaries of modernism and post-modernism, Camus’s concept
of Absurd, Beckett and Ionesco, among others, depart from the promises of a better man, his axiomatic
language, and run through existential discourses on his failure and consequent world view. Kerouac’s
“Beat Generation”, along with William S. Burroughs, dealt precisely with the roots of this fragmentation.
The internet has made it possible for students to take these non-traditional texts as revisit them so that
they may analyze them. We are transcending the limitations of print-based texts into this incredible
realm of possibility through advancing technology. Therefore, although literature has to change with
society, authors are still trying to address immutable human questions in new ways and reconcile them
with the ever-changing technology that surrounds us.

Tribulation of a Cashier by Anna Sam Tribulations of a Cashier is a sociological study of the grocery store
world from the viewpoint of the checkout girl. In a kind of supermarket Cinderella story, a cashier in
France has become a literary sensation. Anna Sam has turned her ungratifying job into a humorous
memoir. Now, her book has been translated into 16 languages and turned the 29-year-old into the
author she has always wanted to be.

Indie film Spork, about a female-identified intersexed person trying to deal with mean girls in junior
high, isn't just a smart comedy with posthuman overtones. It represents the birth of a new subgenre:
Bitpunk.

Brandon J. Mendelson, author of The Falcon Can Hear The Falconer