Survey of Philippine

Literature in English

What is Literature?
Any body of written work can be deemed literature, but the term is
also used more precisely to refer to writings that are specifically
regarded as works of art, particularly prose fiction, drama, and poetry.
The concept has been broadened to encompass oral literature in
recent centuries, most of which has been transcribed.

Philippine literature
The literature known as "Philippine literature" contains historical
legends as well as works that reflect the country's colonial past.

Literary presentations in different periods

PRE-COLONIAL: AMERICAN-COLONIAL
Example for folk song: Pamulinawen The literature of the Philippines underwent new
alterations as a result of new colonists. Modern short
Example for Theater and drama: sarswela & stories, the free verse type of poetry, and the critical
komedya essay were among the newly developed literary
genres.
Example for Narrative song: Parang sabil
POETRY INCLUDING FREE VERSE BALAGTASAN
Example for religious lyrics: Salamat nang SHORT STORIES
walang hanga TAGALOG SHORT
FICTION
Example for lullabyes: Ili-Ili (Ilonggo) NOVELS
ESSAYS

The emergence of the New Critical aesthetics, which required writers to pay close
attention to craft and "indirectly engendered a disparaging attitude" towards vernacular
writings, coincided with the flourishing of Philippine English-language literature during the
closing stages of American colonialism; this tension would recur in the contemporary
period.

the contemporary period

Regardless of whether their writing is socially involved, pertains to gender or race, or is just
personal, Filipino authors continue to publish poems, short stories, novellas, novels, and
essays.

Filipino authors have become more aware of their craft as a result of the expansion of
writer's workshops on a national and international level, as well as the volume of literature
made available to them via the media, particularly the internet.

The Commission on Higher Education's new mandate that Philippine literature be taught in all
of the country's postsecondary institutions, emphasizing regional or vernacular literature,
ensures the audience for Filipino authors. And maybe it won't take long for a nation's
literature to establish itself as one of the greats.
 TIMELINE OF LITERARY
PRESENTATION IN
DIFFERENT PERIODS

Pre Colonial times BC - 1564

01
- RIDDLES (MGA BUGTONG) - LEGENDS
- PROVERBS (SALAWIKAIN) - FABLES
- FOLK SONGS - FICTION
- FOLK TALES - EPICS

02 Spanish Colonial Period 1565-1863

Religious literature Secular literature

- PASYON - AWIT
- SENAKULO - KORIDO
- KOMEDYA - PROSE NARRATIVES

03 NATIONALISTIC PROPAGANDA AND

REVOLUTIONARY LITERATURE 1864-1896

PROPAGANDA LITERATURE REVOLUTION LITERATURE

(POLITICAL NOVELS AND ESSAYS)

EXAMPLES: NOLI ME TANGERE (1887)

EL FILIBUSTERISMO (1891)

04 PROPAGANDA MOVEMENT (1872-1896)

LA SOLIDARIDAD (1889-1895)
MARCELO H. DEL PILAR (1850-1896)
ANDRES BONIFACIO (1863-1896)

05 PROPAGANDA MOVEMENT (1872-1896)

Intellectuals of the Propaganda Movement,
and later leaders of the Revolution of 1896,
traced the rise of the Filipino people in their
writings. This surge's self-aware writing
heralds the beginning of a truly Filipino
literature.
 TIMELINE OF LITERARY
PRESENTATION IN
DIFFERENT PERIODS

06 THE AMERICAN PERIOD (1900-1942)

Even while the President of the Republic was still hiding from
American forces in the Cordillera Mountains, Aguinaldo's government
had already switched sides. Several laws were in effect at the time:

Sedition Law 1901

Brigandage Act 1902
Reconcentration Act 1903
Balagtasan 1924

The American Period

07 Among the newspapers that published literary pieces were:
MULING PAGSILANG (1903, TAGALOG)
ANG KALUWASAN (1902, CEBUANO)

The most well-known magazines that relied on short stories and poems for
advertising were:
LIWAYWAY (1922, TAGALOG)
BISAYA (1930, CEBUANO)

The American Period

08 The Euro-Hispanic Tradition
The term "Euro-Hispanic" refers to the literary component of the
Spanish colonial cultural legacy in the Philippines that was
imported into West European literatures, primarily French.
Severino Reyes (1861-1942) led an effort to replace the komedya
with a new type of drama, the sarsuwela, a Filipino adaptation of
the Spanish zarzuela.

The Japanese Period (1941-1945)

09 The Status of Fiction: During the Japanese occupation,
the field of the short story expanded.

Many people wrote short stories. Brigido Batungbakal,

Macario Pineda, Serafin Guinigindo, Liwayway Arceo,
NarcisoRamos, and NVM Gonzales were among them.

Status of Poetry: Themes of nationalism, country, love, life in the slums, faith, religion,
and the arts were prevalent in most poems written during the Japanese occupation.
During this time, three different styles of poems appeared. They were:

Haiku,Tanaga, and Karaniwang anyo

Status of Drama: Due to the closure of theaters screening American films during the
Japanese era, the drama underwent a slump. Just for staging theatrical events, the
large movie theaters were built. Several of the playwrights were: Many of the plays
were translations of English plays into Tagalog.

1. Jose Ma. Hernandez –wrote PANDAY PIRA

2. Francisco Soc Rodrigo –wrote sa PULA, SA PUTI
3. Clodualdo del Mundo –wrote BULAGA (an expression in the game Hide and Seek).
4. Julian Cruz Balmaceda –wrote SINO BA KAYO?, DAHIL SA ANAK, and HIGANTE NG
PATAY.