Handout in Philippine Literature

LITERATURE in General

Definition:
ENCYCLOPEDIA: is a body of writing by a people or by peoples using the same
language.

DICTIONARY: writing in prose or verse regarding as having permanent worth in

its intrinsic value. Are a writings dealing with any particular subject. Any
printed material.

ETYMOLOGICAL: came from the Latin term LITTERA or an individual written

character (letter).

OTHERS: written record of mankind. It is a window where in one will have a

view of what the author believes (culture, tradition, etc.) and what he feels
on some matters about his perspectives. It is sometimes an imitation of
reality, thus one should be aware when the author creates his own world.

Significance:
1. It is a springboard to new knowledge, increases vocabulary, etc.
2. It can change society, culture and personality (Inspirational, Self-
Help, Revolutionary Books).
3. It mirrors and integrates values (stories with morals).
4. Can be a guide to one’s life for it talks about experiences etc.

Origin:
Literature mainly originated from Oral text/Oral literature. Examples
are the following:
1. Epic—came from the Greek word, “Epikos” meaning word, speech, or poem.
It is a long narrative poem in elevated style recounting the deeds of a
legendary or historical hero.
2. Legend—a popular myth that usually presents origins of things, people,
events etc.
3. Myth—a usual traditional story of historical events that serves to
unfold parts of the world-view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or
natural phenomena.
4. Ballad—a narrative composition in rhythmic verse suitable for singing.
5. Proverbs—sayings that project the kind of character/personality one
should uphold or discard.
6. Riddles
7. Fables—a narrative characterized or composed by animal characters that
were anthropomorphized.

Literary Genres: Literature According to their Form and Structure

I. PROSE –continuous, narrative. It has no sustained rhythmic regularity, with

logical and grammatical order, and characterized by virtues of style.

A. FICTION—imaginative writing; invented stories

a. KINDS OF FICTIONS
1. Short-story—short prose fiction (shorter and tighter in scope than a
novel)
2. Novel—extended or longer narrative prose fiction (the work is usually
divided into chapters)
3. Folktales—narrative prose fiction that originally presented and passed
orally.
• Legends—talks about origin of something
• Myths—with supernatural elements
• Fables—centers on a moral values and characterized by animal.

b. ELEMENTS OF FICTIONS
1. Settings and Atmosphere—time and place of the events of the story. It
often helps shape the character and events.
• Elements:
a. Physical Setting (geographical/topography)
b. Time or Period
c. General Environment of Characters (cultural, religious etc.)
2. Character/Characterization—the means, which the author uses to
describe or project the characters and make them seem real.
• Kinds:
a. PROTAGONIST—hero/main character in the story (usually admirable)
b. ANTAGONIST—character in conflict with the hero.
c. ANTIHERO—also a protagonist but depicts a ridiculous character or a
feature which oppose our usual idea of a hero (Shrek, Quasimodo)
d. STOCK—a characterization that possesses a recognizably universal
personality trait (rich fat uncle, cruel step mother, strict father, absent-
minded professor etc.)
e. DYNAMIC—characters who changes significantly during the course of the
story, carries with him the realities of human growth and decline)
f. FOIL—a character who points up the qualities of another character
(side kicks)

3. Plot—the patterned arrangement of events in a narrative. The sequence

in which the events of a story are arranged
• Parts:
a. Exposition—setting and characters are introduced to the reader. It
usually appears in the beginning of the story.
b. Rising Action—it is where the complication, crisis, and advancing
movement, unfolding of the conflict is presented. (Conflict—a struggle or an
opposition between forces that maybe persons or maybe not)
c. Climax—the most intense moment of the story. It is where the character
reaches a turning point. This is where we will know how the conflict will be
resolved.
d. Denouement/Falling Action—the final unraveling of the plot. It is the
part where in the mystery is solved. It also sometimes involves the
explanation of all the secrets and misunderstanding.
• Effects:
a. FORESHADOWING—instances of the stories that provides us with hints or
clues about what is going to happen later.
b. FLASHBACK—takes us backwards in time from the current action.
4. Point of View (POV)—the vantage point from which the author presents
the story, or the outlook from which the story is told. It answers the
question: “Who tells the story?”
• Types:
a. First Person—if the main character (one of them) tells the story. “I”
usually indicate it in the narrative (Forest Gump).
b. Omniscient—it is when the narrator acts to be “All-knowing”. We are
told not only of what’s happening but also what the characters feel and think.
This is uncommon nowadays because of the question of credibility (Mga Munting
Pangarap ni Romeo).
c. Third Person—In real life, we never know everything that goes on in
other person’s mind, or in places we are not present, thus the reader will
then have to draw their own conclusions and make their own judgments. (Harry
Potter).
5. Theme—the controlling idea or meaning of the story.
• Kinds:
a. Conventional—themes that conforms to our established moral standards.
b. Unconventional—critical of traditional/conventional ones.
6. Tones—reflect the author’s attitude towards his/her subject,
characters, and readers. It suggests what our reactions should be and maybe
described as—light hearted, solemn, bitter, affectionate, sensual etc.

B. NON-FICTION—factual literary works.

a. KINDS OF NON-FICTIONS
1. Essay—a moderately brief prose composition usually of a restricted
topic and expository in nature. Usually opinionated, focuses on the writer’s
perspective about the matter. Came from the French term, “ESSAI”, which means
an attempt.
• Classifications:
a. Informal (Personal)—Highly subjective, the main source of interest is
the personality of the author. It possesses a charming, interesting and
distinctive purpose—to entertain and amuse (Autobiographical Narratives)
b. Formal (Impersonal)—it deals with serious and important topics such as
philosophy, theology, science, politics morality and others (objective). It
aims to teach and to instruct.
2. Autobiography—a narrative about one’s self, written by the author
himself (A boy named It)
3. Biography—a narrative about one’s self, written by others.
4. Critical
5. Scientific
6. Historical

II. Poetry –refers to those expressions in verse, with measures, rhymes,

lines, stanzas, and melodious tone. According to Horace, it primarily aims to
delight and to instruct. Its qualities are (1) content, (2) form, and (3)
effect.

A. GENRES OF POETRY:
a. LYRIC POETRY—originally referred to songs sung to lyre music. It
dwells on subjects like love, death, grief, religion and feelings, beauty etc.
i. Types of Lyric Poetry
1. Simple Lyric—characterized by subjectivity, imagination, melody, and
emotion.
2. Song—short lyric poem which has a specific melodious quality and is
intended to be sung and can be set easily to music. It is either religious or
secular.
3. Sonnet—a lyric poem of 14 lines with a formal rhyme. It was perfected
by an Italian, Francesco Petrarca on the 14th century (English/Shakespearean
Sonnet, Spenserian Sonnet)
b. NARRATIVE POETRY—it tells a story following an order of events.
i. Types of Narrative Poetry
1. Ballad—short simple narrative poem composed to be sung, and is orally
told from one generation to another.
2. Metrical Romance—centered about love stories and adventures of knights
and lords, and their royal ladies. Its setting is usually in the Medieval.
3. Epic—long narrative poem which tells the adventures of a traditional
hero and the development of a nation (Iliad, Odyssey, Ang Biag-ni-Lam-Ang)
c. DRAMATIC POETRY—dramatic form and dramatic techniques, emphasis is
more to the characters rather than the narration.
i. Types of Dramatic Poetry
1. Dramatic Monologue (one speaker)
2. Soliloquy
3. Character Sketch

B. ELEMENTS OF POETRY:
a. RHYTHM—variation of stressed and unstressed sounds that has same
regular pattern.
b. IMAGERY—the collection of images; in a broader sense it is synonymous
with figures of speech or “trope” It appeals to the senses.
i. Kinds of Figures of Speech
1. Simile—indirect comparison of ideas, things, or images. Uses the words
“like”, “looks like”, “as ___ as ___”, etc. (Your hair is as soft as a cotton)
2. Metaphor—direct comparison of ideas (You are the sunshine of my life)
3. Hyperbole—exaggeration (Waves mountain high suddenly appeared)
4. Oxymoron—two contradictory terms in one statement (His cruel kindness
is beyond compare)
5. Onomatopoeia—having a sound that imitates what they denote (the
hissing sound of the bushes adds creepiness to the place)
6. Synecdoche—naming of parts to suggest the whole (Show your respect for
the snowy hair).
7. Personification—giving human attributes to inanimate objects (As the
morning cries, people gather around)
8. Allusions—reference to any literary, biblical, historical,
mythological scientific event, character, or place (As he acts like Pilate,
the innocent sobs)
c. DICTION—words chosen for a supposedly inherent poetic quality.
d. SOUNDS
i. Rhymes—identity of sound between syllables or paired group of
syllables, usually at the end of a poem’s line.
ii. Alliteration—repetition of the beginning consonant sound within the
line of a poem.
iii. Assonance—the repetition of a word sound within the line of a poem
iv. Consonance—repetition of a within-the-word consonant sound within the
line.

III. Drama –a story intended to be acted out on stage—or nowadays in films or

on televisions. Some critics say Pantomimes are also considered as drama, but
others are stricter in definition, saying drama requires a dialogue.

A. KINDS:
a. TRAGEDY—a play where the protagonist was overcome by a catastrophe or
a disastrous event. It portrays pity and fear and the action usually ends
unhappily.
b. COMEDY—generally a play that amuses and/or has a happy ending.

B. ELEMENTS OF DRAMA:
a. PLOT—Dramatic Structure
i. Parts of a Dramatic Structure
1. Exposition
2. Rising Action—Sets in action by a conflict or an exciting force. It is
a point where in one identifies a threat to the character in the play.
• Kinds of Conflicts
i. Man vs. Man (rebellion, competition, etc.)
ii. Man vs. Environment (rescue, disaster, etc.)
iii. Man vs. Self (ambition, self-sacrifice, etc.)
3. Climax—confrontation or the high point.
4. Downward/Falling Action
5. Catastrophe—ends where in the hero live or die. It is where the status
quo is restored.
b. SETTING—set arrangement, props, costumes, lighting, sounds etc.
c. DIALOGUE—an exchange between two or more characters.

Philippine Literature in English

History:
I. Oral Lore From Pre-Colonial Times (___-1564)
a. Pre-Colonial Literature
A. LEGENDS (Legends of the Tagalogs)
B. EPIC (Hudhod and Alim:Ifugao, Bidasari:Moro)
C. FOLK SONGS—one of the oldest forms of Philippine Literature that
emerged in the Pre-Spanish period. It mirrors the early forms of culture
(Kundiman:Awit ng Pag-ibig, Oyayi or Hele:Lullaby)
D. EPIGRAMS—Pre-Spanish Poetry: Salawikain (customarily used and served
as laws or laws on good behavior by our ancestors.
E. RIDDLES—Pre-Spanish Poetry:Bugtong or Palaisipan (made up of one or
more measured lines with a rhyme.
F. CHANT—Pre-Spanish Poetry: Bulong (used in witch craft or enchantment)
Significant Historical Event Significant Literary Events or Features
Authors: Representative Works
Discovery of the Tabon Man Characteristics of Pre-Colonial Literature:
1. Oral tradition
2. Subjects: Common Experience
3. Commonly owned
REGION 1: The Great Flood
REGION 2: The Monkey and the Turtle
Influenced by Chinese, Malay, Indian 3Common Kinds of Pre-Colonial
Literature
1. Riddles
2. Proverbs
3. Songs

Features of Ethno epics

1. Long narrative
2. Based on oral tradition
3. Plot has supernatural events and heroic deeds
4. Form is in verse
5. Has seriousness of purpose

ILOCANO: Biag-ni-Lam-Ang
2 Reasons Pre-Colonial Literature Survived Spanish Influence
1. Resistance to colonial rule
2. Isolation from colonial power Conventions of Pre-Colonial Oral
Literary Forms
1. Formulaic repetitions
2. Stereotyping of characters
3. monorhyming heptasyllabic verses
4. Use of talinghaga

II. Spanish Colonialism (1565-1872)

Significant Historical Event Significant Literary Events or Features

Authors: Representative Works
1565—establishment of the 1st permanent settlement in the Philippines of the
Spanish Monarchy and Roman Catholic Religion

2 Social Classes created by the establishment of the Spanish power in Pueblos

(town)
1. Tagabayan
2. Tagabukid Parish Priest—the embodiment of Spanish power and culture who
exerted a pervasive influence on Filipinos; owned and controlled the printing
press.

Characteristics of Spanish Colonial Literature

1. Content: Christian Ideals
2. Form: Pre-Colonial Form Fr. Juan de Placencia and Fr. Domingo Nieva:
Doctrina Christiana (1st published work in the Philippines, published in
XYLOGRAPHY, written in Tagalog and Spanish)
Educational System:
1. Curriculum: 3 R’s (reading, writing and arithmetic)
2. Purpose: to impart the fundamental of Christian Doctrines to the children

Ladinos—Filipinos who were able to write and read in Latin

1. Pedro Bukaneg--Iloko
2. Tomas Pinpin—Tagalog
3. Fernando Bagongbanta Types of Literature:
1. PASYON—a Christian narrative poem intended to replace the epic poems of the
pagan past.
2. SENAKULO—a stage plays on the passion and death of Christ.
3. KOMEDYA—drew its plot from medieval Spanish ballads; exemplified the
virtuous of religious curiosity and steadfast loyalty of the monarch Gaspar
Aquino de Belen: Ang Mahal na Pasion ni Jesu Cristong Panginoon Natin
2 Types of Narrative Poems
1. Awit—its strophe is consisted of 4 monoryhming dodecasyllabic lines
2. Korido—its strophe is consisted of 4 monoryhming octosyllabic lines
Francisco Baltazar: Florante at Laura
Orosman and Zafira—discovered in 1974 which has 3 loveplots and the characters
are affected by passion and ambition
Modesto de Castro: Urbana at Feliza (established the stereotypes of popular
characters for Tagalog dramas and novels).
1863—Education from elementary to college became available to the native
Filipinos, eventually gave rise to the Filipino intelligencia

La Solidaridad—the newspaper of the Propaganda Movement 2 Literary

Genres that developed
1. Novel
2. Essay

2 Languages used in writing

1. Spanish—the language of the elite and the early Propagandistas
2. Tagalog—the language of the “masa”, therefore nationalism.Pedro Paterno:
NINAY (the 1st Filipino novel.
SAMPAGUITA—a collection of Spanish poems that marked the beginning of national
consciousness among the Filipino intelligencia

Jose P. Rizal: NOLI ME TANGERE (the 1st novel that used social realism as a
literary concept). EL FILIBUSTERISMO (offered a wealth of political insight
that showed Rizal’s mind

Marcelo H. del Pilar (Plaridel): editor of La Solidaridad

Andres Bonifacio: the Supremo of the Katipunan

Emilio Jacinto: wrote LIWANAG at DILIM

1898—The Treaty of Paris where Spain ceded the Philippines to the Americans

III. American Regime (1898-1945)

Significant Historical Event Significant Literary Events or Features

Authors: Representative Works
Four Laws passed by the US to counteract guerilla activity
1. SEDITION LAW (1901)—imposed death penalty or prolonged imprisonment on
Filipinos who advocated independence from the US.
2. THE BRIGANDAGE ACT (1902)—classified guerillas as bandits, making
membership in an armed band or giving aid to such punishable by death or a
long prison sentence.
3. THE RECONCENTRATION ACT (1903)—sought to deprive guerillas of their
protective cover by resettling, in fixed places where they could be watched.
4. FLAG LAW (1907)—prohibited the displays of the flags or emblems associated
with the Katipunan or the Republic Literary Development after the Spanish
Rule was ended
1. The downfall of Spanish colonialism freed the printing press from religious
censorship.
2. Newspapers and Magazines using English, Spanish and Local
Languages/vernacular proliferated.

Literary Genres that bloomed during the US Colonial Period

1. ESSAY
2. NOVEL
3. ALLEGORICAL DRAMA
4. NARRATIVE POETRY
5. PATRIOTIC VERSES Newspapers:
MULING PAGSILANG—1903, Tagalog
ANG KALUWASAN—1902, Cebuano
MAKINAUNGALINGON—1913, Ilongo
NUEVA ERA—1908, Iloko

Magazines:
LIWAYWAY—1922, Tagalog
BISAYA—1930, Cebuano
HILIGAYNON—1934, Ilongo
BANNAWAG—1934, Iloko
Euro-Hispanic Tradition—refers to the literary part of the cultural
heritage of Spanish Colonialism, which brought over into Philippine writing
forms, critical theory, and subject matters/themes in Spanish Literature and
other Western European Literatures, Particularly French.
Forms of Theater
1. SARSUWELA—originally, a Spanish theater form that depicted contemporary
life in Spain. It presented an entertaining feature of mild social comment,
lilting music, and earthy humor on which a slight love story was usually made
to rest.
2. ALLEGORY—a dramatic form where human characters were made to represent
ideas to make an abstract message easier to grasp.
3. VAUDEVILLE—a stage performance that featured a lot of song and dance
numbers influenced by the American Form of Entertainment.
4. CAMPUS THEATER—colleges or universities became the venue for dramatic
performances when commercial theaters were invaded by vaudevilles and movies;
influenced by Europeans, British and American plays mounted by amateur
students groups.
Severino Reyes: Walang Sugat

Juan Abad: Tanikalang Ginto

Aurelio Tolentino: Kahapon, Ngayon, at Bukas

Patricio Mariano: Anak ng Dagat

Wilfredo Ma. Guerrero: Wanted: A Chaperon

1935—Commonwealth form of Government was inaugurated.

Multi-Party system in Politics was introduced Features of Published Poetry

A. EARLY PERIOD:
1. Content: nationalism, patriotism; inspired by the poems of the Propaganda
Movement
2. Form: patterned after the poems of Rizal, Del Pilar, and Bonifacio
3. Language: Spanish and Vernacular

B. LATTER PERIOD:
1. Content: personal themes
2. Form: anything goes
3. Language: English Fernando Ma. Guerrero: Crisalidas

Cecilio Apostol: Pentelicas

Jose Corazon de Jesus: Mga Gintong Dahon (he was the first of the two giants
of Philippine Literature)
American Education System was adapted in the Philippine School

English became the medium of instruction

Pencionados—Filipinos sent to the US for training on colonial bureaucracy

The tagabayan-tagabukid dichotomy became the educated illustrados vs.

illiterate proletariat dichotomy Features of Philippine Novels
A. EARLY PERIOD:
1. Content: social conditions created by colonial repression
2. Form: patterned after the Noli Me Tangere of Rizal
3. Language: Spanish and Tagalog

B. LATTER PERIOD:
1. Content: romance
2. Form: anything goes
3. Language: Tagalog and English Inigo Ed. Regalado: Lalaking Uliran o
Tulisan
: May Pagsinta’s Walang Puso (featured a fallen woman as a protagonist; showed
the hypocrisies of conventional society.

Gabriel Beato Francisco: (Trilogy) Fulgencia Gabillo

: Capitan Bensio
: Alfaro

Valeriano Hernandez Pena: Nena at Neneng—he is dubbed as the “Father of

Tagalog Novel”

Lope K. Santos: Banaag at Sikat –uses the poor boy-rich girl plot; a novel
about society undergoing transition from agricultural to an industrial
economy; as a novel, it tries to be a primer for laborers

Lope K. Santos: Ang Pangginggera—a narrative poem that exposes gambling as a

form of social evil.
2 Schools of thought of Philippine Literature
1. Art for art’s sake Proponent: Jose Garcia Villa (poet)
2. Art as “a call to arms” Proponent: Salvador P. Lopez (essayist) Salvador
P. Lopez: Literature and Society
Philippine Short Story
1. Languages: English and Tagalog
2. Content: inner life of the Filipino living in the city (Rotor); Philippine
rural life (Arguilla); Americanization of Philippine society (Rosario)

2 Schools of thought or Societies of Philippine Short Story

1. The Panitikan—prided itself as “radical but aristocratic”. Founders:
Alejandro Abadilla and Clodualdo del Mundo.
2. The Veronicans—a group of Filipino writers in English that put out
mimeographed publications called Story Manuscripts Arturo B. Rotor: The
Wound and the Scar

Manuel E. Arguilla: How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife and Other Stories

Deogracias A. Rosario—known as the “Father of the Tagalog Short Story”

Benigno R. Ramos: founder and publisher of Sakdal, a tabloid that opened a

forum for anti-colonial ideas that was to rally Filipinos seeking an
alternative to colonial administration.
1941—the Pacific War (World War II) broke out After the War, Philippine
Literature focused on the experiences of the Filipino during the second world
war and the fulfillment of the American dream. Carlos Bulosan: America
is in the Heart

Stevan Javellana: Without Seeing the Dawn

IV. Literature under the Republic (1946-1985)

Significant Historical Event Significant Literary Events or Features

Authors: Representative Works
1946—end of the Pacific War

Manuel A. Roxas, the first president of the Republic, proclaimed amnesty for
all accused of collaboration
The Bell Trade Act—imposed free trade and “parity” rights allowing US citizens
to enjoy the same rights as Filipinos in the exploitation of the natural
resources of the country

Military Bases Agreement—imposed free use of 23 base sites in the Philippines

for 99 years

The tagabayan-tagabukid dichotomy became the Americanized intelligentsia vs.

ultra nationalistic leftist Features of Literature under the Republic
1. American New Criticism (ANC)—a highly sophisticated critical method resting
on the assumption that the library work is a “verbal construct” influenced the
thinking of the Filipino creative writer.

2. Because of ANC, the traditional role of literature (as influenced by the

Propaganda Movement)—art as a tool for social reform was abandoned.

3. The common themes in novels were the problems of colonial exploitation

(Francisco) political and economic troubles (Hernandez)

4. One-act plays in English became part of the literary scene as espoused by

Alberto S. Florentino.

5. Poetry was stripped of rhyme and meter and insisted on “sincerity”

(Abadilla)

6. Women writers writing about children and women, and feminist consciousness
became more prominent (Matute, Polotan-Tuvera)

7. Philippine theater showcased foreign plays in English or other languages

translated to Tagalog (Tinio, Guidote)

8. Philippine theater dwelt on the themes of existentialism and search for

identity (Perez, Dumol)

9. Philippine poetry used English as a medium but was torn in Villa’s

“aesthetic role of art” and Lopez’s “social role of art”

10. Philippine novels were highly influenced by themes and techniques drawn
from Western novels; themes were on problems of national identity in the
experience of Filipino middle class intellectual (Joaquin, Gonzalez)

Lazaro Francisco: Bayang Nagpatiwakal

Amado V. Hernandez: Luha ng Buwaya
: Mga Ibong Mandaragit

Amado V. Hernandez: Isang Dipang Langit

Alberto S. Florentino: The World is an Apple and Other Plays
Alejandro G. Abadilla: Ako ang Daigdig
Genoveva Edroza Matute: Ako’y Isang Tinig
Kerima Polotan-Tuvera: Stories
Rolando S. Tinio: Miss Julie
: Waiting for Godot
Tony Perez: Hoy Boyet
: Bombita
Paul Dumol: Ang Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio
: Cabesang Tales
Carlos Angeles: A Stun of Jewels

Emmanuel S. Torres: Angels and Fugitives

: Shapes of Silence

Nick Joaquin: The Woman Who Had Two Navels (he suggested that identity is not
defined by elimination but rather by a continuing assertion of man’s faculty
of choice as he sifts through history and the present)

NVM Gonzales: The Bamboo Dancers

: Children of the Ash-covered Loam (he focused more on the acceptance of an
economic fact about Philippine life; for him the “lostness” of the Filipino
identity was caused by man’s inability to harmonize values receives from his
Western education with the hard facts of economic development.
There was a growing militancy of national consciousness among the student
movements in colleges and universities.

Jose Ma. Sison—organized Student Cultural Association of the University of the

Philippines (SCAUP)

1970—a turning point for nationalist movement

Panulat para sa Kaunlaran ng Sambayanan (PAKSA)—a group of nationalist writers

was established in 1971

Sept. 21, 1972—Pres. Marcos proclaimed Martial Law 11. Campus publications
became the new venue for Tagalog writing with themes of colonial education,
feudal institutions and fascist administrations in their respective schools.

12. Literature became political in form and content (PAKSA)

13. Mao Zedong’s essay “Talks at the Yenan Forum” influenced the criteria set
for literature by identifying whose interest does the literary work serve
(“for whom?”)

14. The dignification of the “Language of the street corner” in literature is

an achievement of the literary movement of the 1970’s, which concerned it with
giving voice to the grievances and protest of the Filipino masses.
Virgilio S. Almario: Doktrinang Anakpawis
: Ang Makata sa Panahon ng Makina

Jose F. Lacaba: Mga Kagilagilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran

Juan Cruz Reyes: Utos ng Hari at Iba Pang Kuwento

V. Literature After EDSA (1986-1995)

Significant Historical Event Significant Literary Events or Features

Authors: Representative Works
1986—People Power that ousted Pres. Marcos and established the presidency of
Corazon C. Aquino, widow of Benigno Aquino Literary Events and Features
1. Two centers for creative writing were established

(a) Academic institutions—universities where Creative Writing is part of the

curricular offerings, and influenced the writing of young people: Diliman
Review and The Literary Apprentice (UP), Sands and Coral (Siliman Univ.)
Heights and Pantas (AdMU), Malate and Likha (DLSU), The Varsitarian (UST),
Bisig (PUP)

(b) Writer’s Organizations—sponsor symposia on writing and/or set up workshops

for its members and other interested parties: UMPIL, KATHA, LIRA, LUDABI, GAT,
PLAC

2. Award giving bodies, annuals, competitions, and publications provide the

incentives for writers to keep producing: Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards,
Surian, Komisyon ng Wikang Pambansa, CCP, NCCA, GAPAS, KAIBIGAN
Characteristics of Philippine Literature after EDSA
1. In the academe, critical orientation is influenced by current literary
theories from England and the US.

2. “Non-traditional” publications marked by adventurousness were published;

for example, creative writing from the underground left.

3. Marginalized authors, genres, and themes became part of mainstream

Philippine critical discourse (example: feminist criticism, OFW’s, gay and
lesbian writings)

4. Retrieval and recuperation of writing in Philippine languages other than

Tagalog. Gelasio Guillermo: Ang Panitikan ng Pambansang Demokrasya

Alise Guillermo: Images of Change

Elmer Ordones: The Other View

Edel Garsellano: First Person, Plural

Soledad S. Reyes: Kritisismo

Virgilio S. Almario: Kung sino and Kumatha kina Bagongbanta, Ossorio, Herrera,
Aquino de Belen, Balagtas, Atbp.

Isagani R. Cruz: Beyond Futility

Zelda Soriano: Kung Saan Ako Pupunta

Jason Montana: Clearing

Levy Balgos dela Cruz: Bukal ng Tubig at Apoy

CRITICAL APPROACHES TO LITERATURE (LITERARY CRITICISM THEORIES)

APPROACH DESCRIPTIONS PRACTITIONERS

I. FORMALIST CRITICISM Primary goal: To determine how the elements of the
story work together with its content to shape its effects upon readers. They
believe that literature is “a unique form of human knowledge that needs to be
examined on its own terms”.

Focus: analyzing irony, paradox, imagery, and metaphor, plus the work’s
setting, characters, symbols, and point of view. I. A. Richards, William
Empson, John Crowe Ransom, Robert Penn Warren, Cleanth Brooks, Allen Tate etc.
II. BIOGRAPHICAL and HISTORICAL CRITICISM Begins with the simple but
central insight that actual people write literature and that understanding an
author’s life can help readers comprehend the work.
Focus: Author’s life and political, economical, and sociological context in
relation to his works.
III. PSYCHOLOGICAL CRITICISM FREUDIAN—pinpointing the influences of the
character’s ID, EGO, And SUPER EGO. They like to point out the sexual
implications of symbols and imagery, since Freud believes that all human
behavior is motivated by sexuality (Examples: Concave images, ponds, flowers,
cups, and caves imply FEMALE; Dancing, Flying, Riding implies SEXUAL
PLEASURE).
1. ID the instinctual, pleasure seeking part of the mind.
2. EGO the part of the mind that controls but does not repress the ID’s
impulses, releasing them in a healthy way.
3. SUPER EGO the part of the mind that represses the ID’s impulses.

JUNGIAN—influential force in mythological or archetypal criticisms. They focus

on the concept of the process of individuation (discovering what makes one
different from everyone else).
1. SHADOW the darker or unconscious self (VILLAIN)
2. PERSONA man’s social personality (HERO)
3. ANIMAL man’s soul image, feminine (HEROINE) Sigmund Freud, Carl
Jung, Otto Rank, Ernest Jones, Marie Boaparte
IV. MYTHOLOGICAL or ARCHETYPAL CRITICISM Emphasizes the “recurrent
universal patterns underlying most literary works”. It explores the artist’s
common humanity by tracing how the individual imagination uses myths and
symbols common to different cultures and epoch. KEY CONCEPT: ARCHETYPES, a
symbol, character, situation or image that evokes a deep UNIVERSAL response.
Examples:
1. IMAGES Water (mystery of creation, birth-death-resurrection; purification
and redemption; fertility and growth). The Sea (the mother of all life;
spiritual mystery and infinity; death and rebirth; timelessness and eternity;
the unconscious). The Rivers (death and rebirth; baptismal)
2. SUN creative energy; law in nature; consciousness (thinking, enlightenment,
wisdom, spiritual vision); father principle (moon and earth tends to be
associated with female or mother principle). Rising Sun (birth and creation;
enlightenment). Setting Sun (death) Maud Bodkin, Bettina L. Knap
V. READER-RESPONSE CRITICISM This approach takes as fundamental tenet “that
literature exists not as an artifact upon a printed page but as a transaction
between the physical text and the mind of the readers.” For them, literary
texts do not contain a meaning on its own; meanings are derived only from the
act of individual readings.

Emphasizes how “religious, cultural, and social values affect readings”; it

also overlaps with gender criticism in exploring how men and women read the
same text with different assumptions. I. A. Richards, Louise Rosenblatt,
Walter Gibson, Norman Holland, and others.
VI. FEMINIST CRITICISM Concerned with the impact of gender on writing and
reading. It usually begins with a critique of patriarchal culture. It includes
a search for a feminine theory or approach to text. They argue that male fears
are portrayed through female characters.

THREE MAJOR PHASES OR DEVELOPMENT

1. FEMININE involves imitation of the prevailing modes of the dominant
tradition and internalization of its standards.
2. FEMINIST involves protest against these standards and values and advocacies
of minority rights.
3. FEMALE this is the phase of self-discovery, a turning inwards,
freed from some of the dependencies of oppositions, a search for identity.
VII. STRUCTURALIST Views literature as a system of signs. There should be
a distinction between a PAROLE (any particular meaningful use of spoken or
written language: also called PERFORMANCE) and LANGUE (the underlying system
of sounds, forms, and rules of combination of a language which makes
meaningful communication possible: also called COMPETENCE)

They are interested in LANGUE rather than PAROLE Michel/Michael Foucault,

Ferdinand de Saussure
VII. DE-CONSTRUCTIONALIST This approach rejects the traditional
assumption that language can accurately represent reality. They regard
language as a fundamentally unstable, medium. Because literature is made up of
words, which constitute language, literature then possesses no fixed meaning.

They tend to emphasize on not what is being said but on how language is used
in a text. Jacques Derrida

Bibliography:

Philippine Literature: A History and Anthology, Bienvenido Lumbera and Cynthia

Nograles Lumbera

Worktext in Philippine Literature, Mildred B. Go et.al.

Philippine Literature: Through the Years, Alicia H. Kahayon and Celia A.

Zulueta

A Handout on World Literature, Natividad G. Esita et.al

A Handbook to Literature (revised), Thrall, Hibbard, and Holman

World Literature, Apolinario S. Saymo et.al

Prepared by: Mrs. Milynormejiaacibo

/.mamaronylim 1-23-11