S6 LITERATURE NOTES

S6 LITERATURE NOTES Literature is the body of written works that express ideas, emotions, and experiences. It encompasses both fictional and non-fictional texts and plays a significant role in cultural expression, human understanding, and aesthetic appreciation.

For A-level students in Uganda, the Literature curriculum typically includes a mix of African, Western, and world literature. Below are common categories and examples of texts often studied, alongside notes to guide you

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S6 LITERATURE NOTES. Literature is often categorized into various forms and genres based on style, purpose, and content.

Types of Literature

Prose: Ordinary written or spoken language without metrical structure. Prose can be further divided into:

Fiction: Imaginary works created by the author. Examples include novels, short stories, and novellas.

Non-Fiction: Works based on facts, real events, and real people, such as biographies, essays, memoirs, and histories.

Poetry: Written in verse form, focusing on rhythm, meter, and often rhyme. Poetry is known for its emotional and condensed language and can be divided into types like sonnets, haikus, epics, and free verse.

Drama: Written for performance, using dialogue and stage directions. Drama includes plays and scripts and can be classified into genres such as tragedy, comedy, tragicomedy, and melodrama.

Oral Literature: This encompasses folklore, myths, legends, and spoken narratives passed down through generations, often before being recorded in written form.

Key Elements of Literature

• Theme: The central idea or underlying message in a literary work.
• Plot: The sequence of events or actions within a story.
• Characterization: The creation and development of characters.
• Setting: The time and place in which the story takes place.
• Style: The author’s unique way of writing, including diction, syntax, and tone.

Plays include

1. Richard III by William Shakespeare
2. King John by William Shakespeare
3. A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen
4. The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov
5. Saint Joan by Bernard Shaw
6. The Way of the World by William Congrere
7. The Country Wife by William Wycherley
8. Kongi’s Harvest by Wole Soyinka
9. The Snake Farmers by Yusuf Serunkuma
10. SwanziBanzi is Dead by Athol Fugard

Additional Notes for A-Level Literature

At the A-level, Literature studies focus on analyzing texts in depth. This includes studying:

• Literary Devices: Techniques such as metaphor, simile, irony, symbolism, and imagery, which enrich a text’s meaning.
• Critical Theories: Approaches like Marxism, feminism, structuralism, post-colonialism, and psychoanalysis used to interpret texts.
• Contextual Analysis: Understanding the historical, social, and cultural backgrounds of texts.

Studying Literature at this level requires developing critical thinking skills, engaging with texts deeply, and honing interpretive skills for varied forms and genres.

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