21st Century Literature from the

Philippines

Lesson 1: Introduction to Literature and Philippine

Literature

Literature comes from the Latin originally meant “the use of letters” or “writing.”

Literature - a product of someone’s imagination, originality, thought, feelings,

emotions, ideas, etc.

- It is a reflection of the society, human nature or reality

- Written or oral artistic works, especially those with a high and lasting artistic
value

{Importance of Literature}

● Literature improves your language

● It teaches you about the life, culture, and experiences of people in other parts of
the world
● It entertains you and provides useful occupation in your free time
● It helps you compare your own experiences with the experiences of other people
● It makes you a wiser and more experienced person by forcing you to judge,
sympathize with, or criticize the characters you read about

{Literary Genres}

● Prose
- Fiction
- Nonfiction

● Poetry
● Drama
 {An Overview of Philippine Literature}

{Philippine literature can be divided into three most important periods:}

● Pre-colonial
● Colonial
● Post-colonial

{Pre-Spanish Period}

Chant (Bulong) - this was used in witchcraft or enchantment especially in remote

places in the Visayas

Legends - these are genres of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human
actions perceived or believed both by teller and listeners to have taken place within
human history

Folk Tales - are made up of stories about life, adventure, love, horror, and humor where
one can derive lessons

Epics - long narrative poems in which a series of heroic achievements or events, usually
of a hero, are dealt with at length

Folk Songs - one of the oldest forms of Philippine Literature that emerged in the
pre-spanish period

{Spanish Period }

Spanish Period (1521 - 1871) - Literature in this period may be classified as religious
prose and poetry and secular prose and poetry

Baybayin - the first Filipino alphabet

Spanish Influences on Philippine Literature

- The first Filipino alphabet was replaced by the Roman alphabet

Folk Songs - it manifests the artistic feelings of the Filipinos and shows their innate
appreciation for and love of beauty. The examples are Leron-Leron Sinta, Pamulinawen,
Dandansoy, Sarong Banggi, and Atin Cu Pung Sing-sing.
Recreational Plays - there were many recreational plays performed by Filipinos during
the Spanish times. Almost all of them were in a poetic form such as Cenaculo,
Panunuluyan, Salubong, Embayoka, Lagaylay, and Zarzuela

{Period of Enlightenment}

Period of Enlightenment (1872-1898) - in the 19th Century, Filipino intellectuals

educated in Europe called Ilustrados began to write about the hitch of colonization

The Propaganda Movement (1872 - 1896) - this movement was spearheaded mostly
by the intellectual middle-class like Jose Rizal, Marcelo del Pilar; Graciano Lopez Jaena,
Antonio Luna, Mariano Ponce, Jose Ma. Panganiban, and Pedro Paterno

Some of Rizal’s writings:

● Noli Me Tangere
● El Filibusterismo
● Mi Último Adios
● Sobre La Indolencia De Los Filipinos
● Filipinas Dentro De Cien Aňos

Some of Del Pilar’s writings:

● Pagibig sa Tinubuang Lupa (Love of Country)

● Kaingat Kayo (Be Careful)
● Dasalan at Tocsohan (Prayers and Jokes)

Some of Jaena’s writings:

● Ang Fray Botod, La Hija Del Fraile (The Child of the Friar)
● Sa mga Filipino, and Everything is Hambug (Everything is mere show)

{The American Regime}

American Regime (1898 - 1944) - Linguistically, Americans influenced Filipino writers

to write using the English language. Jose Garcia Villa became famous for his free verse

{Characteristics of Literature during this period:}

The languages used in writing were Spanish and Tagalog and the dialects of the
different regions
 {The Japanese Period}

The Japanese Period (1941-1945) - Philippine Literature was interrupted in its

development when another foreign country, Japan, conquered the Philippines between
1941-1945

Filipino Poetry during this period

- The common theme of most poems during the Japanese occupation was
nationalism, country, love, and life in the barrios, faith, religion, and the arts

{Three types of poems emerged during this period:}

a. Haiku - a poem of free verse that the Japanese like. It was made up of 17
syllables divided into three lines

b. Tanaga - like the Haiku, is short, but it has measure and rhyme

c. Karaniwang Anyo (Usual Form)

{Philippine Literature in English}

Philippine Literature in English (1941-1945) - because of the strict prohibitions

imposed by the Japanese in the writing and publishing of works in English experienced
a dark period. For the first twenty years, many books were published both in Filipino and
in English

{Rebirth of Freedom}

Rebirth of Freedom (1946-1970) - the early post – liberation period was marked by
kind of “struggle of mind and spirit” posed by the sudden emancipation from the enemy,
and the wild desire to see print
 {Period of Activism}

According to Pociano Pineda, youth activism in 1970-72 was due to domestic and
worldwide causes. Because of the ills of society, the youth moved to seek reforms.

The Literary Revolution - the youth became vocal with their sentiments. They
demanded a change in the government

{Period of the Third Republic}

Period of the Third Republic - after ten years of the military rule and some changes in
the life of the Filipino, which started under the New Society, Martial Rule was at last
lifted on January 2, 1981

{Post-EDSA 1 Revolution}

Post-EDSA 1 Revolution (1986-1999) - History took another twist. Once more, the
Filipino people regained their independence, which they lost twenty years ago.
 {21st Century Period}

21st Century Period - the new trends have been used and introduced to meet the
needs and tastes of the new generation

- 21st Century learners are demanded to be Information and Communication

Technology (ICT) inclined to compete with the style and format of writing as well.
New codes or lingos are used to add flavor in the literary pieces produced
nowadays

{Elements of Poetry}

Poetry - a type of literature that uses the sounds, rhythms, and meanings of words to
describe the world in striking imaginative ways

- It is divided into lines, or groups of words

Stanzas - lines are organized in units of meaning. The lines in a stanza work together to
express one key idea

Stanza Break - a blank lines that signals that one stanza has ended and a new stanza is
beginning

1. Refrain - a line or group of lines that is repeated at regular intervals in a poem…

reminds readers of a key idea… often repeated at the end of each stanza

2. Variations - changing one or more words with each repetition

{Sound Devices}

1. Rhythm - a beat, created by stressed and unstressed syllables in words

2. Meter - a pattern of rhythm

3. Feet - units of stressed and unstressed syllables… Meter is measured in feet

 4. Rhyme - the repetition of vowel and consonant sounds at the ends of words

5. Rhyme scheme - when rhymes follow a particular pattern

{Forms of Poetry}

1. Narrative - tells a story in verse

2. Haiku - three-line Japanese form that describes something in nature. The first
and third lines each have five syllables, and the second line has seven

3. Free Verse - poetry defined by its lack of structure… It has no regular meter,
rhyme, fixed line length, or specific stanza pattern

4. Lyric - expressed the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker, often highly
musical verse

5. Ballads - songlike poems that tell stories… often deal with adventure or romance

6. Concrete - shaped to look like their subjects… The poet arranges the lines to
create a picture on the page

7. Sonnet - a poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme

schemes, in English typically having ten syllables per line

Lesson 3: Literary Genres

{Conventional Genres}

Poetry - an imaginative awareness of experience through meaning, sound and

rhythmic language choices to evoke an emotional response

Drama - a composition in prose or verse presenting in dialogue or pantomime a story

involving conflict more contrast of character, especially on intended to be acted on a
stage

Fiction - literature created from the imagination, not presented as fact, though it may
be based on a true story or situation

1. Fairy Tales - imaginary story in which principles characters are supernatural

beings
 2. Fables- stories about animals gifted with the power of speech

3. Short Stories - short works of narrative prose. Because of their length, short
stories generally focus less on plot or significant character development and
more on generating a certain atmosphere

4. Novel - a narrative work of prose fiction that tells a story about specific human or
character experiences over a considerable length

Non-Fiction - is based on facts and the author’s opinion about a subject. The purpose
of nonfiction writing is to inform and sometimes to persuade. Its examples are
biographies, articles from textbooks and magazines and newspapers

1. Histories - are as popular now as they were in ancient times. Today, they serve
the same purpose –to shine light on the past and cement its importance

2. Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir - tells the important stories of a

person’s life, whether they’re a well-known public figure or someone who has an
interesting story that inspires us all

3. Science and Nature writing - seeks to make complicated matters easier to

understand, and rejoiced in the lessons learned from the natural world

4. True Crime Books - examine the impact of real-life crimes, often tracking a
criminal case from the beginning of an investigation to the apprehension and
prosecution of the perpetrator(s)

{21st Century Literature Genres}

Illustrated Novel - a story or narrative told through words complemented by illustrated

images. In most illustrated fiction, 50% of the narrative is presented without words while
some may not contain any text at all, so the reader must interpret the images to
comprehend the story completely

Digi-Fiction - also called Triple Media Literature. It uses the combination of three
media: book, movie/video, and internet website to tell a narrative, so reads must engage
in navigating, reading, and viewing in all three forms to comprehend the full story

Graphic Novels - narratives told in comic-strip formats and published as a book. To

differentiate from illustrated fiction, graphic novels tell a story using a combination of
words and pictures in a sequence across the page

Manga - the japanese word for comics. It is used in the English-speaking world as a
generic term for all comic books and graphic novels originally published in Japan.
Amerimanga - Manga-style comics created by American artists

{Some Manga categories include the following: (for da weebs)}

● Shonen-Boy’s Manga (Naruto, Bleach, One Piece)

● Shojo-Girl’s Manga (Sailormoon
● Seinen-Men’s Manga (Akira)
● Josei-Women’s Manga (Loveless, Paradise Kiss)
● Kodomo-Children’s manga (Doraemon, Hello KItty)

Flash Fiction - a story narrated in an extremely brief way, but still offers plot and
character development and implies a larger story. It could range from a word to a
thousand

Hyper Poetry - digital poetry that uses links and hypertext mark-up. It can either
involve set of words, phrases, lines, etc. that are presented in variable order but sit on
the page much as traditional poetry does, or it can contain parts of the poem that move
and transforms

Blog - a website containing short articles called posts that are updated regularly. Some
blogs are written by one person containing his or her own opinions, interests and
experiences, while others are written by different people

Lesson 4: Literature from the Region

CALABARZON - is one of the regions of the Philippines. It is also designated as Region

IV-A and its regional capital is Calamba City in Laguna.

{The region is composed of FIVE provinces:}

● Cavite
● Laguna
● Batangas
● Rizal
● Quezon

{The Birthplace of National Heroes}

● Jose Rizal - Calamba, Laguna

● Emilio Aguinaldo - Kawit, Cavite
● Apolinario Mabini - Tanauan, Batangas
● Miguel Malvar - Santo Tomas, Batangas
Cavite - For over 300 years, the province has been known as the ‘Historical Capital of
the Philippine Revolution, the renouncement of Spanish colonial control, which
culminated in the Philippine Declaration of Independence of Spanish colonial control,
which culminated in the Philippine Declaration of Independence on June 12, 1898 in
Kawit, Cavite

Laguna - Capital is Santa Cruz and is situated southeast of Metro Manila, south of the
province of Rizal, west of Quezon, north of Batangas, and east of Cavite. Laguna hugs
the southern shores of Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the country

Batangas - The dialect of Tagalog spoken in the province closely resembles the Old
Tagalog spoken before the arrival of the Spanish. Hence, the Summer institute of
Linguistics called this province the heartland of the Tagalog Language

Batangueños - Linguistically, they are also know for their unique affection of often
placing the particles eh or ga, usually as a maker of stress on the sentence, at the end of
their spoken sentences or speech

Rizal - It is east of Manila. The province is named after Jose Rizal, one of the main
national heroes of the Philippines

Quezon - the province was named after Manuel L. Quezon, the second president of the
Philippines, and its capital is Lucena City

Parz Marquez-Benitez - From Lucena, Quezon. Authored the first Filipino

modern English language Short Story, Dead Stars published in the Philippine
Herald in 1925

Lesson 5: National Literature

Literature of the Philippines - emphasize the totality of the literary output of the
geographical territory called the Philippines

- The term implies that some forces working together have affect the unity
discerned in the literary production of the country, and these may be race,
culture and political organization

Philippine Literature - the body of works, both oral and written

● It is composed or written in any of the Philippine languages, in Spanish and in

English, and in Chinese as well
Philippine Ethnic Literature - a rich of repository of ideas, ideals, and sentiments,
preserved through centuries of oral transmission

{Ethnic literature may be classified into three groups:}

● Folk Speech
● Folk Songs
● Folk Narratives

{The most amusing form of Folk Speech is the riddle, called:}

● Tigmo in Cebuano
● Bugtong in Tagalog and in Pampanga
● Burburtia in Ilocano
● Paktakon in Ilongo
● Patototdon in Bicol

Folk Lyric - the appeal to the intellect of the various kinds of folk speech is matched by
the appeal to the emotions of folk songs

● Among the different forms of folk lyrics are Lallubyes, love songs, drinking songs,
religious songs, and death songs

Folk Narratives - it include folk tales and epics. Folk tales, generally called “Kwentong
Bayan” among the Tagalog, are of different kinds:

● Myths
● Legends
● Fables
● Trickster tales

{Literature by language:}

● Cebuano Literature
● Hiligaynon Literature
● Ilokano Literature
● Tagalog Literature
● Waray Literature
● Philippine Literature
● Philippine Literature in English, Spanish and Filipino
{Writers from the regions} (let’s be real… no one’s gonna review dis)

● Lualhati Torres Bautista - known as the contemporary writer of Tagalog fiction,

this is the foremost Filipino female novelist from Tondo, Manila is also famous for
her screenwriting career as most of her works such as Dekada 70 and Bata, Bata,
Pa’no Ka Ginawa already have film versions.

● Roberto “Bob” Ong - this author’s actual name and identity is unknown. He is
the author of various popular books such as ABNKKBSNPLAko?!, Bakit Baligtad
Magbasa ng Libro ng mga Pilipino, and Alamat ng Gubat to name a few

● Peter Solis Nery - This Hiligaynon pride from Iloilo is an award-winning Filipino
poet, fictionist, and author of various books. He is a recipient of multiple awards
from Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the Cultural Center of the
Philippines (CCP) Literary Grant, and the All-Western Visayas Literary Contest of
the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).Writers from the
Regions

● Merlie Alunan - she is another pride of Iloilo who wrote award-winning

collections of poetry in English and Cebuano languages such as Susmaton: Oral
Narratives of Leyte and Sa Atong Dila, Introduction to Visayan Literature which
earned her the title National Book Award for 2016 and 2017 and Carlos Palanca
Awards.

● Anthony L. Tan - he was born in Siasi, Sulu whose writings have been appearing
locally and internationally in magazines, journals, and anthologies. THiss poet,
essayist, and fictionist is the author of the Bajao Cemetery and Other Poems and
Poems for Muddas
● Myrna Peña Reyes - this poet from Cagayan de Oro is a recipient of Oregon
LIterary Fellowship for poetry. Her works are both published both in the
Philippines and United States