Literary Periods

PRE COLONIAL PERIOD

The Philippines' pre-colonial period was filled with indigenous
peoples engaged in healthy trade with various cultures and
economies in the region and the foreign traders. Pre-Colonial
period literature characterized based on oral traditions, crude on
ideology and phraseology.

The early literary forms of the Philippines were epics, legends,

riddles and proverbs which were told and retold by the natives.

SPANISH PERIOD
The Spanish colonization of the Philippines started in 1565 during the time of
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, the first Spanish governor-general in the Philippines
literature started to flourish during his time.
Due to the long period of colonization of the Philippines by the Spaniards, they
have exerted a strong influence on our literature. The first alphabet called
baybayin was replaced by the roman alphabet.

Literature forms during this Period; Epic, Legends, Folksong, Riddles, Epigrams,
Folktales, sayings and Religious Drama

AMERICAN PERIOD
American period is one of the turning points which made our Philippine
literary tradition colorful and interesting. This period saw the addition of a
colorful language, the English language, as an indispensable tool for
literature and communication.

The literary genres that flourished during the American Period were
poetry, sarswela, short story, and the novel. Poetry was written in the
three languages - Filipino, Spanish, English, and in the different dialects.

Some of the known poets during the American period were Maximo
Kalaw, Carlos P. Romulo, Maria Agoncillo, Paz Marquez Benitez, Salvador
P. Lopez, Jose Garcia Villa, Carlos Bulosan, and many others

JAPANESE PERIOD
Japanese period has been called one of the darkest days in the
history and literary tradition of the Philippines.
The stride and growth of the Philippine literature in English
language and the development of Philippine literature in
general was interrupted during the Japanese period. The
Japanese censured all publications except Tribune and
Philippine Review. During the Japanese period, Philippine
Literature in English was stopped and writers turned to writing
in Filipino.
Three types of poems emerged during this period. Haiku,
Tanaga, and Karaniwang Anyo