11 21st Literature Notes

literature
-written text
-technical like research

Literature
-categorized into two: Poetry and Prose

Genres of Literature
Prose
-literature written in the regular form
-fiction or non-fiction

Poetry
-measurement
-scheme
-Narrative, Lyric, Dramatic

Literature
-powerful tool for expressing and exploring our humanity
-when discussing literature, one can talk about the author's style

Prose
-is a form of literature that uses ordinary language and has a natural flow of
speech
-distinguished from poetry which uses a formal meter and rhythm
-consists of sentences and paragraphs and is used for a variety of genres including
novels, essays, short
stories and newspaper articles

Poetry
-a genre of literature that uses imaginative and often rhythmic language to express
an idea, evoke
emotion or tell a story

Under Prose:
Fiction
-created from the author's imagination, as opposed to being based on facts or real
events

"Literary works have the power to transport us to worlds far beyond our own and to
open our eyes to new
perspectives"
-they can inspire us to take stands, to take action, and to think differently
-essential to individual growth and to be the health of our society

Poetry
-the most compact form of literature
-ideas, feelings, rhythm, and sound are packed into carefully chosen words, working
to convey meaning
to the readers

3 Major Parts
1. Tone
-tells us how the writer feels about the text, at the least, to an extent
-all forms of writing, aside from the academic, have a tone of some sort

2. Form
 -structure of a literary work
-stanza, block, free verse
-example: Haiku; an unrhymed three-line poem composed of 5-7-5 syllables per
line
Tanka; composed of 31 syllables in total (5-7-5-7-7)

3. Figurative Language
-refers to the language that uses words in way that deviate from their literal
interpretation
to achieve a more complex or powerful effect

3 Types of Poetry
1. Narrative
-tells a story
-historically began

2. Lyric Poetry
-poems that are supposedly sung with musical accompaniment
-express the poet's

3. Dramatic
-performed on a stage
-sung or spoken

Elements of Poetry
1. Persona
-a dramatic character who is the speaker in the poem
-a persona is not always the poet

2. Form
-poetry is written in lines, and oftentimes the lines are divided into stanzas

3. Imagery
-use of language that appeals to the five senses
-visual (sight), auditory (hearing), gustatory (taste), tactile (touch)

4. Sound Patterns
-rhyme, rhythm, and other literary devices that pertain to sounds
-onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance

5. Rhyme
-the repetition of similar or identical sounds at the end of poetic lines
-rhyme scheme - the pattern of the rhyme placed at the end of each line or
stanza in a poem
-rhythm
-foot - equivalent to two or more stressed and/or unstressed syllables
-meter - the measurement of syllable in a line

Type of Foot
Iambic 01
-1 unstressed syllable followed by 1 stressed syllable

Trochaic 10
-1 stressed syllable followed by 1 unstressed syllable

Anapestic 001
-2 unstressed syllables followed by 1 stressed syllable

Dactylic 100
-1 stressed syllable followed by 2 unstressed syllables

Spondaic
-all syllables have equal stress

Type of Meter
Monometer - one foot
Dimeter - two feet
Trimeter - three feet
Tetrameter - four feet
Pentameter - five feet
Hexameter - six feet
Heptameter - seven feet
Octameter - eight feet

6. Figurative Language
-words or phrases that are put together to help readers picture ordinary things
in new ways

7. Theme
-the central idea of a poem

Pre-Colonial Literature
-refers to the literary works of the Filipinos before the Spanish occupation of the
Philippines
-stories, epics, myths, folktales, songs, hymns, rituals, riddles, and proverbs

Characteristics
1. Oral Tradition
-storytelling through the word-of-mouth
-passing of stories and tales onto generations through the word-of-mouth
-no permanent story

2. Common Themes
A. Nature - natural phenomena
B. Supernatural Events - phenomena that cannot be explained
- to protect the children from wandering off the woods
- to protect nature from people who are trying to destroy it
C. Bravery of Heroes - early Filipinos believed in beings with super powers
- Gods that dwell in the human realm; will grant protection if
they befriend these gods
D. Customs and Ideologies - mainly mirrors the traditions and the lifestyle of
the early Filipinos
- suggests that our ancestors already have the wit and
creativity long before colonization

3. Pre-colonial literature was considered their truth

-lack of scientific basis
-to make sense of what is going around

4. Shorter Plots
-action is the main focus to keep the audience alert and interested
-protagonists had characteristics that will enable listeners to easily identify
them
examples: The Wisdom of Aligoyon, The strength of Lam-ang, and the Laziness of
Juan Tamad

5. The Language is full of melody and rhythm

 -songs and chants
example: The songs of the Cordillerans

Literary works in the Pre-colonial era

Heroic Theme
-Ibalong of the Bicol region
-Darangan of the Maranao
-Hudhud of the Ifugao

Supernatural Theme
-The Biag ni Lam-ang
-The Malakas and Maganda
-Tikbalang
-The Lahing Kayumanggi of the Visayas
-Babaylan

Spanish Colonization
-333 years (1565 to 1898)
-religion is the primary theme
-Catechism

Literary works in the Spanish-colonial era

-Doctrina Cristiana
-catechism book, published in Manila in 1593
-Awit
-narrative poem
-12 syllables per line
-slow tempo
-Moro Moro
-comedia (drama)
-depicts the conflict between Christians and Muslims
-Propaganda Movement
-reformist movement
-Jose Rizal (Noli Me Tangere & El Filibusterismo)
-journalism; expose the ills of the Spanish regime
-La Solidaridad

1. Awit
-Filipino poem consisting of 12-syllable quatrains

2. Baybayin
-a Philippine script
-the oldest form of writing in the Philippines

3. Doctrina Cristiana
-catechism book published in Manila in 1593

4. Moro Moro
-comedia (drama)
-depicts the conflict between Christians and Muslims

5. Francisco Balagtas
-a well-known Filipino poet and was considered as one of the greatest Filipino
literary laureates
-wrote Florante at Laura

6. Tagalog Sonnet
-a sonnet composed of 14 lines that uses Tagalog as its medium
7. Propaganda Movement
-a group based in Spain, but from Filipino roots that adhere to the Filipino
nationalist movement
-reform and national consciousness movement

8. Epic
-long narrative poem about a hero's heroic deeds
-humans dealing with gods and other superhuman/natural beings

9. Proverb
-simple, traditional saying stating a general truth or a well-known fact based
on experience and common sense

10. Hudhud of Ifugao

-narrative chants traditionally performed by Ifugao
-practiced during the rice sowing season, at harvest time, and at funeral wakes
and rituals

11. Biag ni Lam-ang

-an epic story about the Ilocanos
-first written Filipino folk epic

American Colonization Era

-1898 to 1941 (43 years)
-liberation from the Spanish regime
-major reconstruction in the literary landscape

The Literary Landscape

1. All forms of Literature
-news reporting, poetry, stories, plays, essays, novels

2. Active arousal in the field of Literature

Literary Works
1. El Nuevo Dia (The New Day)
-Sergio Osmeña in 1900
-nationalistic writings
-banned twice with threats of banishment

2. El Grito Del Pueblo (The Call of the Nation)

-Philippine News paper
-Pascual Poblete founded it in 1900
-father of the Revolutionary Philippine newspaper
-Filipino translation of Noli Me Tangere
-mass in Filipino

3. Kahapon, Ngayon, at Bukas (Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow)

-Aurelio Tolentino
-2 successful plays (discontinued)

4. Tanikalang Ginto
-Juan Abad

5. Malaya
-Tomas Remigio

6. Walang Sugat
-Severino Reyes
Characteristics
-Spanish and Tagalog were the predominant language of literature
-1910; a new group started writing in English
-nobility propagated in literature in Spanish
-Filipinos tried to imitate the style of writing of Americans

Literary Works
1. Cecilio Apostol
-a poet; wrote poems dedicated to our heroes
-his poem dedicated to Rizal is considered the best poem in praise of the hero
of Bagumbayan

2. Fernando Ma. Guerrero

-has a collection of poems: CRISALIDAS

3. Jesus Balmori
-well-known for his pen name of;
Batikuling
-was elected Poet Laureate in Spanish

4. Claro M. Recto
-has a collection of poems called Bajo Los Cocoteros (under the coconut tree)

5. Adelina Guerrea
-first woman poet in the Philippines who was good in Spanish
-Zobel prize winner for her song El Nido (the nest)

Literature in Filipino
1. Poets of Life (Makata ng Buhay)
-led by Lope K Santos, Jose Corazon de Jesus, Florentino Collantes, Patricio
Mariano, Carlos Gatmaitan, and
Amado V. Hernandez

2. Poets of the Stage

3. Amado V. Hernandez
-makata ng mga manggagawa (poet of the laborers)
-pictures in his poem the intense love for the poor worker or laborer
-Isang Dipang Langit, Bayang Malaya, Ang Panday, Munting Lupa

Three Frames of Literature in this period

1. Reorientation: 1898 to 1910
2. Imitation: 1910 to 1925
3. Self discovery: 1925 to 1941

Literature Analysis
Literary Analysis
-the close examination and interpretation of a literary work
-breaking down the literary material to parts or components to further understand
the piece
-to create meaning

Reader-Response Theory
-views literature as dynamic interaction
-between the literature and reader
-many ways to interpret;
a. Cultural
b. Religious
 c. Economic
-interpretation through personal lens (yourself, own insights, takes, and thoughts)
-own insights on the literature

Steps on how to examine text:

1. Theme: the central idea or message of the text
2. Plot: sequence of events in a story
3. Setting: time and place of a story
4. Point of view: perspective from which the story is told
5. Style: author's distinctive way of writing
6. Tone: attitude of the author toward the subject matter
7. Figurative Language: literary devices like metaphors, similes, and symbolism

What to include in the analysis:

1. Introduction
-make sure that the introduction clearly specifies the name of both the text and
the author
-should also include some description of the text, and what it's about
-should end with your thesis statement or argument

2. Body Paragraphs
-write 3-4 paragraphs that discuss the text and the reading questions in depth
-does not necessarily have to answer each question in order
-multiple questions can be combined and addressed in a single paragraph, or
reordered in a way that
flows well and makes sense to you
-it is often helpful to use the first body paragraph to include more information
about the text, the
plotline, major themes, etc., and then use the rest of the paragraphs to
provide an analysis of how
you felt about the text

3. Explain how, why, and what

-think about explaining not just how you felt about the text, but why it made
you feel a certain way
-a reader response is meant to be personal, so it is OK to incorporate personal
anecdotes and opinions
into your analysis

4. Incorporate specific examples into your analysis

-each body paragraph should include at least 1-2 specific examples from the text
-do not all have to be direct quotations
-for example, you might simply describe a particular event or passage in the
text

5. Keep quotations short and sweet

-resist the temptation to string together multiple multi-line quotes, and make
sure to include at
least one sentence after each quote explaining how it relates to the point you
are making

6. Write the Conclusion

-should be one paragraph that summarizes your arguments so far, and brings the
reader back to your
thesis or main point

7. Proofread
-make sure and give your paper a thorough once-over, looking for typos,
grammatical errors, and things
that don't quite make sense