What is Literature?

-it comes from the word litera which literally means an acquaintance with letters.

Genres of Literature (Genres of Literature, 2020)

The two main categories:

1. Fiction- these literary pieces are based on the imagination of the author. It may be founded on a true
story or situation. The word is from the Latin fiction which means the act of making, fashioning or molding.

Types of Fiction

A. Prose- it is a genre of literature which are written or spoken using the ordinary language. It is formed
without metrical structure.

Some Types of Prose

a. Drama- these are stories that are formed through verse or prose which are usually for theatrical
performance. The conflicts and emotions are expressed through dialogue and action.

b. Fables- these are stories that use animals with “human-like” capabilities as characters. It usually
leaves useful truths.

c. Fairy Tales or Wonder tales- are a kind of folktale or fable. These are stories with magical creatures
that are written for the amusement of children.

d. Science Fiction/Sci-Fi- these are stories founded on the impact of science. These are usually set in
the future or other planets.

Realistic Fiction-these are stories that are based on real life and could have happened.

Folktales- these are stories that are handed down by word of mouth. These are usually based on
unsubstantiated beliefs.

Historical Fiction- these are stories with fictional characters and events in a historical setting.

Legend- these are stories about national or folk heroes that are based on facts but may also contain
imaginative materials.

Mythology-these are types of traditional narratives based on historical events. It usually uses gods and
goddesses as characters with several human-like Traits.

B. Poetry- it is type of literature that conveys a thought, describes a scene or tells a story in a
concentrated, lyrical arrangement of words. Poems can be structured, with rhyming lines and meter, the
rhythm and emphasis of a line based on syllabic beats.

Poems can also be freeform, which follows no formal structure (Masterclass, 2019).
Some Poetic Forms

Rhymed Poem- is a form of poetry that contains vowel sounds at particular moment.

Free Verse- is a form of poetry that does not follow or contain the traditional rhyme scheme, metrical
pattern, or musical form.

Epic- it is a long poetry that is almost like a narrative poetry. However, unlike the latter, it usually
describes or narrates the extraordinary pursuits of heroes and other characters from the past.

Narrative Poetry- is a long poetry that narrates through verse. It has a plot, characters and setting like a
regular story.

Haiku- it is a poetry that originated in Japan. It has three lines following the 5 syllable-7 syllable-5 syllable
pattern.

Sonnet- It is a 14-line poetry. Petrarchan (Italian Sonnets) and Shakespearean (English Sonnets) are two
of the most famous forms of it.

Elegy- it is a poetry carries melancholy since it focuses on topics such as death or loss.

Ode- It is a poetry that is written to pay tribute to its topic.

Lyric Poetry- it is a poetry dedicated to explore the emotions of the speaker. It has songlike quality since
it is originally intended to be set to music, accompanied by a musical instrument called a lyre.

Ballad- it is a form of narrative verse that can be either poetic or musical. It typically follows a pattern of
rhymed quatrains.

Elements of Traditional Poetry

Rhythm- it can be described as the beat and pace of a poem

Meter- is the basic rhythmic structure of a line within a work of poetry. Meter consists of two components:
the number of syllables and a pattern of emphasis on those syllables.

Rhyme Scheme- is the pattern of sounds that repeats at the end of a line or stanza. It can change line by
line, stanza by stanza, or can continue throughout a poem.

Stanza- is used o describe the main building block of a poem. It is a unit of poetry composed of lines that
relate to a similar thought or topic

Imagery- it is the use of figurative language to evoke a sensory experience in the reader. It uses words
that appeal to the sense of sight, taste, smell, sound, internal and external feelings.

2. Nonfiction- it is a broad genre of writing that encompasses all materials that are based on facts.

Some Genres of Nonfiction

History- it consists of true accounts of historical eras and events.

Biography, autobiographies and memoirs- it subset of nonfiction focuses on the life story of a
particular subject.

Travel guides and travelogues- these are recount of author’s specific experience traveling somewhere.

Practice:

1. What is the difference between Prose and Poetry?

2. What is the difference between Fiction and Nonfiction?

Literary Periods

PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD

• Early Times – 1564

• The first period of the Philippine literary history is the longest.

Common Literary Forms:

 RIDDLES (bugtong) – battle of wits among participants.

 PROVERBS (salawikain) – wise sayings that contain a metaphor used to teach as a food for
thought.
 TANAGA – one stanza poems consisted usually of four lines with seven syllables, all lines rhyming.
 FOLK SONGS – one of the oldest forms of Philippine literature that emerged in the Pre-Spanish
period
 FOLK TALES MYTHS – explain how the world was created, how certain animals possess certain
characteristics, why some places have waterfalls, volcanoes, mountains, flora and fauna.
 LEGENDS – explain the origin of things.
 FABLES – used animal characters and allegory
 EPICS – these are narratives of sustained length based on oral tradition revolving around
supernatural events or heroic deeds.
 FOLK TALES – made up of stories about life, adventure, love, horror and humor where one can
derive lessons about life.

SPANISH COLONIZATION PERIOD (1565-1863)

 Spanish occupied Philippines in early 15th century. The Spanish colonization period has two
distinct classifications – religious and secular.

Common Literary Forms:

RELIGIOUS LITERATURE – religious lyrics written by Ladino poets or those versed in both Spanish and
Tagalog were included in early catechism.
SECULAR LITERATURE – non-religious literature.

ORAL LITERATURE – songs, religious drama, drama SONGS – a composition for voice and voices
performed by singing.

RELIGIOUS DRAMA – setting forth events recorded in the Bible or moral lessons to be drawn from
religious teaching.

NATIONALISTIC/ PROPAGANDA AND REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD (1864-1896)

PROPAGANDA LITERATURE – reformatory in objective

REVOLUTIONARY LITERATURE – more propagandistic than literary as it is more violent in nature and
demanded complete independence for the country.

AMERICAN COLONIZATION PERIOD (1901-1946)

 Philippine literature in English, as a direct result of American colonization of the country, could not
escape being imitative of American models of writing especially during its period of apprenticeship.

JAPANESE COLONIZATION PERIOD (1946-1960)

• Golden years of Tagalog Literature since writing in English was banned.

PERIOD OF MATURITY AND ORIGINALITY (1945-1960)

• Palanca Awards for Literature - Established in 1950

• National Artist Awards - is an order bestowed on Filipinos who have made significant contributions to the
development of Philippine art.

CONTEMPORARY/ MODERN PERIOD (1986-PRESENT)

• Things that were used and exercised during the Contemporary Period are:

Onomatopoeia – the use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the

objects or actions they refer to.

Free Verse – a poem that has no regular rhyme or rhythm

• The action of martial rule by President Ferdinand Marcos last September 21,1972 does not only oppress
the writers' right to free expression but also created conditions that made collaboration and cooperation
convenient choices for artists' struggling for recognition and survival.