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Characteristics of World
Literature

Rex Curriculum Resource WWW.REX.COM.PH
Characteristics of World Literature
The German poet, novelist, and philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
is the first person to use the term “world literature” to refer to literary works
published and read across the globe.
Early nineteenth century
The word weltliteratur (world literature) first appeared in his essays where he
described the international circulation of Europe’s literary works as well as non-
western literature.
Literature
 is said to be a product of humanity’s great mind.
 is an expression of emotions and embodiment of values, custom, culture,
language, and demography.

From Goethe’s time, literary works continued to flourish across the world and
vastly contributed to the progress of the concept of world literature up until the
21st century.
In accordance with the Gregorian calendar, 21st century is the current century
of the Anno Domini Era or the Common Era. The time frame began on
January 01, 2001 and ends on December 31, 2100. Thus, 21st century
literature can be simply defined as any literary work created in 21st century
era.

Literature and Language
Language is a medium of communication. Authors and writers use language to
express their thoughts or ideas and communicate them to their audience. It is said that
language is also the medium of literature. Without language, there would be no
literature. This idea makes language and literature inseparable.
The circulation of literary works into the wider world beyond their country of
origin is one of the concepts of world literature. When a literary piece is written in a
vernacular language or the local language, the transcription into a common language
becomes inevitable to enable the written work to deliver its message and intent. English is
only one of the many languages a literary piece can be translated to.

Some works across the world that have been translated for wider publication
and circulation:
Literary Works Authors Points of Origin Translators
Scheherazade Haruki Murakami Japan Ted Gooseen
Their Last Visitor Kim Young-ha South Korea Dafna Zur
Like Hercules Ana Maria Shua Argentina Steven J. Stewart
The Desert of Atacama V Raúl Zurita Chile Anna Deeny

Literature, Culture, and Demography
Literature is a slice of life. It becomes a reflection of society as it projects human
behavior, culture, and traditions. Literary works that have been made by different writers are
the mirror of their own value of culture and society.
Example:
The epic Beowulf is a reflection of its origin’s demography and culture. Through the
character and adventures of the epic hero, Beowulf, the poem was able to embody the
values and ideals of the Anglo- Saxon era, such as bravery, honor, loyalty, and duty.
Moreover, the origin of Beowulf in the story, along with the various settings of his quest,
features the demographical background of its country of origin, Scandinavia, known today
as Sweden.

Studying the sociocultural
contexts of the tex
manner of decoding and identifying the
cultural and societal background of the text
done to understand the texts
thoroughly and appreciate them better
To understand the form or genre of a text, one can ask the following questions:
1. What is the writing style that the author used?
2. How is the work or idea organized or arranged?
3. What are the ways the works are being expressed?

Main Literary Forms
A. Poetry
 a literary genre where the thoughts or ideas of the author or writer are
arranged in a creative manner.
 depicts emotions and feelings.
 has main elements such as rhyme, meter, lines, stanza, and persona.
 In writing poetry, the mood or theme and elements are important.
Kinds of a poem:
 Sonnet – a form of poetry that consists of 14 lines
Examples: “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day (Sonnet 18)” by
William Shakespeare; “How Do I Love Thee?” by Elizabeth Barrett
Browning; “Sonnet 75” by Edmund Spenser

 Elegy – a form of poetry that expresses lament and mourning for the dead as well
as expression of grief
Examples: “Lycidas” by John Milton; “Elegy Written in a Country
Churchyard” by Thomas Gray
 Lyric – a poem that aims to express heightened feelings and emotions; a state of
mind or perception
Examples: “If I Could Tell You” by W.H. Auden; “The World is Too Much
with Us” by William Wordsworth
 Ode – a poem that expresses noble feeling, dignity, and praises
Examples: “Ode to a Nightingale” by John Keats; “Ode to the West Wind” by
Percy Bysshe Shelley; “Ode to Sadness” by Pablo Neruda

 Ballad – a narrative verse that can be poetic or musical
Examples: “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe; “La Belle Dame sans Merci”
by John Keats; “Ballad of the Goodly Fere” by Ezra Pound
 Pastoral – a poem that shows the life of shepherds and farmersz
Examples: “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” by Christopher
Marlowe; “Leaves of Grass” by Walt Whitman

Examples: The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe; The Gift of the Magi by O.
Henry; Rules of the Game by Amy Tan
 Novel – a fiction work that is usually long and deals with human life and experiences
Examples: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy; To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee;
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
B. Fiction
 is produced by the imaginative mind of an author.
 Short story – presents a sequence of events also known as the plot. The major
elements of a short story are characters, setting, plot, point of view, and theme.

C. Nonfiction
 This is a realistic view of people’s lives, experiences, and real events.
 Biography – the story or life events of a person told by another person
 Autobiography – the story or life events told by the author himself or herself
 Essay – an example of a nonfiction work about a particular subject or topic
Examples: Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller; Hamlet by William
Shakespeare; Oedipus Rex by Sophocles; A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine
Hansberry; A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen
 It is a classical literary genre that tells a narrative using dialogues and is meant
to be performed on stage.
D. Drama

Literary Genres in the 21st Century
A. Creative nonfiction
 a true story told creatively using the elements and style of nonfiction
Examples: Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi, The Glass
Castle by Jeanette Walls and Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez
B. Hyper poetry
 a new literary genre of poems that uses the computer as the medium
Examples: Writing to Onegin by Ruth Padel
Penetration by Robert Kendall

C. Textula
 a literary work usually written on a mobile phone.
Examples: Textula ng Pasasalamat ni Frank G. Rivera, Ang Makata sa
Cellphone
D. Chick lit
 also known as chick literature where the narrative is centered on a heroine
and focuses on her trials, adventures, and tribulations
Examples: The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella, The Devil Wears
Prada by Lauren Weisberger and Twenties Girl by
Sophie Kinsella

E. Speculative fiction
 a broad genre that encompasses themes with speculative elements that do not
exist in the real world, such as futuristic, imaginative realms and supernatural
phenomenon and characters
Examples: 1984 by George Orwell
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
F. Blog
 an online journal where writers and authors can post and share their works
Examples: WordPress.org
Weebly.com

1. Who first used the words “world literature”?
A. Chaucer C. Milton
B. Goethe D. Kundera
2. Which literary genre has stanzas, lines, and rhythm?
A. drama C. mythology
B. fiction D. poetry
3. Which genre has the realistic view of peoples’ experiences and real events?
A. drama C. nonfiction
Activity
Choose the letter of the correct answer.

4. What kind of poetry expresses lament and mourning for the dead as well as
expression of grief?
A. elegy C. psalm
B. ode D. sonnet
5. Which fiction work is usually long and deals with human life and experiences?
A. biography C. mythology
B. legend D. novel
6. Which literary genre has a story that was centered on a heroine or a female
protagonist?
A. blog C. hyper poetry
B. chick lit D. speculative fiction

1. Who first used the words “world literature”?
A. Chaucer C. Milton
B. Goethe D. Kundera
2. Which literary genre has stanzas, lines, and rhythm?
A. drama C. mythology
3. Which genre has the realistic view of peoples’ experiences and real events?
A. drama C. nonfiction
ANSWER KEY

4. What kind of poetry expresses lament and mourning for the dead as well as
expression of grief?
A. elegy C. psalm
B. ode D. sonnet
5. Which fiction work is usually long and deals with human life and experiences?
A. biography C. mythology
B. legend D. novel
6. Which literary genre has a story that was centered on a heroine or a female
protagonist?
A. blog C. hyper poetry
B. chick lit D. speculative fiction
ANSWER KEY

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