LESSON 1

INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

TOPICS
1. What is Literature?
2. Importance or Relevance of Literature
3. Types of Prose
4. Elements of a Short Story
5. Types of Poetry

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
1. define Literature; Literature;
2. identify the different literary genres;
3. show sensitivity to human and moral values;
4. appreciate the roles of literature in our lives; and
5. sharpen the imagination by drawing pictures perceived in
literary genres.

TOPIC 1: WHAT IS LITERATURE?

While history records past events, it does not include among its pages, the spirit of the
nation. It is in literature where one can see the dreams, anxieties, joys, and problems of the
people in a certain country. (Senatin, 2003)
In order to know the history of a nation’s spirit, one must read its literature. Hence, it is,
that to understand the real spirit of a nation, one must “trace the little rills as they course along
down the ages, broadening and deepening into the great ocean of thought which men of the
present source are presently exploring.” (Kahayon, et al., 2000)
WHAT IS LITERATURE?

Literature is derived from the latin word litera which means letter. It has been defined
differently by various writers. Some of these are presented hereunder.

 Literature is a piece of printed work related to the ideas and feelings of the people that
may be true or just a product of the writer’s imagination. (Sayno, A. et.al, 2004)

 Literature covers all the writings of a particular country, time, kind, etc. especially those
valued for excellence of form and expression. (Webster’s Dictionary)

 Literature refers to a composition that deals with life experiences. It tells stories,
dramatizes situations, expresses emotions, analyzes, and advocates ideas. (Patron,
2002)

 Literature is an eternally burning flame, exuding light that renders significance to

civilization. (Castillo, et.al. 2002)

 Because Literature deals with ideas, thought, and emotions of man, literature can be
said to be the story of man. (Kahayon, et.al., 2000)

Moreover, the study of Literature offers the following:

 It stimulates the mind to awareness of human experiences.

 It touches the heart.
 It satisfies a person’s sense of beauty.
 It educates, enlightens, and inspires.

According to Saymo, et.al (2004), literature is divided into two large groups: Prose and
Poetry. Prose is defined as a spoken written language without metrical regularity. Poetry, on
the other hand, is the imaginative expression of emotion, thought, or narrative, frequently in
metrical form and often using the figurative language. Poetry has traditionally been
distinguished from prose by rhyme on the rhythmical arrangement of words.

TOPIC 2: IMPORTANCE OR RELEVANCE OF LITERATURE

 1. Material progress and political power may vanish; the spirit of nationalism may wane;
but the true glories of literature withstand the forces of decay and decline.
2. Literature is an eternally burning flame, exuding light that renders significance to
civilization.
3. In literature, likewise, there is conserved a heritage which gives meaning to a people’s
ideals. It molds the mind of a people by preserving the experiences of the past in a
cohesive and beautiful manner.
4. Literature mirrors the depth of a culture and manifests the truly creative genius of the
race.
5. Literature, though seeming to hide timidly between the covers of a book, has frequently
generated ideas that have had a tremendous effect. It has exhibited the potency of an
explosive in its capacity for upsetting the social order.
6. Literature helps us grow both personally and intellectually.
7. It helps us to connect ourselves to the cultural context of which we are a part.
8. It helps us to develop mature sensibility and compassion for the condition of all living
things, human, animal and vegetable.
9. Literature is one of the things that shape our lives; it makes us human.
10. It encourages us to assist creative talented people who are in need.

Prose comes from the Latin “prosa” which means “straightforward”. Prose can be written or
spoken and has no formal metrical structure. It is basically ordinary language – the way people
speak.

1. Novel. It is an extended fictional prose narrative, often including the psychological

development of the central characteristics and of their relationship with a broader
world. The modern novel took its name and inspiration from the Italina novella, the
short tale of varied character, which became popular in the late 13 th century. Novel is
classified according to genres and subgenres such as the historical novel, detective
fiction, fantasy and science fiction.
E.g. Without Seeing the Dawn by Stevan Javellana
2. Short Story. It is an artistic form of prose fiction that is usually written in a narrative
format which is centered on a single main incident whose aim is to produce a single
dominant impression. Its qualities are economy, compression, brevity, and emphasis.
E.g. The Laughter of My Father by Carlos Bulosan
3. Play. It is a piece of creative work presented on stage. It is usually divided into acts.
E.g. Thirteen Plays by Wilfredo M. Guerrero
4. Legend. It is traditional or undocumented story about famous people, commonly
religious in character and frequently posing problems of authenticity.
E.g. The Bikol Legend by Pio Duran
5. Fable. It is a story in either verse or prose, in which animals or inanimate objects are
given the mentality and speech of human beings to point out a lesson.
E.g. The Monkey and the Turtle
6. Anecdote. It is a product of the writer’s imagination whose aim is to bring out lesson to
the readers. It can be stories about animals or children.
E.g. The Moth and the Lamp
7. Essay. It is a short piece of nonfiction dealing with a particular subject from a personal
point of view. The best example of this is the editorial page of a newspaper.
8. Biography. It is an account of a person’s life. It may consist of factual details of a
person’s life told in a chronological order, but has generally become a matter of
interpretation as well as historical accuracy.
E.g. Cayetano Arellano by Socorro O. Albert
9. News. It is a report of daily events in society, government, or in science and industry.
10. Oration. It is a piece of work relative to speech whose aim is to arouse the listener’s
interest and emotion.

TOPIC 4: ELEMENTS OF A SHORT STORY

1. Setting. It is an element that reveals where/when the story happened.

2. Characters. They are the performers of a story. It may refer to the hero or to the
heroin of the story. It includes people playing important roles in a given story aside
from the principal characters.

3. Plot. It refers to the storyline/sequence in a novel, play, film, or other work of fiction. It
is traditionally a scheme of connected events.

4. Theme. It refers to the central idea or insight of any piece of literary work; a truth in life
which is the heart of the story. It is usually implied rather than stated, e.g. good vs. evil
(personal evil or dark forces in man’s environment such as disease, poverty, and war) or
life process (childhood joys and fears or growing-up pains of teenagers).

5. Point of View. It is a device used by the writer in presenting his idea.

6. Conflict. It refers to the collision between one character and another, between a
character and some elements in the world about him. It is the opposition of forces
which ties one incident to another and makes the plot move. Conflict is not merely
limited to open arguments; rather, it is any form of opposition that the main character
faces.

The preceding basic elements of a short story can be expanded as follows: (source: The
Literatures of the Philippines by Ferdilyn C. Lacia et. al.)

1. Setting – the place or location of the action; provides the historical and cultural
context for characters. It often can symbolize the emotional state of characters.
2. Plot – the development of a story in terms of beginning, middle, or end. The
beginning contains the conflict which rises to a climax where the story turns
before reaching a denouement or a resolution. A good plot is not based on twist
and turn of events but how much is revealed about the characters and the
theme of the story. Following are elements of plot:

The introductory material, creates the tone, presents the

Exposition characters, and presents other facts necessary to
understand the story.

This is a series of events that builds from and during conflict.

Rising Action
It begins with the inciting forms and ends with the climax.

The climax is the result of the crisis. It is the highest point of

the story for the reader. Frequently, it is th moment of the
Crisis
highest interest and the greatest emotion—the point at
which the outcome of the conflict can be predicted.

Climax These are the events after the climax which close the story.

Falling Action These are the events after the climax which close the story.

This is the ending of the story which rounds out and

Resolution concludes the action. It can resolve the conflict or close the
actions.

3. Characterization - imaginary people created by the writer. They fall under two
categories:
a. Major Characters. These are almost always round or three-dimensional
characters. They have good and bad qualities. Their goals, ambitions,
 and values change. A round character changes as a result of what
happens to him or her and is referred to in literature as a “dynamic”
character.
A dynamic character grows or progresses to a higher level of
understanding in the course of the story. Characters in literature are
characterized as follows:
 Protagonist - the main character at the center of the story.
 Antagonist - the character or force that opposes the
protagonist.
 Foil - a character that provides a contrast to the
protagonist.
b. Minor Characters. They often provide support and illuminate the
protagonist. These characters are flat or two-dimensional and have
only one or two striking qualities. A usually all-good or all-bad. Such
characters can be interesting or amusing in their own right, but they
lack depth. Flat characters are sometimes referred to as “static”
characters because they do not change in the course of the story.
4. Point of View - pertains to who tells the story and how it is told. It can
sometimes indirectly establish the author’ or the person telling the story. He
could be classified as:
a. First Person. The narrator is a character in the story who can reveal
only personal thoughts and feelings and what he or she sees and is told
by other characters. He cannot tell us the thoughts of other characters.
b. Objective or Third person. The writer uses “He/she”. The narrator in
unnamed or unidentified (a detached observer). This narrator is not a
character in the story and does not assume character’s perspective. The
narrator reports on events and lets the reader supply the meaning.
c. All-knowing Narrator or Omniscient. The narrator is an all-knowing
outsider who can enter the minds of more than one of the characters.
5. Conflict - the essence of fiction. It creates plot. The conflicts we encounter can
ususally be identifies as one of four kinds:
a. Man vs Man. This conflict pits one person against another.
b. Man vs Nature. This conflict is a run-in with the forces of nature. On
the one hand, it expresses the insignificance of a single human life in
the cosmic scheme of things. On the other hand, it tests the limits of a
person’s strength and will to live.
c. Man vs Society. The values and customs by which everyone else lives
are being challenged. The character may come to an end as a result of
his or her own convictions. The character may, on the other hand, bring
others around to a sympathetic pont of view, or it may be decided that
society was right after all.
d. Man vs Self or Internal Conflict. Not all conflicts involve other people.
Sometimes, people are their own worst enemies. An internal conflict is
 a good test of a character’s values. Does he give in to temptation or rise
above it? Does he demand the most from himself or settle for
something less? Does he even bbother to struggle? The internal
conflicts of a character and how they are resolved are good clues to the
character’s inner strength.

Often, more than one kind of conflict is taking place at the same time. In every
case, however, the existence of conflict enhances the reader’s understanding of a
character and creates the suspense and interest that make us continue reading.

6. Theme - the main idea or underlying meaning of a literary work. A theme may
be major or minor. A major theme is an idea the author returns to time and again. It
becomes one of the most important ideas in the story. Minor themes are ideas that may
appear from time to time.
It is important to recognize the difference between the theme of a literary work
and the subject of a literary work. The subject is the topic on which an author has
chosen to write. The theme, however makes a statement about or expresses an opinion
on that topic. For example, the subject of a story might be war while the theme might
be the idea that war is useless.

The four ways in which an author can express themes are as follows:
a. Themes are expressed and emphasized by the way the author makes us
feel. By sharing feelings of the main character, you also share the ideas
that ggo through his or her mind.
b. Themes are presented in thoughts and conversations. Authors put
words in their character’s mouths only for good reasons. One of these
is to develop a story’s themes. The things a person says are much on
their mind. Look for thoughts that are repeated throughout the story.
c. Themes are suggested through the characters. The main character
usually illustrates the most important theme of the story. A good way
at this theme is to ask yourself the question, “What does the main
character learn in the course of the story?”
d. The actions or events in the story are used to suggest theme. People
naturally express ideas and feelings through their actions. One thing
authors think about is what an action will “say”. In other words, how
will the action express an idea or theme?

7. Foreshadowing - the author’s use of hints or clues to suggest events that will occur
later in the story. Not all foreshadowing is obvious. Frequently, future events are merely hinted
at through dialogue, description, or the attitudes and reactions of the characters.
Foreshadowing frequently serves two purposes:

TOPIC 5: TYPES OF POETRY

1. Narrative Poetry. It describes important details in life following the order of events
either real or imaginary. They are classified as epic, metrical tales, metrical romance,
and ballad.

a. Epic. It is a narrative poem or cycle of poem dealing with some great deeds like
the founding of a nation or the forging of national unity. They often use religious
or cosmological themes.
e.g. The Harvest Song of ALiguyon translated in English by Amador T. Daguio

b. Metrical Tales. It is a type of narrative written in verse. It is classified as either

ballad or metrical romance.
e.g. Bayani ng Bukid by Al Perez
Hero of the Fields by Al Perez

c. Metrical Romance. It is also a type of metrical tale composed of a long rambling

love story in verse. It is centered on the adventure of knights and lords and their
royal ladies during the age of chivalry. It is heavily flavored with romance,
fantastic events, supernatural occurrences, and magic.

d. Ballad. It is a narrative type of poem that is metrically simple, sometimes

unstrophic and unrhymed or dependent in assonance. It is concerned with some
strongly emotional event. It is halfway between the lyric and the epic.

2. Lyric Poetry – means any short poem that is songlike. This is the most common type of
poetry. Examples are:

a. folk songs (awiting bayan) – are short poems intended to be sung. The common
theme is love, despair, grief, doubt, joy, hope, and sorrow.
E.g. Chit-chirit-chit
b. haiku – a short, Japanese poem consisting of 17 syllables arranged in three lines.
c. ode – a serious lyric poetry which commemorates important public events. It
consists of stanzas with the same pattern of rhythm and rhyme.
 d. elegy – a common lyric that deals with life and death. It mourns the death of a
loved one.
E.g. The Lover’s Death by Ricardo Demetillo
e. corridos (kuridos) – with measures of eight syllables (octosyllabic) and recited to
martial beat.
e.g. Ibong Adarna
f. psalms (dalit) – a song praising God or the Virgin Mary containing a philosophy
of life.
g. awit (song) – with measures of twelve syllables (decasyllabic) and slowly sung to
the accompaniment of a guitar or banduria.
e.g. Florante at Laura ni Francisco Balagtas
h. sonnet – a love poem which mostly consists of 14 lines and has a certain pattern
of rhyme and rhythm. It has two types: Italian and Shakespearean
e.g. Santang Buds by Alfonso P. Santos

3. Dramatic Poetry – tells stories like narrative poetry, but in dialogues of play rhymes,
repeating rhythms, and other poetic elements. One of the most famous dramatic poets
is the English playwright William Shakespeare.

a. Comedy. The word comedy comes from the Greek term “komos” meaning
festivity or revelry. This form usually is light and written with the purpose of
amusing, and usually has a happy ending.
b. Melodrama. This is usually used in musical plays with the opera. Today, this is
related to tragedy just as the farce is to comedy. It arouses immediate and
intense emotion and is usually sad but there is a happy ending for the principal
character.
c. Tragedy. This involves the hero struggling mightily against dynamic forces; he
meets death or ruin without success and satisfaction obtained by the protagonist
in a comedy.
d. Farce. This is an exaggerated comedy. It seeks to arouse mirth by laughable lines;
situations are too ridiculous to be true; the characters seem to be caricatures
and the motives undignified and absurd.
e. Social poems. This form is either purely comic or tragic and it pictures the life of
today. It may aim to bring about changes in the social conditions.