BSEE34: Survey of the Philippine Literature in English

LESSON 1 and 2

What is a Literature?
• The word Literature is derived from the Latin term “litera” which means letter.
• Some loosely interpret literature as any printed matter written within a book, a magazine,
or a pamphlet.
• It is a faithful reproduction of man’s manifold experiences blended into one harmonious
expression.
• It is the story of man. Man’s loves, grieves, thoughts, dreams and aspirations coached in
beautiful language.

Some Literary Compositions that Have Influenced the World:

1. The Bible or the Sacred Writings
• Used by Christians
2. Koran
• Used by Islam/Muslims
• Prophet Muhammad
3. The Iliad and the Odyssey
• Greek Literature written by Homer
• The war lasted 10 years
• Song of Ilium
• Odyssey is the continuation/part 2 of Iliad
4. The Mahab-harata/ Mahabharata
• Indian Literature
• Longest epic
5. Canterbury Tales
• Written by Geofrey Chaucer and considered as his magnum opus/masterpiece
• Magnum Opus – greatest literary piece of the author
• A collection of 24 stories
6. Uncle Tom’s Cabin
• Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe
• Tackles about slavery
• Rizal’s inspiration in writing El Filibusterismo
7. The Divine Comedy
• Spiritual Journey of Man through Life
• Written by Dante Alighien
• Italian Literature
8. The Song of Roland
• Collection of Songs about the fight of Christianity and Islam/Muslims
• Fight between good and evil
 9. The Book of the Dead
• Egyptian Literature
• Consists of different spells, magic, and chants that helps spirits to the journey of
the afterlife.
10. One Thousand and One Nights or The Arabian Nights
• Western Literature & Asian Literature
• Tackles morality and goodness in people

Philippine Literature
 Philippine literature is literature associated with the Philippines from prehistory, through
its colonial legacies, and on to the present.
 Passed on from generation to generation, originally through an oral tradition. 
Example:
• Aliguyon
• Hud-hud
• Biag ni Lam-ang
 Most of the notable literature of the Philippines was written during the Spanish Period
and the first half of the 20th century in Spanish Language. Philippine literature is written
in Spanish, Tagalog, and other native languages.

Philippine Literature in Different Perspective

 Jose Arrogante
• literature is a book of life in which a person reveals things related to his
inexplicable color of life and life in his world. It makes a person through creative
methods.
 Salazar
• described literature as a force that motivated society. He added that it was a
powerful tool that could free one of the rushing ideas to escape. For him, it is also
a unique human experience unique to mankind.
 Atienza, Ramos, Salazar, and Nazal
• says that “true literature is a piece of written work which is undying. It expresses
the feelings and emotions of people in response to his everyday efforts to live, to
be happy in his environment and, after struggles, to reach his Creator.”
 For Webster
• literature is anything that is printed, as long as it is related to the ideas and
feelings of people, whether it is true, or just a product of one’s imagination.

Literature and History

 Literature and History are closely interrelated. In discovering the history of a race, the
feelings, aspirations, customs, and traditions of a people are sure to be included. And
these feelings, aspirations, customs, and traditions that are written is literature.
 History can also be written and this too, is literature. Events that can be written down are
part of true literature. Literature, therefore, is part of History.
  Literature and History, however, also have differences. Literature may be figments of the
imagination or events devoid of truth that have been written down, while History is made
up of events that really happened.

Why We Need to Study Philippine Literature

1. So that we can better appreciate our literary heritage.
• We cannot appreciate something that we do not understand. Through a study of
our literature, we can trace the rich heritage of ideas handed down to us from our
forefathers. Then we can understand ourselves better and take pride in being a
Filipino.
2. We need to understand that we have a great and noble tradition which can serve as the
means to assimilate other cultures.
3. We have to manifest our deep concern for our own literature and this we can do by
studying the literature of our country. 

Functions of Literature
1. ENTERTAINMENT FUNCTION
• known as “pleasure reading”. In this function, literature is used to entertain
its readers. It is consumed for the sake of one’s enjoyment.

2. SOCIAL AND POLITICAL FUNCTION

• literature shows how society works around them. It helps the reader “see”
the social and political constructs around him and shows the state of the
people and the world around him.
Example:
Karl Marx – author of social and political issues; Father of Communism

3. IDEOLOGICAL FUNCTION
• shapes our way of thinking based on the ideas of other people. Literature
also displays a person’s ideology placed in the text consciously and
unconsciously.
Example:
Public Speaking
*It is written to express and share certain topics and issues*

4. MORAL FUNCTION
• literature may impart moral values to its readers. The morals contained in a
literary text, whether good or bad, are absorbed by whoever reads it, thus
helps in shaping their personality.
Example:
Fables
*to give morals and lessons to readers*
 5. LINGUISTIC FUNCTION
• literature preserves the language of every civilization from where it
originated. They are also evidences that a certain civilization has existed by
recording the language and preserving it through wide spans of time.
Example:
Romanticism, Victorian Era, Communism, Feminism
*main aim to the readers is that this certain era existed*

6. CULTURAL FUNCTION
• literature orients us to the traditions, folklore, and the arts of our ethnic
group's heritage. It preserves entire cultures and creates an imprint of the
people’s way of living for others to read, hear, and learn.
*dealing about culture/reflects*

7. EDUCATIONAL FUNCTION
• literature teaches us of many things about the human experience. It is used
to portray the facets of life that we see, and those that we would never
dream of seeing. Literature, therefore, is a conduct for the chance to
experience and feel things where we can learn things about life.
*main aim is to educate others about life experiences*
*it mirrors life*
*it is for all people*

8. HISTORICAL FUNCTION
• Ancient texts, illuminated scripts, stone tablets etc., keeps a record of events
that happened in the place where they originated.
Example:
Colonization/Colonialism
*how it was written, things considered by the writer, what happened in our
history*

General Types of Literature (Literature can be Divided into 3)

1. PROSE
• consists of those written within the common flow of conversation in
sentences and paragraphs.
- It follows certain techniques and guides
- Short stories, fables, bibliography
- Can be divided into 2: fiction and non-fiction
2. POETRY
• refers to those expressions in verse, with measure and rhyme, line and
stanza and has a more melodious tone.
- Tanaga is one of the most famous poetries
3. DRAMA
• refers to those expressions in verse, with measure and rhyme, line and
stanza and has a more melodious tone.
 - Played on stage such as Moro-Moro and Panunuluyan
I. Types of Prose
a. Novels – long narrative divided into chapters and events are taken from true-to-life
stories.
Examples:
• WITHOUT SEEING THE DAWN by Stevan Javellana
• NOLI ME TANGERE by Jose Rizal
• EL FILIBUSTERISMO by Jose Rizal

b. Legends – these are fictitious narratives, usually about origins, mostly impossible to
happen.
Examples:
• THE BIKOL LEGEND by Pio Duran
• ANG ALAMAT NG PINYA
• ANG ALAMAT NG BULKANG MAYON

c. Fables – these are also fictitious, and they deal with animals and inanimate things
that speak and act like people and their purpose is to enlighten the minds of children
to events that can mold their ways and attitudes.
Example:
• THE MONKEY AND THE TURTLE by Jose Rizal (1885)
• Aesop or Esopo – father of all fables

d. Anecdotes – these are merely products of the writer’s imagination, and the main aim
is to bring out lessons to the reader.
Examples:
• THE MOTH AND THE LAMP by Jose Rizal
• ANG TSINELAS NI RIZAL by Jose Rizal
• It only has one theme: short stories; shorter than fables

e. Short Story – this is a narrative involving one or more characters, one plot and one
single impression.
Examples:
• THE LAUGHTER OF MY FATHER by Carlos Bulosan
• MY FATHER GOES TO COURT by Carlos Bulosan
• Carlos Bulosan – one of the famous Filipino Writer of Philippine Literature
• His masterpiece is titled THE HEART OF AMERICA
• It can be a story of passion, love, and friendship

f. Essay – this expresses the viewpoint or opinion of the writer about a particular
problem or event. The best example of this is the Editorial page of a newspaper.

g. Biography – this deals with the life of a person which may be about himself, his
autobiography or that of others.
Example:
• CAYETANO ARELLANO by Socorro O. Albert
h. News – this is a report of everyday events in society, government, science and
industry, and accidents, happening nationally or not.

i. Oration – this is a formal treatment of a subject and is intended to be spoken in

public. It appeals to the intellect, to the will or to the emotions of the audience.
Example:
• Public Speaking
• Meant to persuade