Literature & Epic Review – Vocabulary Set

A comprehensive vocabulary set covering literature fundamentals, pre-colonial forms, epic heroes, and short-story elements to aid exam review.

Literature

The collected oral and written works of a society that mirror its beliefs, customs, values, aspirations, and struggles.

Prose

Literary form written in ordinary language, arranged in paragraphs; includes short stories, novels, essays, biographies.

Poetry

Literary form written in verses and stanzas, often rhythmic and symbolic, using figurative language.

Philippine Pre-colonial Literature

Oral, community-centered body of myths, songs, epics, and other genres created and shared before Spanish colonization.

Oral Tradition

The practice of transmitting stories, songs, and wisdom by word of mouth rather than writing.

Proverb (Salawikain)

A concise Filipino saying or epigram that imparts moral lessons or practical advice.

Riddle (Bugtong)

A short, poetic puzzle that describes an object in metaphorical language and requires a clever answer.

Tanaga

A Filipino poem of four mono-rhyming lines with seven syllables each, often containing a metaphor or moral.

Folk Song

Traditional song reflecting everyday life or rituals; passed down orally within a community.

Hele / Oyayi

Filipino lullaby folk song used to soothe infants to sleep.

Harana / Balitao

Serenade or love song traditionally performed to court someone.

Soliranin

Tagalog rowing or work song sung to coordinate labor, especially paddling.

Tagay

Traditional Filipino drinking song performed during communal gatherings.

Kanogon / Annako / Dung-aw

Funeral lament folk songs expressing grief for the deceased.

Myth

A symbolic narrative explaining the origin of the world, natural phenomena, or cultural practices, usually involving gods.

Legend

Traditional story about heroes, places, or events believed to have historical basis but often exaggerated.

Fable

Short tale featuring animals or objects that speak and act like humans to teach a moral lesson.

Epic

A long narrative poem recounting heroic deeds and reflecting cultural values such as bravery and loyalty.

Pre-colonial Philippine Epic

Orally transmitted heroic poem celebrating local warriors and ideals like courage, honor, and respect for elders.

Beowulf

Old English epic in which the hero Beowulf battles Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a dragon; themes of heroism and fate.

Grendel

Monster in Beowulf symbolizing the outcast and the destructive aftermath of war and exile.

Iliad

Greek epic focused on Achilles during the Trojan War, exploring glory, honor, and mortality.

Achilles

Greatest Greek warrior in the Iliad who withdraws from battle after his honor is slighted by Agamemnon.

Odyssey

Homeric epic detailing Odysseus’s ten-year voyage home, emphasizing perseverance, loyalty, and identity.

Odysseus

Cunning Greek hero who faces monsters and gods while striving to return to Ithaca in the Odyssey.

Nibelungenlied

German medieval epic about Siegfried, his betrayal by Hagen, and Kriemhild’s quest for revenge.

Siegfried

Dragon-slaying hero of the Nibelungenlied, granted invincibility and a magical cloak but ultimately betrayed.

Short Story

Brief work of prose fiction focusing on a unified plot, limited characters, and a single effect.

Protagonist

Main character of a story who drives the plot and faces the central conflict.

Antagonist

Character or force that opposes the protagonist and creates conflict.

Setting

Time and place in which a story’s events occur, establishing context and mood.

Plot

Sequence of events in a narrative, typically comprising exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

Exposition

Plot stage that introduces characters, setting, and basic situation.

Rising Action

Series of events that build tension and lead to the climax.

Climax

Turning point of greatest tension or decisive confrontation in a story.

Falling Action

Events following the climax that begin resolving conflicts.

Resolution

Conclusion of the plot where conflicts are settled and loose ends tied up.

Conflict

Struggle between opposing forces that drives the plot.

Man vs. Man

External conflict where one character opposes another.

Man vs. Nature

External conflict pitting a character against natural forces.

Man vs. Self

Internal conflict involving a character’s psychological struggle or moral dilemma.

Theme

Central message, insight, or lesson conveyed by a literary work.

Duplo

Tagalog poetic debate or verbal joust performed at wakes; considered a precursor to the balagtasan.

Balagtasan

Formal Filipino poetic debate that evolved from the duplo, named in honor of poet Francisco Balagtas.