I.

Pre-Colonial Period (--BC – 1564)

A. Characteristics

1. Based on oral traditions.

2. Crude on ideology and phraseology.

B. Literary Forms

1. Oral Literature

a. Riddles (bugtong) – battle of wits among participants. A question or

statement intentionally phrased so as to require ingenuity in ascertaining its
answer or meaning, typically presented as a game.

b. Proverbs (salawikain) – wise sayings that contain a metaphor used to teach

as a food for thought. A short pithy saying in general use, stating a general truth
or piece of advice.

c.Tanaga – written in any form of quatrains and has 7-7-7-7 syllables per line. It
is originally rhymed as aaaa-bbbb, but can be aabb ccdd or abba cddc in its
modern form. Also, composed with the liberal use of metaphor, and usually
untitled.

2. Folk Songs

It is a form of folk lyric which expresses the hopes and aspirations, the people's
lifestyles as well as their loves. These are often repetitive, sonorous, didactic
and naive.

a. Hele or oyayi – commonly termed as lullaby.

b. Ambahan (Mangyan) – 7 syllables per line poem that are about human
relationships and social entertainment.

c. Kalusan (Ivatan) - work songs that depict the livelihood of the people.

d. Tagay (Cebuano and Waray) – basically means drinking song.

e. Kanogan (Cebuano) – song of lamentation for the dead.

3. Folk Tales

a. Myths – explain how the world was created, how certain animals possess
certain characteristics, why some places have waterfalls, volcanoes,
mountains, flora or fauna.
 b. Legends – explain the origin of things.

Examples:        Why the Pineapple Has Eyes

The Legend of Maria Makiling

c. Fables – used animal characters and allegory.

d. Fantastic stories – deal with underworld characters such as “tiyanak”,

“aswang”, “kapre” and others.

e. Epics - these are narratives of sustained length based on oral tradition

revolving around supernatural events or heroic deeds.

                         Examples:   Lam-ang (Ilocano)                             

Hinilawod (Panay)

Kudaman (Palawan)                          

Darangen (Maranao)

Ibalon (Bicol)

II. Spanish Colonization Period (1565 – 1863)

A. Characteristics

1. It has two distinct classifications: religious and secular.

2. It introduced Spanish as the medium of communication.

B. Literary Forms

1. Religious Literature - Religious lyrics written by ladino poets or those versed in

both Spanish and Tagalog were included in early catechism and were used to teach
Filipinos the Spanish language.

a. Pasyon – long narrative poem about the passion and death of Christ.  The
most popular was “Ang Mahal na Passion ni Jesu Cristong Panginoon Natin” by
Aguino de Belen.

b. Senakulo – dramatization of the pasyon, it shows the passion and death of

Christ.

2. Secular (non-religious) Literature

 a. Awit - colorful tales of chivalry made for singing and chanting

Example:         Ibong Adarna

b. Korido – metrical tale written in octosyllabic quatrains

Example:         Florante at Laura by Francisco Baltazar

c. Prose Narratives – written to prescribe proper decorum

i. Dialogo                                      

ii. Manual de Urbanidad

iii. ejemplo                     

iv.  tratado

Examples:      "Pagsusulatan ng Dalawang Binibini na si Urbana at

si Feliza" by Modesto de Castro

                      "Ang Bagong Robinson" by Joaquin Tuason

III. Nationalistic / Propaganda and Revolutionary Period (1864 – 1896)

A. Characteristics

1. Planted seeds of nationalism in Filipinos.

2. Language shifted from Spanish to Tagalog.
3. Addressed the masses instead of the “intelligentsia”.

B. Literary Forms

1. Propaganda Literature - reformatory in objective.

a. Political Essays – satires, editorials and news articles were written to attack
and expose the evils of Spanish rule.

i. Diariong Tagalog – founded by Marcelo del Pilar

ii. La Solidaridad – whose editor-in-chief is Graciano Lopez-Jaena

b.  Political Novels

i. Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo – Jose Rizal’s masterpieces

that paved the way to the revolution
 2. Revolutionary Literature – more propagandistic than literary as it is more violent
in nature and demanded complete independence for the country.

a. Political Essays – helped inflame the spirit of revolution

i. Kalayaan – newspaper of the society, edited by Emilio Jacinto

b. Poetry

1. True Decalogue – Apolinario Mabini

2. Katapusang Hibik ng Pilipinas – Andres Bonifacio
3. Liwanag at Dilim – Emilio Jacinto

IV. American Colonial Period (1910 – 1945)

A. Period of Apprenticeship (1910-1930)

1. Filipino Writers imitated English and American models.

2. Poems written were amateurish and mushy, which phrasing and diction is awkward
and artificial.

a. Short Stories

i. Dead Stars – Paz Marquez Benitez

ii. The Key – Paz Latorena

iii. Footnote to Youth – Jose Garcia Villa

b. Novels

i. Child of Sorrow – first novel in English, by Zoilo Galang

B. Period of Emergence (1920-1930)

1. Highly influenced by Western literary trends like Romanticism and Realism.

a. Short Stories – most prevalent literary form

i. Jose Garcia Villa – earned the international title “Poet of the Century”

V. Japanese Occupation (1942 - 1960)

A. War Years (1942-1944)

 1. Tagalog poets broke away from the Balagtas tradition and instead wrote in
simple language and free verse
2. Fiction prevailed over poetry

a. 25 Pinakamabuting Maikling Kathang Pilipino (1943) – compilation of the

short story contest by the military government

i. Suyuan sa Tubigan – Macario Pineda

ii. Lupang Tinubuan – Narciso Reyes

iii. Uhaw ang Tigang na Lupa – Liwayway Arceo

B. Period of Maturity and Originality (1945-1960)

1. Bountiful harvest in poetry, fiction, drama and essay.

2. Filipino writers mastered English and familiarized themselves with diverse
techniques
3. Literary “giants” appeared

a. Palanca Awards for Literature

i. Jose Garcia Villa

ii. Nick Joaquin

iii. NVM Gonzales

iv. Bienvenido Santos

v. Gregorio Brillantes

vi. Gilda Cordero Fernando

b. National Artist Awards

i. Jose Garcia Villa

ii. Nick Joaquin

VI. Contemporary/Modern Period (1960 – Present)

A. Characteristics

1. Martial Law repressed and curtailed human rights, including freedom of

the press.
 2. Writers used symbolisms and allegories to drive home their message, at
the face of heavy censorship.
3. Theater was used as a vehicle for protest, such as the PETA (Phil.
Educational Theater Association) and UP Theater.
4. From the eighties onwards, writers continue to show dynamism and
innovation.

Padre Faura Witnesses the Execution of Rizal

by Danton Remoto

      1                    I stand on the roof

      2                    Of the Ateneo Municipal,

      3                    Shivering

      4                    On this December morning.

      5                    Months ago,

      6                    Pepe came to me

      7                    In the Observatory.

      8                    I thought we would talk

      9                    About stars

      10                  That do not collide

      11                  In the sky:

      12                  Instead, he asked me about purgatory.

      13                  (His cheeks still ruddy

      14                  From the sudden sun

      15                  After the bitter winters

      16                  In Europe.)

      17                 And on this day

      18                 With the year beginning to turn,

      19                 Salt stings my eyes.

      20                 I see Pepe,

      21                 A blur

      22                 Between the soldiers

      23                 With their Mausers raised

      24                 And the early morning’s

     

      25                 Star:

      26                 Still shimmering

      27                 Even if millions of miles away,

      28                 That star itself

      29                 Is already dead.

 Lengua Para Diablo (The Devil Ate My Words)

(Excerpt from Banana Heart Summer)

by Merlinda Bobis 

      I suspected that my father sold his tongue to the devil. He had little to say in our
house. Whenever he felt like disagreeing with my mother, he murmured. “The devil ate
my words”. This meant he forgot what he was about to say and Mother was often
appeased. There was more need for appeasement after he lost his job.

      The devil ate his words, the devil ate his capacity for words, the devil ate his tongue.
But perhaps only after prior negotiation with its owner, what with Mother always
complaining, “I’m already taking a peek at hell!” when it got too hot and stuffy in our tiny
house. She seemed to sweat more that summer, and miserably. She made it sound like
Father’s fault, so he cajoled her with kisses and promises of an electric fan, bigger
windows, a bigger house, but she pushed him away, saying, “Get off me, I’m hot, ay,
this hellish life!” Again he was ready to pledge relief, but something in my mother’s eyes
made him mutter only the usual excuse, “The devil ate my words,” before he shut his
mouth. Then he ran to the tap to get more water.

      Lengua para Diablo: tongue for the devil. Surely he sold his tongue in exchange for
those promises to my mother: comfort, a full stomach, life without our wretched want…

But the devil never delivered his side of the bargain. The devil was alien to want. He
lived in a Spanish house and owned several stores in the city. This Spanish mestizo
was my father’s employer, but only for a very short while. He sacked him and our
neighbor Tiyo Anding, also a mason, after he found a cheaper hand for the extension of
his house.

      We never knew the devil’s name. Father was incapable of speaking it, more so after
he came home and sat in the darkest corner of the house, and stared at his hands. It
took him two days of silent staring before he told my mother about his fate.

      I wondered how the devil ate my father’s tongue. Perhaps he cooked it in mushroom
sauce, in that special Spanish way that they do ox tongue. First, it was scrupulously
cleaned, rubbed with salt and vinegar, blanched in boiling water, then scraped of its
white coating – now, imagine words scraped off the tongue, and even taste, our
capacity for pleasure. In all those two days of silent staring, Father hardly ate. He said
he had lost his taste for food, he was not hungry. Junior and Nilo were more than happy
to demolish his share of gruel with fish sauce.

      Now, after the thorough clean, the tongue was pricked with a fork to allow the
flavors of all the spices and condiments to penetrate the flesh. Then it was browned in
olive oil. How I wished we could prick my father’s tongue back to speech and even
hunger, but of course we couldn’t, because it had disappeared. It had been served on
the devil’s platter with garlic, onion, tomatoes, bay leaf, clove, peppercorns, soy sauce,
even sherry, butter, and grated edam cheese, with that aroma of something rich and
foreign. His silent tongue was already luxuriating in a multitude of essences, pampered
into piquant delight.

      Perhaps, next he should sell his esophagus, then his stomach. I would if I had the
chance to be that pampered. To know for once what I would never taste. I would be
soaked, steamed, sautéed, basted, baked, boiled, fried and feted with only the perfect
seasonings. I would become an epicure. On a rich man’s plate, I would be initiated to
flavors of only the finest quality. In his stomach, I would be inducted to secrets. I would
be the “inside girl,” and I could tell you the true nature of sated affluence.