21st Ce 21st Cent ntur ury y Li Lite tera ratu ture re – all literary works written and published at the latter part of the 21st century (from 2001 onwards). These works are often characteried as !ender
sensiti"e# technolo!ically alludin!# culturally pluralistic# operates on the e$treme reality or e$treme fiction# and %uestions con"entions and supposedly absolute norms.
&ational Literature ' a literature that reflects the history and culture of a country, usually created by its local writers. According to Rev.. Harley Rev Dewart, a national lilitterature is
an essential element in the formation of national character. It is not merely the record of a country’s mental progress; it is the epression of its intellectual life, the bond of national unity,
and the guide of national energy. It may be fairly !uestioned, whether the whole range of history presents the spectacle of a people firmly united politically, without the
subtle but powerful cement of a patriotic literature.
Literary istory " the historical development of writings in prose or poetry which attempts to provide entertainment, enlightenment, or instruction to the reader#hearer#observer, as
well as the development of the literary techni!ues used in the communication of these pieces.
Literary Traditions " it is a collection of wor$s that have an underlying interconnectedness and coherence that ma$es them more than simply a group of wor$s sharing geography or
group. Irish poetry and drama, for eample, etend over several centuries, involving writers with a range of voices and preoccupations; and yet it is often thought that they are
distinctively %Irish.% &his means that you can have someone who doesn't come from Ireland, perhaps doesn't even have Irish ancestors, but they can write in the Irish (iterary &radition
because they will draw on the same references, structure, mythology, focal points for cultural meanings and historical moments.
Literary enre " a category of literary composition. )enres may be determined by literary techni!ue, tone, content, or even *as in the case of fiction+ length. &he distinctions between
genres and categories are fleible and loosely defined, often with subgroups. &he most general genres in literature are *in loose chronological order+ epic, tragedy, comedy, and
creative nonfiction. &hey can all be in the form of prose or poetry. Additionally, a genre such as satire, allegory or pastoral might appear in any of the above, not only as a sub"
genre, but as a miture of genres. inally, they are defined by the general cultural movement of the historical period in which they were composed. )enre should not be
confused with age categories, by which literature may be classified as either adult, young" adult, or children's. &hey also must not be confused with
format, such as graphic novel or picture boo$.
Literary *lements " refers to particular identifiable characteristics of a whole tet. &hey are not -used, per se, by authors; they represent the elements of storytelling which
are common to all literary and narrative forms. or eample, every story has a theme, every story has a setting, every story has a conflict, every story is written from a particular point"of"
view, etc. In order to be discussed legitimately as part of a tetual analysis, literary elements must be specifically identified for that particular tet.
+i!ures ,f -peech " also $nown as figurative language, it creates figures *pictures+ in the mind of the reader or listener. &hese pictures help convey the meaning faster and more vividly
than words alone. /e use figures of speech in %figurative language% to add colour and interest, and to awa$en the imagination. igurative language is everywhere, from
classical wor$s li$e 0ha$espeare or the 1ible, to everyday speech, pop music and television commercials. It ma$es the reader or listener use their imagination and
understand much more than the plain words. igurative language is the opposite of literal language. (iteral language means eactly what is says. igurative language means
something different to *and usually more than+ what it says on the surface.
obile /hone Te$t Tula " a particular eample of this poem is a tanaga, a type of ilipino poem, consisting of four lines with seven syllables each with the same rhyme at the end of
each line " that is to say a 2"2"2" 2 syllabic verse, with an AA11 rhyme scheme. &he modern tanaga still uses the 2222 syllable count, but rhymes range from dual rhyme forms3 AA11,
A1A1, A11A; to freestyle forms such as AAA1, 1AAA, or A14D. Tanagas do not have titles traditionally because the tanaga should spea$ for itself. However,
moderns can opt to give them titles.
Conte$t " anything beyond the specific words of a literary wor$ that may be relevant to understanding the meaning. 4ontets may be economic, social, cultural, historical,
literary, biographical, etc. *e.g. the political contet of the rule of 5li6abeth and 7ames, the religious contet of 4alvinism, the social contet of homoseual relations and cross"
dressing and the literary contet of Renaissance literature, for eample, all have significant implications for understanding the words of 0ha$espeare+
io!raphical Conte$t " same as authorial contet. 1iographical contet places a particular literary wor$ within the contet of the author’s life. 4onsider the circumstances
under which the literary wor$ was written. /hile eploring biographical contet, useful sources include biographies of the author, autobiographies or memoirs by the author or by
people who $new him or her, and critical wor$s that give close attention to the author’s life.
Lin!uistic Conte$t " discourse that surrounds a language unit and helps to determine its interpretation.
-ociocultural Conte$t " i t i s evident when literary wor$s respond in some way to the society in which they were written, and most often *though not always+ that response ta$es
the form of criticism. 0ociocultural contet is about how a particular literary wor$ depicts society. 0ources you might investigate include wor$s *boo$s and articles+ of history or
sociology that tal$ about the strengths, wea$nesses, and changes occurring in the society during the period in which the literary wor$ is set, and critical wor$s that emphasi6e the
connection between the society and the literary wor$.
,ral istory esearch " a method of research where the memories of living people about events or social conditions which they eperienced in their earlier lives are taped and
preserved as historical evidence;oral history "historical information, usually tape" recorded or videotaped, obtained in interviews with persons having first"hand
