Great Books PreLim Module
Great Books PreLim Module
Great Books PreLim Module
Prepared by:
GERALDINE V. NAGA, PhD
Assistant Professor I
QUENNIE DAWN C. TORCULAS
This module is a compilation of the works from
sources.
i
Self- instructional module in Great Books/GV Naga/QD Torculas
In consonance with the blended learning
applied by higher education in the New Normal, this
module serves as the basic instructional material
provided to students enrolled in Surigao del Sur State
University, Cantilan Campus this 1st Semester, AY 2021-
2022.
Students officially enrolled in this course must have a copy of this learning
material which contains the University’s VMGO, school and classroom policies,
course content, lesson activities, assignments and references/resources.
However, students are not allowed to reproduce and share this module in any
form or manner without the consent of the instructor/professor.
Class schedules reflected in the Certificate of Registration (CoR) will be
strictly followed. Inquiries and other forms of communication between the
faculty and students concerning the course will only be entertained during the
designated time and day of the said course/subject.
Students officially enrolled and have received this module is bound to
abide the learning contract/agreement set in the course/subject.
________________________________
Signature over Printed Name
vi
Course Outcomes
When you have completed this course, you will be able to:
Elaborate on the significance of literary criticism;
State the essential information about the authors that are linked to the
themes of the literary works;
Compare and contrast the various literary elements;
List down the manifestations of magic realism in the story; and
Summarize the principles of academic text structure.
Aesop’s Fables
Initializing
Concept Grounding
Definition:
The act of literary criticism ultimately enhances the enjoyment of our reading
of the literary work.
Therefore, when you begin to analyze your novel, you’ll make use of expert,
reliable literary criticism to support your opinion—your thesis—which you will
develop for your paper.
Any piece of text can be read with a number of different sets of “glasses,”
Gender Theory – What possibilities are available to a woman who eats this
orange? To a man?
Formalism –
Marxist Theory – Who owns this orange? Who gets to eat it?
Postcolonial Theory –
Biographical Criticism
As the name suggests, this type of criticism reads the text looking for the
The settings and circumstances in “To Build a Fire” reflect the feelings
above. (ie.-the Naturalist idea that nature is indifferent = effects of his early
life on him and setting = his love of Alaska/the wilderness)
Historical/Cultural Criticism
This critical viewpoint examines a text in relation to its historical or cultural
A historical/cultural analysis is often very similar to a biographical analysis,
and it’s possible to view history, culture, and biography in a single essay.
How do Prince Phillip’s lines and the “Sword of Truth” reflect the ideals
of 1950s Americans?
Psychological Criticism
It is about the universal elements of human life that are common in all
In other words, stories make us feel like our lives are more significant.
Mythological Criticism
Central to mythological theory are archetypes.
Remember, archetypes are those universal elements present in the
literature of all cultures.
Mythological Criticism seeks to understand how the story constructs
meaning in the human existence through archetypes.
For example, note the ways texts have examined betrayal.
Sacrificial King = Jesus, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
Evil Personified = Wicked Witch of the West, the Devil, the Emperor in SW
Gender Criticism
Gender criticism analyzes literature through the lens of socially-constructed
What skills does she have? She is beautiful, can sing well, and is kind. These
are highlighted as the desirable qualities in a woman (hence, her UGLY,
UNTALENTED, stepsisters who are portrayed as undesirable).
Formalist Criticism
A formalist reading of a text focuses on symbol, metaphor, imagery,
char
Formalism ignores the author’s biography and focuses only on the
What does the wolf’s dialogue tell us about his character?
Id –
Ego – the reality-based part of your personality that makes decisions to
Superego – the socialized “conscience” that tells you what’s right or fair
Oedipus Complex
Every boy has the unconscious desire to please his mother;
consequently, sons are afraid of their fathers, and fathers are
threatened by their sons.
Elektra Complex – Every daughter has the unconscious desire to please
her father; consequently, daughters are deeply afraid of their mothers,
and mothers are deeply threatened by their daughters.
Psychological Criticism
Of course, these complexes have their origins in literature and mythology.
Psychological criticism is a way to understand characters, not diagnose
them.
Examines who has/does not have power, how they attained it/why they
don’t have it, and what they do with it/how they are manipulated by it.
Believes that literature is essentially political; it either supports or refutes
economic oppression. In other words, the author either reinforces the status
quo or rebels against it.
Literary Criticism
Remember, one need not be a Marxist to use a Marxist approach, any
more than one needs to be a woman
Any critic can take any approach that helps him/her explain what they
think the author is saying in his/her work.
Once you have decided what you think the author of your novel is saying—
what his/her message is—you can then decide on which critical approach
you think will work best to support your opinion.
New ways of viewing literature (and the world) continue to develop, but
these are the main theories with which you’ll come in contact.
Deconstructi
Deconstructionism argues that since there is no single meaning of any
EVERY text, therefore, has multiple valid meanings because the reader may
interpret the words differently than the w
Much literary criticism is about construction of a larger meaning from a text.
"It depends on
Bill Clinton, during his 1998 grand jury testimony on the Monica Lewinsky
affair
DAY 1
LESSON NO. 1
LESSON TITLE INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY CRITICISM
DURATION/HOURS 3 hours
Specific Learning
Outcomes: At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
1. define literary criticism and literary theory;
2. give a clear sense of the history and development
of literary criticism; and
3.encourage reflective thinking about the nature of
literature and the role of the critic
Task 1:
Literary criticism
Literary theory
B. Comprehension Questions:
Check your understanding of the input by answering the following
questions.
1. How is a work evaluated in literary criticism?
2. Which is the most important part of literary theory and criticism?
3. What is literary criticism, and why would anyone want to write or read
it?
_________________________ ___________________________
__________________________ ___________________________
_________________________ ___________________________
__________________________ __________________________
SYNTHESIS:
1. Literary criticism and literary theory are two important terms that we encounter
in literary studies. There are varying views on the difference between literary
criticism and literary theory; some scholars use these two terms to describe the
same concept whereas some other scholars consider literary criticism as the
practical application of the literary theories. In this article, we are considering
the latter perspective.
2. Literary criticism is the study, analysis, evaluation and interpretation of
literature. In other words, it judges the value of a work. In literary criticism, a
particular work or a body of work is evaluated according to its aesthetic value,
historical/cultural/social significance of the work, use of language, and insights
and insights of the work. These qualities are often mutually dependent or
inflective.
3. Literary theory is understanding the nature, and function of literature and the
relation of text to its author, reader, and society. It can be described as the frame
that supports literary criticism. Literary theory consists of a variety of scholarly
approaches to evaluate a study. In simple terms, they can be described as the
different perspectives or angles scholars use to evaluate literature.
B. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
RESOURCES:
Electronic sources:
Lesson 2
DAY 2
LESSON NO. 2
LESSON TITLE The Two Brothers by Leo Tolstoy
DURATION/HOUR 3 hours
S
Specific Learning
Outcomes: At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
1. identify the lesson of the story;
2. connect the message of the story in real-life
situation; and
3.write a literary critic on the Two Brothers
TEACHING LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Task 1:
A. Picture Me Out!
Describe what you saw on the picture below.
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B. Comprehension Check:
Check your understanding of the input by answering the following questions.
1. Do you have a sibling? If yes, what qualities of him/her do you love the most?
2. What are the things that you are willing to give-up for the sake of your love ones?
3. If you have misunderstanding, how did you solve it?
Research who is Leo Tolstoy and fill up the information being asked.
PROCESSING:
In task 1, you analyzed the picture about brotherly love, sacrifice and
conflict.
In task 2, you discover who is Leo Tolstoy.
SYNTHESIS:
T wo brothers set out on a journey together. At noon they lay down in forest
to rest. When they woke up they saw a stone lying next to them. There
was something written on the stone, and they tried to make out what it
was.
“Whoever finds this stone,” they read, “let him go straight into the forest at
sunrise. In the forest a river will appear; let him swim across the river to the
other side. There he will find a she-bear and her cubs. Let him take the
cubs from her and run up the mountain with them, without once looking
back. On the top of the mountain he will see a house, and in that house
will he find happiness.”
When they had read what was written on the stone, the younger brother
said: “Let us go together. We can swim across the river, carry off the bear
cubs, take them to the house on the mountain, and together find
happiness.”
“In my opinion,” said the younger brother, “you are wrong. What is written
on the stone could not have been put there without reason. And it is all
perfectly clear. In the first place, no harm will come to us if we try. In the
second place, if we do not go, someone else will read the inscription on
the stone and find happiness, and we shall have lost it. In the third place:
if you do not make an effort and try hard, nothing in the world will
succeed. In the fourth place: I should not want it thought that I was afraid
of anything.”
The elder brother answered him by saying: “The proverb says: In seeking
great happiness small pleasures may be lost.’ And also: ‘A bird in the hand
is worth two in the bush.’”
The younger brother replied: “I have heard: ‘He who is afraid of the leaves
must not go into the forest.’ And also: ‘Beneath a stone no water flows.”
Then the younger brother set off, and the elder remained behind.
No sooner had the younger brother gone into the forest than he found
the river, swam across it, and there on the other side was the she-bear,
fast asleep. He took her cubs, and ran up the mountain without looking
back. When he reached the top of the maintain the people came out to
meet him with a carriage to take him into the city, where they made him
their king.
He ruled for five years. In the sixth year, another king, who was stronger
than he, waged war against him. The city was conquered, and he was
driven out.
Again the younger brother became a wanderer, and he arrived one day
at the house of the elder brother. The elder brother was living in a village
“You see,” said the elder brother, “I was right. Here I have lived quietly
and well, while you, though you may have been a king, have seen a great
deal of trouble.”
“I do not regret having gone into the forest and up the mountain,” replied
the younger brother. “I have nothing now, but I shall always have
something to remember, while you have no memories at all.”
ASSESSMENT
A.
Rubric Essay
Criteria
The essay is The essay is This essay
focused, focused on focused on
Focus/Main purposeful, the topic topic and
Point and reflects and includes few
35% clear in includes loosely related
sights and relevant ideas.
ideas. ideas.
Support 35% Persuasively Supports Supports main
supports main point point with
main point with some
well- developed underdevelop
developed reason e d reason
reason
RESOURCES:
Electronic sources:
https://binged.it/2W3pLXk
https://bit.ly/3AWaOFr
TELEPHONE CONVERSATION
By
Wole Soyinka
PERSONA is almost invariably distinct from the author; it is the voice chosen by
the author for a particular artistic purpose. The persona may be a character
in the work or merely an unnamed narrator; but, insofar as the manner and
style of expression in the work exhibit taste, prejudice, emotion, or other
characteristics of a human personality, the work may be said to be in the
voice of a persona.
SETTING/SITUATION is the time and place in which the story takes place. Also,
include social statuses, weather, historical period, and details about
immediate surroundings. Settings can be real or fictional, or a combination of
both real and fictional elements.
DAY 3
LESSON NO. 3
LESSON TITLE Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka
DURATION/HOURS 3
Specific Learning At the end of this lesson, students should be
Outcomes able to:
1. Identify the imagery in the text the
“Telephone
Conversation”;
Task 1:
DIRECTION: Complete the Literary Elements’ Table below. Write the answer
on the space provided.
Characters
Persona
Setting
Conflict
Mood
Tone
Theme
My Journal:
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IMAGERY
_________________________________________________________________________
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Task 3:
Task 4:
DIRECTION: Answer the question below. Write the answer on the space
provided.
Question: If you are the African guy, how will you react on the landlady’s
action?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
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Task 5:
DIRECTION: Write a possible continuation of the poem
“Telephone Conversation”. Put your answer on the space provided.
PROCESSING:
SYNTHESIS:
1. Wole Soyinka was born in Nigeria in the 1930s and studied in England
in the 1950s. He became one of the most important figures in African
literature during a pivotal moment in that continent’s history. Since the 19th
century, most African countries had been ruled by Europeans under brutal
and exploitative colonialism. After the end of World War II, many African
countries fought to free themselves from colonial rule. In some cases, these
struggles were peaceful. In others, they involved violent conflict. And even
when nations won independence, the struggle wasn’t over. Some countries
slid into repressive dictatorships.
Rubric:
5 4 3 2
INTRODUCTIO There is a Introduction Introductio Backgroun
N and well- creates n d details
developed interest. adequatel are a
CONCLUSION
introductio Thesis states y explains random,
(Background n with an the position. the unclear
History/Thesis attention Conclusion backgrou collection
Statement) grabber effectively nd of
that grabs summarizes , but may informatio
30% the the topic. lack detail. n. Thesis is
reader’s Thesis vague
interest states the and
and topic, but unclear.
continues key Conclusion
to engage elements is not
the reader are effective
up missing. and does
until the not
thesis summarize
statement. main
The thesis points.
statement
should
clearly
state the
experienc
e or event
that will be
described
as well as
the effect
on the
writer.
Conclusion
should
effectively
wraps up
and re
stresses the
importanc
e of the
thesis.
MAIN POINTS Well Three or Three or Less than
(Body developed more more three
main mai main ideas/mai
Paragraphs)
points/topi n points points are n points
c relate to the present, are
30% sentences thesis, but but lack explained
https://poemanalysis.com/wole-
soyinka/telephoneconversation/