LESSON 2
THEORY OF LITERATURE
Importance of language in literature
Language is a vital role in literature; literature and language are like twins, they do depend on each othe.One cannot exist if the other misses. Language has the following 4 importances in literature.
▪language is a tool in which literature uses to send it's intended message to the intended society/audience both oral and written literature.
▪Language shows how the artist portrayed his/her work that distinguishes that particular work with other works as in poetry, novels and plays.
▪It's a language that literature uses to express human realities as in maladministration, colonialism, exploitation, outdated tradition and customs of a particular society/community (Country) like circumcision.
▪It's a language that shows the success and failure of an artist in a literary work for instance the use of cumbersome language and the way characters were organised and portrayed.
N.B There would be no literature,if there was no language.
📒 A qn for reflection: Language and literature are two inseparable elements, discuss ?
Let's now see the types of literature.
There are two main types if literature namely
1.Oral literature, is a kind of literature that is presented orally or through a word of mouth(oral expression) from one person to another/generation. It has the following 5 x-tics (features)
🔸it is presented orally from one person to another.
🔸it is stored in the head
🔸It is not expensive
🔸it is a society property
🔸It can be mastered by any one.
After having seen those x-tics of oral literature, let u discuss the 5 advantages of it
◼It is stored in the head
◼it is easy to see the emotions of the speaker when narrating as in being happy, sad or sacarstic.
◼It is not expensive as written literature
◼It fits both literates and illiterates
◼It is easily memorized compared to written literature
5 disadvantages of oral literature
🔸It is easy to fabricate it (Using your own words when narrating to some one else)
🔸When the narrator forgets a part of the story, he or she may say whatever comes in the head
🔸It doesn't work in technological world (society/community)
🔸It vanishes when the narrator dies
🔸It may be forgotten easily
9 Types of oral literature
1.Folk tale: is a short narrative popular story handed down through oral tradition.Most folk tales move from oral to written form like "Mwanamalundi "
2.Legend:is a story that is not true but it has some sort of believability and it is handed down from the past. E.g " Jack and the Giants"
3.Myths:These are stories that originate from the ancient societies that base on beliefs and ideas of the early history E.g the existence of dragon
4.Fables:these are stories whose main characters are animals and birds, they usually portray moral lessons to kids . They later transformed into today's cartoons.
5.Riddle:These are puzzling questions/statement usually asked to test the cleverness of an individual. E.g My house has so many tenants that means=Match box
6.Saying: these are short wise expression that uttered in order to guide, instruct or teach something. E.g "the more you know, the more you know that you do not know"
7 . idioms:These are words whose meanings are not easily recognised e.g Waste not, want not that means= he or she doesn't use that thing currently but he or she will use it in the future.
8.Proverb: is a wise statement the same as saying but the difference is that, proverb is a statement with two parts like A bird in the hand(first part), is worthy two in the bush (second part)
9.Anecdote: is a short and interesting story about a famous person like prophet Muhammad
Shabanhu@gmail.com
THEORY OF LITERATURE
Importance of language in literature
Language is a vital role in literature; literature and language are like twins, they do depend on each othe.One cannot exist if the other misses. Language has the following 4 importances in literature.
▪language is a tool in which literature uses to send it's intended message to the intended society/audience both oral and written literature.
▪Language shows how the artist portrayed his/her work that distinguishes that particular work with other works as in poetry, novels and plays.
▪It's a language that literature uses to express human realities as in maladministration, colonialism, exploitation, outdated tradition and customs of a particular society/community (Country) like circumcision.
▪It's a language that shows the success and failure of an artist in a literary work for instance the use of cumbersome language and the way characters were organised and portrayed.
N.B There would be no literature,if there was no language.
📒 A qn for reflection: Language and literature are two inseparable elements, discuss ?
Let's now see the types of literature.
There are two main types if literature namely
1.Oral literature, is a kind of literature that is presented orally or through a word of mouth(oral expression) from one person to another/generation. It has the following 5 x-tics (features)
🔸it is presented orally from one person to another.
🔸it is stored in the head
🔸It is not expensive
🔸it is a society property
🔸It can be mastered by any one.
After having seen those x-tics of oral literature, let u discuss the 5 advantages of it
◼It is stored in the head
◼it is easy to see the emotions of the speaker when narrating as in being happy, sad or sacarstic.
◼It is not expensive as written literature
◼It fits both literates and illiterates
◼It is easily memorized compared to written literature
5 disadvantages of oral literature
🔸It is easy to fabricate it (Using your own words when narrating to some one else)
🔸When the narrator forgets a part of the story, he or she may say whatever comes in the head
🔸It doesn't work in technological world (society/community)
🔸It vanishes when the narrator dies
🔸It may be forgotten easily
9 Types of oral literature
1.Folk tale: is a short narrative popular story handed down through oral tradition.Most folk tales move from oral to written form like "Mwanamalundi "
2.Legend:is a story that is not true but it has some sort of believability and it is handed down from the past. E.g " Jack and the Giants"
3.Myths:These are stories that originate from the ancient societies that base on beliefs and ideas of the early history E.g the existence of dragon
4.Fables:these are stories whose main characters are animals and birds, they usually portray moral lessons to kids . They later transformed into today's cartoons.
5.Riddle:These are puzzling questions/statement usually asked to test the cleverness of an individual. E.g My house has so many tenants that means=Match box
6.Saying: these are short wise expression that uttered in order to guide, instruct or teach something. E.g "the more you know, the more you know that you do not know"
7 . idioms:These are words whose meanings are not easily recognised e.g Waste not, want not that means= he or she doesn't use that thing currently but he or she will use it in the future.
8.Proverb: is a wise statement the same as saying but the difference is that, proverb is a statement with two parts like A bird in the hand(first part), is worthy two in the bush (second part)
9.Anecdote: is a short and interesting story about a famous person like prophet Muhammad
Shabanhu@gmail.com
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