Written Literature: Plays, Novels And Poetry

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Witten Literature

Written literature is the form of human expression through writing. That is to say, it is a literature which is expressed or conveyed through written form. This kind of literature began with the invention of writing.

THE CONCEPTS OF FICTION AND NON FICTION

Since literature is generally defined as anything written, the concepts of fiction and non-fiction are also anything written.

The major difference between them is that fiction is a work of art which deals with the creation of imagined materials or events while non-fiction is a work of art which deals with real materials or events.

Fiction

The word “fiction” comes from the Latin word “fictio” which means “a making or fashioning”. Generally, fiction is a story or writing that is created from an author’s imagination.

Thus, it is a narrative based upon the imagination of the author. It deals with non-factual materials/events. A writer may include facts about real people or events, but can combines these facts with imaginary setting and situations. Examples of fiction works includes;

  • Novels and short stories
  • Plays
  • Poems
  • All forms of oral literature

Non-fiction

It is a form of literature that deals with factual materials or events. It is the factual writing which is written by the writer who uses facts in his or her work.

Purposefully, nonfictional literature designates writings intended to instruct, to impart knowledge, wisdom or faith, and especially to please.

Forms of nonfiction literature

Letters and journals

Biographies: these are writings that tell the life of someone written by another person. A biography is the story of a person’s life written by someone else.

Autobiographies: these are the writer’s account of his/her own life. An autobiography is the narrative in which the author tells the story of his or her own life. The word “autobiography” comes from Greek words; ‘auto’ meaning ‘self’, ‘bios’ meaning ‘life’ and ‘graphein’ which means ‘to write’ thus meaning to write one’s own life.

Memoirs; these are person’s record of experiences from his/her own life.

    • Media accounts like newspapers, magazines, television, or radio.
    • Essays
    • Articles
    • History
    • Diary

THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FICTION AND NON-FICTION

FICTION

NON-FICTION
a) It talks about imaginary people, places, ideas, and experience. It talks about real people, places, ideas, and experience.
b) Some common forms of fiction are novels, plays, poems, and folktales. Some common forms of non-fiction are letters, biographies, autobiographies etc.
c) Audiences of fiction are people who look for non- factual information but that give them knowledge and pleasure. Audiences of non-fiction are the people who look for factual information (facts).
d) The purpose of fiction is to

deliver the message of the

 The purpose of non-fiction is to

explain, inform, persuade, and
writer that can instruct and entertain the readers. entertain the readers.
e) Most fiction writings are narrative, persuasive and entertaining writings. Most non-fiction writings are argumentative, narrative, and informational/explanatory writings.

MAJOR GENRES OF WRITTEN LITERATURE

By definition, genre is defined as the kind or style of something especially of art or literature. The three (3) main genres of written literature are:

  1. Prose (novels, novella, novelette and short stories)
  2. Drama (play)
  3. Poetry

PROSE (NOVELS AND SHORT STORIES)

A prose is an extended writing that is continuous written in paragraphs. In other words, a prose is any kind of writing that is not poetry or that is not presented in verse or stanza form.

A. SHORT STORIES

A short story is a brief work of fiction that can be read in one setting. It is a story usually about imaginative characters and events that is short enough to be read from the begin to the end without stopping.

It is usually focuses on one or two main characters that face a single problem or conflict. Examples of short stories include:

A short story has three main elements which are:

  • Plot
  • Characters
  • Theme

Other minor elements include;

  • Conflict
  • Point of view
  • Symbolism
  • Flashback
  • Fictions quality

NOVELLA

Is a short prose fiction shorter than a novel but longer than a short story. For example, Alex La Guma’s A WALK IN THE NIGHT.

NOVELETTE

Is a short novel that is often about romantic relationships and is usually not very serious. A novelette is longer than a short story but shorter than a novella. It has 7,500 to 19,000 words.

A. NOVEL

A novel is a fiction work that is longer and more complex than a short story. It is a fictional prose usually consisting of more than fifty thousand words.

Generally, a novel is a long narrative story which is written or arranged in chapters.

In novels; setting, plot, characters and themes are fully developed in great details. Like short stories, a novel has four main elements which are setting, plot, characters and themes. A person who writes novels is called novelist.

Examples of selected novels

  • A Walk in the Night – Alex La Guma
  • Houseboy – Ferdinand Oyono
  • The Old man and the Medal – Ferdinand Oyono
  • The Concubine – Elech Amadi

Characteristics of a good novel

  • It is presented in narrative form. It uses narration in representing a story i.e. they are no actions.
  • It is divided into chapters. The main divisions of the story in the novel are called chapters.
  • It employs a very complex plot. It is very long with many characters each carry a certain message hence it is difficult to judge the beginning, the rising action (conflict), the climax and the resolution.
  • It has specific point of view normally uses third person omniscient point of view.
  • It is very long enough to fill a complete book. It ranges from 70 pages and above.

Types of novels

Social novel

It is a type of novel that focuses on behavior of characters. It shows how characters’ actions are reflected in a literary work. It also, focuses on values of society i.e. social issues like norms, culture, traditions etc.

Psychological novel

It is a type of novel that focuses on psychological problems/effects and intends to observe the inner self of a character. Mainly, it is used to talk on personal conflict.

Education novel

It is a type of novel that describes stages in the life of the main characters and its main purpose is to educate or to learn something from the growth or development of character from early to maturity.

Philosophical novel

It is a type of novel that intends to attempt philosophical problem. It normally maintains the doctrine of a certain class of people. It question on freedom and the value of human effort and wisdom that is a central to a certain society.

Popular novel

It is a type of novel that meant for entertainment i.e. whatever has been written is for entertainment. It talks on fantasy as well as romantic ministrations.

Historical novel

It is a type of novel that gives the history of a certain society. It also, documents on past issues that are memorable to a certain society.

Romantic novel

It is a type of novel that is love oriented.

Categorization novels according to word count

Classification
Word count
Novel Over 40,000
Novella 17,500
Novelette 7,500 – 17,500
Short story Under 7,500

B. DRAMA (PLAY)

A drama is a piece of writing that is designed in the way that it can be acted on the stage before the audience. It is a piece of writing that is intended to be acted in a theatre. It is a literary composition of any length, ordinarily written to be performed by actors who impersonate the characters, speak in the dialogue and enact the appropriate actions.

A play is a piece of writing that is designed in the way that it can be read by the readers. Therefore, a play is a written script of drama.

ORIGIN OF DRAMA

The word “drama” comes from Greek word “dran” which means to do or to act. It refers to the story told in a way that it can be acted by the casts before audience. It is a kind of communication between the playwright and the audience through casts of characters.

ELEMENTS OF DRAMA

1. The cast of characters (actors/actress): these are people presented in the play in order to peruse the plot. Every character who is involved in a play can have his/her own distinct personality, age, appearance, beliefs, socio-economic background and language.

Therefore, through the way characters are involved in a play is where a reader can refuse or accept them basing on the way and what they represent.

2. The audience: these are people who pay attention or listen or watch to what is acted on the stage/theatre by the actors.

3. Action (plot): refers to the series of events in a play in terms of cause and effect. It is the way in which an artist organizes the events in his play or drama.

4. Setting: is the time and place where the play events are taken. It can be a name of any place such as Tanzania, Kenya etc.

5. Themes: these are what the play or drama means. A theme can be clearly stated in the title or sometimes it can be stated through dialogue by actors as the playwright’s voice. On the other hand, a theme maybe identified after some study or thought. Thus, themes are abstract or underlying meaning, issues and feelings that grow out of the dramatic action.

6. Diction/language: refers to the choice of words made by the playwright and the communication of the actors of the language.

7. Spectacle: refers to all of the aspects of scenery, costumes and special effects in a production. They include visual elements of the play created for theatrical event.

8. Dialogue: is the conversation of more than one dramatic character in a drama or play. It is useful in developing the plot of a dramatic story.

9. Mime: refers to dramatic action without words. It the process of acting without speaking.

10. Costumes: refers to special kinds of attires or clothes worn by characters purposely for dramatic performance.

11. Props: refers to hand tools or instruments used to accompany the performance on the stage. It indicates realism in the story. Example of props includes sticks, whistles, stones, etc.

12. Makeup: these are kind of decorations that are prepared to accompany the performance during dramatization. They include colors, powder, lipsticks etc.

13. Enactments: is the situation of imitating according to the demand of a story.

14. Spectator: refers to visual elements of a play that is very elements that is individual sees.

15. Stage directions: it is a dramatic technique which gives the actors/actress and the directors the instructions on how to perform the play. It must tell the actors where to move or how to speak in a certain event. Also, it might describe the setting and the sound effects.

It has the following functions;

1. It shows physical location or setting.

2. It indicates the action done by the actors/actress.

3. It shows time to describe the stage voice.

4. It shows the entrance and existence of characters.

5. It shows physical appearance of characters.

Catastrophe: refers to the final event in a drama. It can be death or marriage of a character.

Comic relief: refers to a bit of human in a serious play in order to indicate or bring relief.

Nemesis: is an agent of retribution/a person who is thinking/a way of letting audience know the character’s mind.

Soliloquy: refers to an intensive thinking of a certain character. It is when a certain character speaks alone in the stage.

Allusion: is the situation whereby something that is said or written refers to or mention another person or subject on an indirect way. It categorized into two types namely;

    • Historical allusion
    • Biblical allusion

Illusion: is a literary technique that means something many people believe that is false.

Light and curtain: refers to dramatic technique that is employed in a play in order to show the end of one episode.

Curtain: is the heavy material that screens/blocks the stage from the audience. It is sometimes defined as a piece of thick, heavy cloth that hangs in front of the stage in the theatre.

Dramatic irony: refers to a dramatic technique that occurs when an audience knows something which the character on the stage is not aware.

Music (sound effect): refers to the voice of actors as they speak.

Music in drama has the following functions;

It helps the audience to concentrate to the stage

It accompanies the actions

It is used to show whether the action is sad or happy

It is used to attract the audience and pay attention

It is used to entertain the beginning and end of action

It is used to entertain the audience

It is used to identify the culture

It increases the mood of actors or actress

Season: refers to the phase in the cycle of life of human being. It can be death, old age, pain, loneliness, despair or an end.

An episode: refers to a narrative unit within a large dramatic work or documentary production such as series intended for radio, television or on-line consumption.

Film: is a story or event recorded by a camera as a series of moving images and shown in a cinema or on television.

Act: refers to the major division of a play or drama.

Scene: is a subdivision of an act of a play in which the time is continuous and the setting is fixed. Shortly, a scene is one of the parts into which a play or a film maybe divided. Each scene has its own beginning, middle and end and has key elements like conflict, resolution, characters, setting, dialogue and action.

Script: this is a written text of a play, film/movie, that guides the actors how to act the drama.

FEATURES OF DRAMA/PLAY

A play/drama has strong visual elements or the story and image of human nature reproducing the passions and human humour. On the stage, we see pictures and images which hold our attention and increase interest and entertainment to the message of the play. Events in a play cannot be easily forgotten.

It exposes to the audiences the immediate and existing experience in the society.

It is easily understood since it imitates what really happens in the society and people have some experience in it.

In drama, the development of themes, plot, characters etc. takes place swiftly from the beginning to the end of the play.

Drama is full of actions unlike other genres. It is easy to be reproduced or copied by the audience.

Drama tends to bring the whole world on stage and hence helps us to learn what other people do or even make comparison and later effect some changes in the society.

TYPES OF DRAMA/PLAY

There are about seven types of plays namely;

Tragedy:

Is a type of drama which shows serious actions and always a protagonist endangers his or her life. It is a dramatic representation of serious actions which eventuate in a disastrous conclusion for the protagonist (the chief character). He/she become faced by death or isolation. Example, “Kinjeketite” by Ibrahim Hussein and “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles

Comedy

It is a type of drama which is funny or humorous because it always make the audience laugh. Example, “The Government Inspector” by Nicolai Gogol.

Tragic-comedy

This is a kind of drama which combines the elements of both tragedy and comedy. In this type of drama/play a heroine does not endanger his/her life.

I.e. does not end in catastrophe (death or danger).

Historical drama

This is the type of drama which expresses the history of a certain society. Also in this type of drama, the reader will find the elements of tragedy and comedy. Example, “Kinjeketite” by Ibrahim Hussein

Melo-drama

This is a type of drama produced with musical accompaniment for entertainment. It is a drama with songs accompanying the actions.

Teleplay

This is the play to be shown in televisions where acts and scenes may change quickly and dramatically.

Dumb play

This is the type of play in which only gestures are used to convey a message without speech. It is just a piece of action given in mimes and the actors do not speak.

EXAPLES OF SELECTED PLAY

  1. The Lion and the Jewel – Soyinka, W
  2. The Trials of Brother Jero- Soyinka, W
  3. The Dilemma of a Ghost – Aidoo, A.A
  4. The Government Inspector – Gogol, N

C. POETRY

Poetry is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language to evoke the meaning in portraying the human social realities. It involves different poems which are written in form of verses and stanzas.

Poem is a piece of writing in verses form especially expressing deep feelings in an artistic language.

NOTE:

Poetry is the art of composing or collecting poems while a poem is a piece of writing in verse and stanza form especially expressing deep feelings in an artistic language.

FEATURES OF POETRY (POEM)

Poetry is rich in figures of speech

It evokes emotions

It is made up of verses and stanzas

It is made up in rhyme and rhythms

It meant to be sung

It gives moral lessons

TYPES OF POETRY (POEM)

Poems can be categorized basing on the two elements of literature namely;

  1. Form
  2. Content
  3. Basing on form

Basing on form, one can divide poems into two types;

    • Traditional (closed poems)
    • Modern (open poems)
Traditional (closed) poems

This refers to those poems which adhere strictly to the traditional rules of composing poems like rhyming schemes, rhythmic pattern, and equal number of syllable, verses and stanza.

Modern (open) poems

This refers to those poems which ignores the structural patterns of composing poems. These poems are also called the free verse poems.

Basing on content

Under the content, the division of poetry bases on what a particular poem addresses to the audience.

Some of such categories are;

Narrative poem: is a poem that tells a story.

Descriptive poem: is poem which tells on what someone or something is like.

Lyric poem: this is a poem which expresses personal deep thought and feelings.

Elegy poem: this is a mournful or plaintive poem especially a lament for the dead or a funeral song. They are sad and sorrowful poems which are sung mainly for remembering someone who has dead.

Sonnet poem: this is a poem which is made of fourteen lines with a particular pattern of rhyme.

Ode poem: this is a poem which expresses the writer’s thoughts and feeling about a person or a certain subject. It a serious song of single theme. Ode is serious expression of a single theme.

Song: is a poem set to music.

Dramatic poem: this is poem in which a person is talking to another person or other persons.

Ballad poem: this is a narrative poem in which there are two or more people speaking in turn.

Epic poem: this is a long poem that deals with actions of great men and women or history of nations. They tell a story of heroic deeds.

Didactic poem: this is a poem designed to give instructions to readers. They are mainly for political and social messages. Example, your pain by Armando Guebuza.

Haiku poem: is a Japanese form of poetry consisting of three unrhymed lines of five, seven and five syllables.

Diamond poem: this is a poem about two opposite topics. Example a poem whose topic A is birth while topic B is death.

Limerick poem: this is a funny or humorous poem consisting of five lines. It has the rhyming pattern of “aabba”.

IMPORTANT TERMS USED IN THE STUDY OF POETRY

Verse: is a single line in a poem which forms a stanza or a part of a stanza.

Stanza: is the combination or collection of verses which form a poem or a part of a poem. Stanzas are commonly named according to the number of verses/lines as follows;

He/she is also called dramatist.

Rhyme: is the repetition of similar sounds at the end of words in a stanza.

Types of rhyme

Perfect/exact rhyme: it occurs when the sounds match exactly mostly at the end. E.g. came and fame.

Partial/imperfect/approximate/slant/near rhyme: it occurs when the sounds do not match exactly. E.g. hunger and plumber.

Eye rhyme; it occurs when words seem to rhyme but they are not. E.g. enough and through.

Internal rhyme; it occurs within or in the middle of a line. E.g. ‘they were singing, bringing the ring’, ‘I need my kid to bed’

End rhyme; it occurs at the end of the lines be represented by different letters to show each rhyming sound. For example, in Claudie Mckay’s IF WE MUST DIE, the rhyme scheme goes ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, and GG.

Types of rhyme scheme

Regular rhyming scheme; it is a kind of rhyme scheme that follows a particular consistent order in a poem. Eg, “If we Must Die” by Claud Mckay.

Irregular rhyming scheme:it is a rhyme scheme that does not follow a particular consistent order in a poem. Eg, A Dying Child by Piter Lwamba.

towards the subject matter being addressed in a poem. It can express love, hatred, pity, sarcasm, sad, angry, romantic, humorous, nostalgic, etc.

Mood: is the feeling the reader gets through the prevailing tone. Mood is what the reader feels after reading a poem. I.e. the feelings of the reader after reading the poem. In the long run, the reader can be happy, sad, angry, sympathetic, ironical, etc.

Meter: this refers to the general regular patterns of stressed and unstressed syllable in poetry. It is the result of rising and falling of sounds which made a persona to stress the words differently.

Foot; is a group of two or three syllables which form the basic unit of poetic rhythm.

Alliteration: is the repetition of the initial consonant sounds of two or more words which are nearby in a line of a poem. E.g. ‘darling Derrick dead dearly’, ‘feel free friendly Freddy’

Consonance: this is the repetition of consonant sounds at the end of words in stressed syllables. E.g. ‘I need my kid to bed’, ‘you hurt my heart’.

Assonance: is the repetition of similar vowel sounds within words close to one another with different consonant sounds. E.g. ‘they sell the wedding bells, base and fade’

Reiteration: is the repetition of the same word for emphasis.

Title: is the name of a poem.

Poetic license: is the freedom that poets and poetess has in violating some facts and grammatical rules when composing poems.

Poetic diction: refers to the way words are chosen and arranged aesthetically in a poem to portray human realities.

POETIC DEVICES

Poetic devices refer to the features that define

poetry (poem). OR, are devices used to show how the poem is constructed or composed. There are three classifications of poetic devices, namely;

      1. Sense devices
      2. Structural devices
      3. Sound devices
Sense devices

These are poetic devices that bring an image to the mind of the reader of the poem. They include all figurative or imaginary language like hyperbole, understatement, allusion, irony, imagery, simile, analogy etc.

Note:

Analogy; is a comparison between two objects that are essentially different but have at least one common quality.

Structural devices

These are poetic devices that determine the structure of a poem and show how the poem is formed or structured. They include;

Polysyndeton; is the use of several conjunctions in a close succession especially where some might be omitted. E.g. he runs and jumped and laughed for joy.

Asyndeton; is the omission of conjunctions where they would normally be used. E.g. he run jumped laughed for joy.

  • Repetition
  • Stanza
  • Verses
  • Punctuation marks etc.
Sound devices

These are devices that detect sounds in the poem. They make a poem/song to be sung. They include alliteration, assonance, consonance, idiophones, onomatopoeia, rhymes, and rhythm.

PROCEDURES OF INTERPRETING A POEM

Look and observe at the poem carefully. This helps in identifying;

Number of stanzas and verses in a whole poem.

Type of stanza

Rhyme and rhyming patterns/scheme.

Read the whole poem carefully.

Re-read the poem carefully while identifying the difficulty words used in it.

Find the meaning of difficulty words used in the poem.

Re-read the poem carefully relating the meaning of difficulty words to the context of the poem.

Ask yourself on what the poem is all about.

Identify the themes portrayed in the poem.

Comment on the mood and tone of the persona.

Identify the message found in the poem.

Comment on the poetic diction (devices) employed in the poem.

Relate the poem read to your personal and national life experience.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN POETRY AND A POEM

Poetry is the literary work in which the expression of feelings and ideas are given intensity by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; set poem collectively as a genre of literature, WHILE poem is a piece of writing in which the expression of feelings and ideas are given intensity by particular attention to diction i.e. rhythm and imagery.

Poetry is a literary form that covers a wide range, WHILE a poem is a written piece of literary work.

Poetry is an art form, WHILE a poem is a composed literary work.

Poetry is made of poems, WHILE a poem is a fundamental unit of poetry.

Poetry is a collective term used to indicate many pieces of individual poems, WHILE a poem is a collective verse used in the sense of an individual piece of work.

Poetry is an artistic ability of composing poems, WHILE a poem is a work that result from the exercise of poetry.

IMPORTANT ITERMS TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE CRITICIM OF A POEM

In the criticism of any literary work, we have to consider two (2) elements of literature that are;

    1. Form and
    2. Content

Under these elements we have to analyze the sub- elements of both elements.

Form

In form, we have to analyze the items like

    • The title of the poem
    • The structure (form) of the poem
    • The language used (figures of speech)
    • The tone of the poet/poetess
    • The mood of the poet/poetess
    • The relevance of the poem
Content

In the content, we have to analyze the items like;

    • Message and
    • Themes

EXAMPLES OF SELECTED BOOKS OF POETRY USED

  • Selected Poems- Tanzania Institute of Education.
  • Growing Up with Poetry – David Rubadiri.
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