21st Century Literature of the Philippines

and the World

Grade 11/12 • Unit 3: Major Literary Genres

LESSON 3.2
Prose
Table of Contents
Introduction 1

Objectives 2

DepEd Competencies 2

Warm-Up 2

Learn about It 3
Prose 4
Fiction 4
Five Elements of Fiction 4

Key Points 5

Check Your Understanding 6

Let’s Step Up! 7

Bibliography 7

Lesson 3.2
Prose
 21st Century Literature of the Philippines
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Grade 11/12 • Unit 3: Major Literary Genres

Fig. 1. Some stories do not come in the form of lines or verses.

Introduction
Some emotions or ideas are better expressed directly and at length in prose and not
necessarily in poetry. In this lesson, find out when and how to use prose for self-expression
and influencing people’s minds.

Objectives
In this lesson, you should be able to do the following:

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 3: Major Literary Genres

● Define prose and distinguish it from other major literary genres.

● Identify the elements of prose.
● Analyze reading selections according to their elements.

DepEd Competencies
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to do the following:
● Explain the texts in terms of literary elements, genres, and traditions
(EN12Lit-IIb-32).
● Distinguish the literary uses of language from the nonliterary and
understands their use as well as the formal features and conventions of
literature (EN12Lit-IIe-34).
● Identify the figures of speech and other literary techniques and devices in
the text (EN12Lit-IIe-27).

Warm-Up

Can you recall a story that you read intently and in only one sitting? What about the story
hooked you to read it until the last page? Share this reading experience with your partner.

Learn about It
Prose is any writing that does not have a metrical structure and rhythmical pattern like

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 3: Major Literary Genres

poetry. It is composed of sentences and paragraphs instead of lines and stanzas.

Vocabulary
important background information helpful in setting up
exposition a story; includes the setting and the main character’s
(noun)
backstory

rising action the series of events building up to the point of greatest

(noun) importance in the narrative

the most important point of the narrative where events

climax (noun)
of the greatest intensity occur

falling action the part of the narrative where the aftermath of the
(noun) climax is addressed

conclusion the end of a narrative where the story either comes to a

(noun) close or is left as a cliffhanger

Essential Question
How does literature become a tool not only for personal development but
also for social and cultural change?

Prose
Prose is divided into two: fiction and nonfiction. In this chapter, we will be discussing
fiction.

Fiction
Fiction is a story that is made up or invented by an author. This means that the events in the

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 3: Major Literary Genres

story are not real; they are products of the author’s imagination. Examples of fiction are
novels and short stories.

According to Edgar Allan Poe, short stories should be read in one sitting and should strive
for unity and effect. It has to begin with the first sentence, and it must have nothing in it that
detracts from the writer’s design. It should also aim for the truth and stress imagination,
invention, creation, and originality.

A novel is longer and more complex than a short story. It has over 40,000 words (the
shorter version is called a novella, which has 17,500–39,999 words, or a novelette, which
has7,500–17,499 words). A novel’s characters, setting, plot, and theme are usually more
developed and detailed than a short story’s.

Five Elements of Fiction

The five basic elements of fiction are plot (and conflict), characters, setting, point of
view, and theme. Please see Unit 2 Chapter 4 for the definitions and examples of these
elements. This chapter will focus on the types of plot.

The basic and most common plot structure of a story follows a linear format: beginning,
middle, and end. The linear format produces a climactic plot, which contains the
exposition, rising action, climax, and falling action leading to the resolution of the story.

However, some stories follow a nonlinear format. It means that some stories start in the
middle or at the end.

Table 1. Other Types of Plot

Other Types of Plot Definition Examples

It features distinct episodes Don Quixote de la Mancha by

Episodic plot that are related to one Miguel de Cervantes
another but that also can

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 3: Major Literary Genres

be read individually, almost Huckleberry Finn by Mark

as stories by themselves. Twain
It contains repetition of
phrases, sentences, or “The Gingerbread Man”
events with one new aspect
Cumulative plot
added with each repetition. “The Great, Big, Enormous
These are common among Turnip”
children’s stories.
It is a story in which another
story or other multiple The Canterbury Tales by
stories is/are embedded. It Geoffrey Chaucer
Frame narrative
can also be that the main
(embedded plot)
story is relayed second Wuthering Heights by Emily
hand to a character in the Bronte
narrative.

Let’s Check In
Recall a recent short story or novel you read in your free time. What kind
of plot did it have? Did you enjoy how the story was narrated?

Key Points

● Prose is different from poetry. Prose is composed of sentences and paragraphs.

● Short stories and novels are examples of prose. Most of the literature you encounter
on a daily basis are in prose form.

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Grade 11/12 • Unit 3: Major Literary Genres

Check Your Understanding

Match the concepts in Column A with their characteristics in Column B.

Column A Column B

_____________ 1. short story a. fiction with 7,500–17,499

words

_____________ 2. novella b. contains the rising action,

climax, and falling action
leading to the resolution of
the story

_____________ 3. cumulative plot c. contains repetition of

words, phrases, or events
in the narrative

_____________ 4. embedded plot d. fiction with 17,500–39,999

words

_____________ 5. climactic plot e. another story or multiple

stories that are injected
into the main narrative of
the story

f. work of fiction that can be

read in just one sitting

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Let’s Step Up!

Read one short story you can find in the library or online. Identify the type of plot and
its elements, then summarize the story to your partner by retelling it.

Bibliography

Earl, Martin. “The Difference Between Poetry and Prose.” Poetry Foundation. Accessed April
29, 2018.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2012/04/the-difference-between-poetry-a
nd-prose

Literary Devices. Prose. Accessed November 30, 2021. https://literarydevices.com/prose/

Short edition. The Lady, or the Tiger? Accessed November 30, 2021.
https://short-edition.com/en/classic/story/frank-richard-stockton/the-lady-or-the-tige
r

Short Stories at East of the Web. Guy de Maupassant: A Piece of String. Accessed November
30, 2021. http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/PiecStri.shtml

The Plattner Story and Others. The Red Room: H.G. Wells. Accessed November 30, 2021.
http://www.telelib.com/authors/W/WellsHerbertGeorge/prose/plattnerstory/redroo
m.html