Literature

You might access an e-library to download e-books. Still, you sometimes have to go to a real library to borrow print books. When you are there, can you always find the books yourself? What is the procedure? Describe it in your notebook.

Now, look at the photo and listen to the conversation between a librarian and a library patron.

Read the statements below and choose the right answer.

Theo is looking for some {fiction;nonfiction;reference} books.
He would like a {novella;novel;biography} .
For his English class, he also needs {sonnets_and_a_play;sonnets_and_a_novel;sonnets_and_an:atlas} .
The library also provides for {online;household;financial} services.

Now, imagine your summer job in a library and prepare a library tour for the visitors in a written form. Use the ideas below. Then, listen to the recording and fill in the gaps in the text below.

Literature is the written word. It includes any written text, from the simplest instructions to a creative piece of writing, belonging either to a certain period , e.g. contemporary literature, or a people : the literature of the Slovenians or a language : English literature.
When the word literature is limited to works of art created by the writer's imagination , it means "beautiful writing " as prose, poetry and drama. Not only does it entertain, but it also "activates" our mind and has an everlasting importance to mankind.

Find more on the topic in ‘Find Out’. Then, read three short descriptions of literature types.

FIND OUT

LITERATURE appears as prose, poetry and drama.

Prose stands for a type of literature without a formal pattern of verse or meter (opposite of poetry).

Poetry is made up of words arranged in lines with a rhythm = in verse.

Drama is writing which is meant to be performed. The term is often used interchangeably with play, but drama in its broader sense includes some forms that may not strictly be defined as plays, such as radio broadcasts, comedy sketches, and opera.

LITERARY WORKS

Prose narrative

A novel is a long, fictional story in prose, which combines narrative and dialogue to describe imaginary characters and events, depending on the genre. It is usually divided into chapters.Some examples:
• a historical novel is set in a past time period, normally at least fifty years before they were written, a combination of made-up events and realistic details;
• a social (problem) novel is a story that illuminates and draws attention to contemporary social problems;
• an epistolary novel is a novel written in the form of letters exchanged by characters in the story;
• a "coming-of-age novel" (= Bildungsroman) is a story about a child /a teen "transition" into maturity, his/her quest for identity;
• etc.

A novella is a prose narrative, shorter than a novel and longer than a short story.

A short story a short (not more than 10,000 words), made-up prose narrative.

Poetry

A poem is a form of poetry, a self-contained text, in which the combination of sound and intense use of language evokes ideas and emotions. It helps its readers understand what the author's feelings are. It differs from prose most obviously because it is written in lines, which make up stanzas. It often has a meter and rhyme.

Drama

A play is a form of drama, a written "conversation" among characters, intended to be performed on stage rather than to be read. It consists of acts and each act is made up of scenes. Most common types include:
• a comedy is a lighthearted, humorous play with a happy end;
• a tragedy is a serious play with an unhappy end;
• a tragicomedy is a blend of a comedy and tragedy.

Google for more detailed information on various types of prose, poetry and drama.

Click the words not mentioned in the descriptions above.

theatre, play, act, applause, fiction,
scene, novel, narrative, chapter, advice,
lines, stanza, poem, title, literature

In pairs, discuss and answer these questions below.

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