Department of Education

SCHOOLS DIVISION OF CITY OF MEYCAUAYAN

Pag-asa St., Malhacan, City of Meycauayan, Bulacan

Senior High School

Activity Sheet 12
in
ENGLISH
21st Century Literature from the
Philippines and the World-
Quarter 1:
Compare and contrast the various 21st
century literary genres and earlier genres
citing their elements, structures and
traditions
(EN12Lit-ld-25)
 COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE VARIOUS
21ST CENTURY LITERARY GENRES AND
EARLIER GENRES CITING THEIR
ELEMENTS, STRUCTURES AND TRADITIONS
LET US KNOW

According to Jeffrey Low, “Literature education is

about teaching young people to appreciate what it ? Essential Question
means to be human.” It provides us an outlet for our thoughts,
What do you think is
emotions and imaginations. Literature teaches us language
the value of literature
and the power of communication, a skill we cannot do without
and literature
in the 21st century. Various 21 ST century literary and earlier
education in the 21st
genres focus on the elements, structures and traditions. It
century?
helps learners gain a better understanding of the societies
which produce the literature to foster greater empathy for
others.

LET US REVIEW

Recall the literary reading through a linguistic context. Answer the following questions:
1. What is the importance of understanding the way language is used in a literary text?
2. How do we benefit from literature?
3. Why is it important to use appropriate language?
4. What are the strategies you may use to read a text through the linguistic context?
5. What are the reasons to read literature through the linguistic context?

LET US STUDY

Philippine literature withstood time and periods and has evolved through generations. 
For every period that passed, different genres appeared, and these literary works rooted
from all regions reflecting their culture, society and lifestyle.
The early stages of Filipino Literature consist of the Pre-
Vocabulary
Spanish period, the Spanish period and the Propaganda and
Revolutionary Periods. In the Pre-Spanish period, literature was Literature- derives

in oral form as technology of printing wasn’t available yet. Works from Latin

such as epics, legends, folklore, salawikain, bugtong, literature/litteratura

sawikain, songs such as the Oyayi or Hele are passed on from “learning, writing,

generations to generations and they are still well-known up to grammar,’ originally

this day as they are being taught in schools.  “writing formed with
letters,” from

Philippine Literature changed during the Spanish Period. It litera/littera “letter”.

was centered on Christian faith. Pre-Spanish literary types

continued to develop; however, there was a gradual shift of interest from nature and natural
phenomena to the lives of the saints, hymns, miracles and invocations based on the
teachings of the Catholic Church. The works during this time are imitative of the Spanish
theme, forms, and traditions. The corrido, awit, dalit, cenaculo, moro-moro, duplo and
karagatan, and zarzuela are reflective of the said characteristics. Religious matters were in
prose as novenas and prayer books, biographies of the saints, tales and novels.

The Filipinos were able to retain their native traditions and poems in the field of poetry
reflected as lyrical folksongs and riddles. Some examples of songs are Bahay Kubo,
kundiman, and tapat. Francisco Baltazar also was popular during this time because of
his “Florante at Laura”. Events such as the exposure of the Filipinos to Europe’s liberal
idealism, the opening of the Suez Canal, the Spanish Revolution in 1868, and the
martyrdom of Gomburza led to Filipino nationalism. This gave birth to two movements
during this time – the Propaganda movement and the Revolutionary movement. The
Propaganda movement was reformatory in objective and its members are college students
mostly based in Spain. The primary propagandists were Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar,
and Graciano Lopez-Jaena. The exposure of the evils of the Spanish rule in the Philippines
was because of Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo and has paved the way to a
revolution against Spain. Del Pilar’s essays and editorials in Diariong Tagalog which he
founded with Lopez-Jaena’s articles in La Solidaridad which he was an editor reflected
nationalism that was dominant at this time.

21st century literature per se, is anything that was written and published in the year
2000s. It is a bit too early to give a definite and elaborate description of the 21st century
literature in the Philippines and the world. It is possible, however, to approach
contemporary literature as a reaction to and dialogue with existing forms of expressive
culture. As we engage in technology more and more, we create and discover more existing
forms of expressive culture as well. We have a wide range of resources through the internet

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and this gave opportunities to people, especially the youth, to begin writing and expressing
their thoughts, ideas, and feelings. A perfect example would be WattPad.  It became popular
to the Filipino youth in 2006.

Here are more examples of literary genres in the 21st century Philippine literature:

Creative nonfiction

It’s a rich mix of flavors, ideas, and techniques, some of which are newly invented and
others as old as writing itself. Creative nonfiction can be an essay, a journal article, a
research paper, a memoir, or a poem; it can be personal or not, or it can be all of these.

Some of the creative nonfiction in the Philippines are:

1. “The Cardinal’s Sins, the General’s Cross, the Martyr’s Testimony, and Other
Affirmations” by Gregorio C. Brillantes

2. “Manananggal Terrorizes Manila and Other Stories” by Jessica Zafra

3. “Sapay Koma” by Jhoanna Lynn Cruz

Hyper poetry

Hypertext poetry and hypertext fiction are new genres of literature that use the computer
screen as medium, rather than the printed page. The literary works rely on the qualities
unique to a digital environment, such as linked World Wide Web pages or effects such as
sound and movement. Hypertext “poetry” can consist of words, although not necessarily
organized into lines and stanzas, as well as, sounds, visual images, movement or other
special effects. Although the poem may be dazzling with sounds, perhaps of a lawnmower,
while the words “mowing,” “stop,” “Sunday,” and “morning” floats across your computer
screen in pseudo-three-dimensional letters, one will have been hard pressed to identify the
use of any formal poetics.

Mobile phone text tula

A cell phone novel or mobile phone novel is a literary work originally written on a cellular
phone via text messaging. This type of literature originated in Japan, where it has become a
popular literary genre. However, its popularity has also spread to other countries
internationally, especially to China, United States, Germany, and South Africa. Chapters
usually consist of about 70-100 words each due to character limitations on cell phones.
Chick lit

This is genre fiction, which “consists of heroin-centered narratives that focus on the trials
and tribulations of their individual protagonists”. The genre often addresses issues of
modern womanhood – from romantic relationships to female friendships to matters in the
workplace – in humorous and lighthearted ways.
Some of the chicks lit in the Philippines are:

1. Spotlight New Adult by Mina V. Esguerra

2. Tall Story by Candy Gourlay

3. All’s Fair in Blog and War by Chrissie Peria

Speculative fiction

It covers all stories from fantasy to science fiction to slipstream to magic realism to urban
fantasy — so on and so forth. In other words (or in other worlds), it encompasses all the
stories that are removed from the reality that we are currently living in. As the introduction
states, “speculative fiction is a type of story that deals with observations of the human
condition but offers the experience through a different lens…and challenges us to see what
tomorrow could be like or what the mythic past of our imagination actually is.”

Some of the speculative fictions in the Philippines are:

1. Smaller and Smaller Circles by FH Batacan

2. Sink by Isabel Yap

3. The Secret Origin of Spin-Man by Andrew Drilon

Flash fiction

Flash fiction goes by many names, including micro fiction, micro stories, short-shorts, short
stories, very short stories, sudden fiction, postcard fiction and nonfiction. While it can be
difficult to pinpoint an exact definition of flash fiction based on word count, consideration of
several of its features can help provide clarity, like its brevity, length, background and
purpose.

Some of the flash fictions in the Philippines are:

1. 100 Kislap, by Abdon M. Balde Jr.

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2. Karapote: Antolohia Dagiti 13 a Nasuerte A Sarita, by Ariel S. Tabag

Blog

A blog (shortening of “weblog”) is an online journal or informational website displaying

information in the reverse chronological order, with latest posts appearing first. It is a
platform where a writer or even a group of writers share their views on an individual
subject.

Graphic novels

The ‘graphic novel’ has existed as an art form arguably from the time our species learned
how to paint. However, the term has only been in use since the 1960’s, and though it’s
often a hotly debated issue, it’s generally accepted that a graphic novel is a longer work or
collection of works presented in ‘comics’ style.
Some of the graphic novels in the Philippines are:

1. The Mythology Class (Nautilus comics) by Arnold Arre

2. Light (Anino comics) by Rob Cham

3. Sixty Six (Anino comics) by Russell Molina

4. Maktan 1521 by Tepai Pascual

LET US PRACTICE

Activity # 1

Compare and contrast the various 21st century literary genres and
the ones from the earlier genres/periods citing their elements,
structures and traditions using the Venn diagram.

LET US REMEMBER

Many works 21st literature deal with the events, movements and literature of the past in
order to make sense of the current times. In addition, the technological developments of the
21st century have directed other writers to theoretically write about the future, usually to
comment on the present and suggest introspection.
Literature continues to change with society and although we are in the 21st century and
are bind with technology, authors are still trying to address absolute human questions in
new ways and therefore, reconcile them with the ever-changing technology that surrounds
us; hence, the birth of the different 21st century literary genres.

LET US APPRECIATE

Recall the time line of Philippine history. Reflect on some events that may
have transpired during those periods of time by creating a visual image
Activity
that represents each of them.
#2

LET US PRACTICE MORE

Activity # 3
Create a table that shows the different literary works from the different
periods. Indicate the particular year or time when it was published or
created.

EVALUATION

Quiz # 2
A. Direction: Read and understand carefully each question. Then, encircle the letter of the
correct answer.

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1. It is a body of work, written, oral, or visual, containing imaginative language that
realistically portrays thought, emotions, and experiences of the human condition.
A. Pre-colonial Literature
B. Philippine Literature
C. Literature
D. World Literature
2. The period of time before colonization of a region or territory.
A. Colonial
B. Pre-Colonial
C. Pre-history
D. Post-Colonial

3. The part of the story which problems are solved and the action comes to a satisfying end.
A. Rising Action
B. Style
C. Falling Action
D. Resolution

4. An accumulative process of handling down texts for future generations.

A. Literary Tradition
B. Traditional Literature
C. 21st Century Literature
D. Contemporary Literature
E. Modern Literature

5. This is a type of stories, authors and readers explore new and exciting realities made
possible by imagined technologies or social changes. Star Wars is one of the most famous
examples.
A. Science Fiction
B. Contemporary Fiction
C. Historical Fiction
D. Fantasy