AguidetoappreciatingEnglishliterature.pptVIP

A guide to appreciating English literature Part 1 An overall guide to appreciating literature 1 What is literature? To some extent, literature may be briefly defined as fictional texts in the form of language artistically employed to achieve identifiable literary qualities and convey meaningful messages. 14th cent.:in a sense of polite learning through reading; a man of literature= a man of letters: a man of wide reading→literacy; Mid-18th cent. : the practice and profession of writing; Since 19th cent.: the high skills of writing with exuberant imagination. 1.1 Types of literature Literature may be classified into four categories or genres: (1) prose fiction (2) poetry (3) drama (4) nonfiction prose 1.1.1 Prose fiction Prose fiction, or narrative fiction: includes myths, parables, romantics, novels and short stories. The essence of prose fiction: is narration, the relating of a sequence of events or actions.expansively use language 1.1.2 Poetry Poetry strives towards brevity. It offers the reader high point s of emotion, reflection, thought, and feeling with compacted syntax. Very often, poetry expresses the most powerful and deeply felt experiences of human beings. Many exquisite poems become our lifelong friends, and we visit them over and over again for insight, understanding, and peaceful reflection about out life. 1.1.3 Drama Drama: is literature designed for stage or film presentation by actors for the benefit and delight of the audience. The essence of drama: is the development of character and situation through speech and action. 1.1.4Nonfiction prose The first three → imaginative literature While nonfiction prose consists of: essays, new reports, feature articles, historical and biographical works, and the like. The main purpose of nonfiction pose →to present truth, and make logical conclusions about the factual world of history, science, and current events. Essencial