Pines City Colleges

GENERAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

Second Semester, A.Y. 2020-2021

Course Number: Lit 101

Course Title: Literature of the Philippines

Modular Learning Guide # 1

Topic: Course Overview, Introduction to Literature

Expected Time of Completion: 3 hours
A. Learning Outcomes
The students are able Identify the elements of prose and poetry and recognize literature as
means of gaining vicarious experiences.
B. Learning Content
Course Description
This course is a study of the literary genres as exemplified by selected literary texts
from various regions in the Philippines which are written at different periods in the literary history of
the Philippines.

Course Rationale
This course contains regional folk tales, legends, riddles, proverbs and contemporary
poems and short stories. It gears towards the development of bringing closer the students to the rich
literatures that we Filipinos have since time immemorial. It includes traditional literature for the
readers to appreciate and understand the indigenous literary genres such as fiction, poetry, and
drama with a hope that students will show a keener sense of values and of what is worthwhile
through exposure to this kind of literature.
This course is offered to students of some respective Colleges.

Intended Learning Outcomes

1. Identify the elements of prose and poetry and recognize literature as means of gaining
vicarious experiences.
2. Value and interpret the literatures of the different regions in the Philippines in a metrical
form; appreciate Filipino culture as reflected in both traditional and contemporary poetry of
the Philippines; and write a poem using the techniques and elements of poetry discussed in
class.
3. Use keen sense of values of what is worthwhile as expressed by fictional literary pieces;
familiarity with the various Filipino concepts of life as shown in the different regions of the
Philippines; manifest respect for Filipino traditions and culture both ancient and modern,
4. Appreciate beauty, truth and goodness as reflected in three Filipino epics.

Introduction to Literature

LITERATURE AS A FORCE. There is perhaps no cultural force as potent and pervasive as

literature. While nationalism is the élan vital of a people, leading to the development of a distinct
culture, its existence is limited and conditioned, to a large extent, by the material prosperity and
political prestige of the State. Literature, on the other hand, is free from these limitations.
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.

Literature is an eternally burning flame, exuding light that renders significance to civilization. It
can die only if the printed word disappears from the face of the earth, and if man ceases to give
effective expression to his thoughts and emotions.

Literature as a vital and dynamic force has played an important part in the development of society
and civilization. If we but scan the pages of history, we shall be amazed at the role it has played
at different times in various countries, in shaping and influencing cultural development. Latin was
the written language of early Italy, until Dante, who sang with celestial ecstasy his Divine

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Comedy in the vernacular, gave meaning and prestige to the Italian language, and thus made it
possible for Italian of high and low degree to become articulate in a language that they all
understood. In England, it was Chaucer who performed a similar service. The earliest official
language of the court was Latin, and after the Norman Conquest, the language of the cultured
classes and that of the court was French for several centuries. But Chaucer, writing his
Canterbury Tales largely in the last ten or twelve years before his death in 1400, wrote the book
in the
language of the people, and thus gave definite direction to the growth of English as the national
language and the medium of literary expression.

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 experience of the past in a cohesive and beautiful
manner.

Literature mirrors the depth of a culture and manifests the truly creative genius of the race. The
ancient Greeks are remembered not so much for their world-renowned warriors as for their
writers, philosophers, and artists. What Alexander the Great did for Macedonia was later
duplicated if not excelled by other warriors and rulers in the remarkable feats of conquests. But
what Homer, Aeschylus, Plato, Sophocles, and Aristophanes accomplished has remained of
permanent value and significance. Our deep respect for ancient Greece is based to a large degree
on the enduring literature and philosophy developed by her great men. Again, the well-known
pride of the English people is based not so much on their military strength and their empire
beyond the seas as it is on the magnificent literature they have developed since the days of
Chaucer. From that source springs their sense of intellectual rectitude and superiority; and where,
we may ask, is there a literature in the world today so great and so rich as that of the English?

Literature, though seeming to hide timidly between the covers of a book, has frequently generated
ideas that havę had a tremendous effect. It has exhibited the potency of an explosive in its
capacity for upsetting the social order. Uncle Tom’s Cabin stirred emotions so violently that it
became one of the factors leading to the abolition of slavery in the United States. Thomas Paine's
The Crisis and Common Sense infused a patriotic fire into the veins of the American
revolutionists, renewing their vitality and determination. At times literature has been the horror
and despair of tyrants and despots. Napoleon was said to have a consuming fear of the power of
the pen and the press. Tradition says that the great Corsican soldier would rather face an army on
the battlefield than one daring man wielding a potent pen .To turn to our own country, Rizal as an
individual was not hated; but his writings were censored and assigned to the hangman. It was the
power of his forceful pen that aroused fear and hatred among the Spaniards in the Philippines,
and finally, led to his execution. But his works have lived and have continued to exert powerful
influence among his people.

Literature Defined. We have, thus far, been speaking of the force, power, and vitality of great
literature, as exemplified in the experience or various peoples. What exactly is meant by the term
"literature?" The word, though simple in itself, is often carelessly used. To many people,
literature means any printed matter which is found within the covers of a magazine, pamphlet, or
book. Various sciences employ the word to their own peculiar uses, and so we have "literature on
sociology," "religious literature, medical literature," and others.

In the realm of the belles lettres, literature has a definite meaning. The term does not always
apply to every piece of writing, tucked neatly within the covers of a reading material. True
literature is a faithful reproduction of life, executed in an artistic pattern. It is the orchestration of
the, manifold but elemental experiences of man, blended into harmonious and desired patterns of
expression.

Literature gains force from the universality of its thought and appeal. It is true that it speaks
through the printed page, just as painting speaks in the grammar of color, light, and shadow. But
the printed words are only a medium. The true meaning of literature is to be found in the fact that
it deals with the ideas, thoughts, and emotions of man. It has assumed its proper role by not
limiting itself to the insignificant or ephemeral, but by handling the constituent factors of life and
the great passions of man that are of lasting interest. Intense love, sorrow, hatred, joy, exultation,
sympathy, revenge, jealousy, strength, and weakness- all these are seized upon by the all-seeing
artist to convey his impression of life.

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 The development of literature, as is also true of its sister arts painting, music, architecture,
sculpture - is conditioned by many factors. The geographic nature of a country, the experiences of
the people, the aesthetic ideals of a particular group are all factors that influence literary progress.
Literature is naturally subject to the physical environment and the social and economic
organization of a people. Like all cultural expressions, it may be accelerated by spirit of
nationalism. Above all, literature is conditioned by the presence or absence of great intellects and
sensitive souls.
Without men of genius, literature of high and lasting quality can hardly be produced.

Literature is the product of a particular people, fashioned according to their own aesthetic ideals.
It may mirror the life of a group. When its significance is limited, it is provincial literature. As its
significance assumes a more universal quality, it may become national in scope, or even
international. Works of literature, however, seem to lose something of their original appeal and
flavour when seen through the cultural standards of other nations.

Literature cannot consist entirely of masterpieces. Pieces of literature differ in the permanence of
their value and appeal. Some writers exert a strong appeal to one generation but lose importance
with the passage of time. Timothy Dwight, Joel Barlow, Joseph Hopkinson, Whittier, Holmes,
Freneau, and others illustrate this point in America, as do Diderot, Joachim du Bellay, and
Clement Marot in France. The pasions, zarzuelas, and moromoros of the Philippines also have
had this ephemeral quality. On the other hand, great epics, dramas, novels, essays, and orations
persist throughout the ages. Some works of literature which deal with purely transient or
momentary aspects of life are soon relegated to the bookshelves of scholars and book lovers.
Even these, however, often preserve their significance as landmarks in the history and
development of literature, for as was so beautifully stated by Omar Khayyam:

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,

Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all Thy Tears wash out a Word of it.

Literature, too, may be written or unwritten. Unwritten literature is that the recording of which has been
prevented by such circumstances as unfavorable environment or primitive culture, but which nevertheless
does truly express the varied experience and life of a particular group. Because of their fundamentally
human appeal, such works may evoke the same interest in the reader and in the literary historian.

Recorded Literature. The written literature of the Philippines is only about four hundred years old - a
short period, indeed, when compared to that of many other countries, or when compared to the length of
time our ancestors have lived in these Islands. Various causes are responsible for the brevity of Philippine
literary history. The primary contributing factor to this condition was the destruction of most of our
written native literature in the early days of Spanish dominance: owing to neglect, war, and mechanical
action of time.

A brief resumé of certain aspects of our history is indispensable to a true understanding and appreciation
of the content, nature, and significance of Philippine literature. This resumé is all more necessary because
we lack a fully-developed and well-propagated language to express our national character, peculiarities,
and experiences.

The Philippines consists of seven thousand and eignty-tree islands located off the southeast coast of the
continent of Asia. This group of islands almost touches Taiwan on the north and Borneo on the south. It
embraces a territory with the approximate size of Japan or of the combined area of New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, in the United States. The climate of the Philippines is warm.

The Republic of the Philippines today is largely inhabited by a group of Malay people known as
Filipinos. This term includes the Muslim Filipinos who live mostly in Mindanao. Apart from this large
main group, there are small groups of Chinese, Japanese, Europeans, Americans, Indonesians, early
Malays and the backward folk, the Proto-Malays and the Negritos. All of these national elements have, in
one way or another, played a part in the development of present-day Filipino literature.

Many controversial questions arise in a discussion of the actual settling of the Philippines. But, it is now
generally accepted that this far-flung country was first inhabited by the Negritos or Aetas, people of an

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extremely primitive culture. How long these people lived unmolested in the Islands is not well-known.
But finally they were disturbed by the coming of a more highly civilized people, and were, as a
consequence, driven back into the highlands of the country. As wave after wave of the Asian migration
poured into the Archipelago, the Negritos were harassed and finally driven back into the more
impenetrable areas.

These waves of migration are generally labelled by contemporary historians as the Indonesians, the early
Malays, and the later Malays. Coming into the Philippines by means of their fast sailing vintas, the
newcomers peopled the coasts near the Asian mainland and the rich plains of the islands. They were
chiefly distinguished for their seafaring ability and their genius in constructing good vessels to cross
uncharted seas.

It is said that the Indonesian migration began more than three thousand years ago, and there is some
evidence that the people now known as the Igorots, the lfugaos, and the Tinguians have been in the
Philippines that long. The rice terraces which they constructed at Banawe in Ifugao are said to be over
two thousand years old.

There is historical, though fragmentary, evidence that attests to the fact that the Philippines in 700 A.D.
formed a part or the Hindu-Malayan empire as the Shri-Vishaya. In 1293 A.D, the islands became a
dependency of that great Malayan empire whose capital was at Madjapahit in Java (Indonesia). With the
disintegration of this empire, the Philippines was split up into small political units, each governed by a
rajah or sultan. Then came fresh Hindu migrations followed by an infiltration of Arabs by way of
Sumatra, bringing a new culture and a new religion. Mohammedanism or Islam was introduced into The
Philippines about 1450. Minor waves of Chinese and Japanese migration later occurred, but left no
significant impress on the basic culture of the Filipinos. The politically disintegrated Philippines, all in
all, had a Hindu-Malayan culture, and was ruled over by various rajahs and sultans, whose descendants
led the armed resistance against the encroachment of the Spaniards in the latter part of the 16th century.

The people ruled over by these rajahs and sultans were comparatively progressive with a culture equal to
that of many European countries during the Middle Ages. They possessed a written language, a system of
weights and measures, laws, a calendar, and a thriving commerce, Pedro Chirino’s writing in 1604,
described them as follows:

These people were, and still are very sagacious, and keen in traffic and bargaining, and buying
and selling; and they applied themselves to all gainful pursuits-and not the least to agriculture and the
breeding of animals, regularly carried on for the profits thus made. They have not only great harvests of
rice - but also crops of cotton, with which they clothe themselves, and from which they
manufacture quantities of cloth, which were, and are yet, much esteemed in Nueva Spana (New
Mexico).

It was among these people that the now known early Filipino traditions and customs were developed and
perpetuated. They had a well-developed organization with its forms of correct social intercourse. The
common people called their leaders “sirs” or “sires”. The familiar form of address similar to “thou” was
only with elders and relatives. Their epics, legends, riddles, and proverbs were told and retold with
animation. Music likewise was cultivated. “They are much given to musical practices,” wrote Pedro
Chirino, “and although the guitar that they use called cutyapi is not ingenious or rich in tone, it is by no
means disagreeable, and to them is most pleasing. They play it with such vivacity and skill that they
seem to make human voices issue from its four metallic chords.” Songs and dances likewise gave color to
the lives of these tropical peoples.

Closely linked with the literary activities or these people were the religious beliefs and ceremonies of the
time. Three types of religion existed almost side by side - Mohammedanism, Buddhism, and Nature
Worship – each exerting a characteristic influence on the culture and life of the people. There was
generally a firm belief in a life after death. Among the Tagalogs and Visayans, ceremonial incantations
were considered necessary to bear the soul of the departed into the state of eternal happiness. They
believed that the souls of the dead found shelter in a cluster of one and fifty islands where they lived in
perpetual youth. The trees in this paradise were always loaded with luscious fruit and their roots were
made of gold. Ornaments of gold, such as bells, earrings, and bracelets, could be had for the mere asking.
Even the shores of the island were filled with abundant food.

The belief in original sin was commonly accepted and was explained thus: In the early grey morning of
Time, man was the darling of the gods. Loan was one of these gods: he was gifted with unusual powers,

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even for a god. He basked from time immemorial in the sunshine or super-abundance, Loan, however,
had one weakness. He was too much engrossed in raising a rare fish and in cultivating a certain fruit tree.
He prized these two objects more than all the rest of his heavenly possessions. One day, while he was
away, a man passed by and saw the fish and the tree. Attracted by their beauty, the man pulled the tree up
and caught the fish. Loan was angered by this act of vandalism and decreed that thereafter man must live
by the sweat of his brow.

Belief in the immortality of the soul led naturally to an omnipresent fear or the spirits of the dead and to
certain forms of ancestral worship. Relations between the dead and the living were naturally governed by
a set of rules. Graves must not be disturbed by the living. It was also considered irreverent to make a
noise near the habitations of the idols. Elaborate funerals commonly marked the burial of the dead. Like
the Chinese and Japanese, the deceased were provided with certain necessities of mortal life, which were
placed n the coffin with the body. “Clothes, arms, and food”, observed Joaquin Martinez de Zuñiga,
“were placed on their tombs, and on the third day when the funeral observance was pertormed, a vacant
seat was left at the table for the deceased, whom they believed to be actually present, though not obvious
to sight.” This reverence for the dead was responsible for the emergence of such types of literature as the
dalit, the karagatan, and the duplo.

Although the early Fllpinos possessed a culture of variety and beauty and a definite set of religious beliefs
and ceremonies, they lacked unfortunately a common language. Many dialects existed in different regions
or the Islands. However, in syntax and morphology, these dialects were so akin to one another as to
suggest strongly that they have sprung from one mother tongue in Asia. A written language, however,
was possessed in common by them and this medium of communication enabled them to deal with each
other in their commercial and social intercourse."All these islanders," wrote Pedro Chirino, a Spanish
chronicler, "are much given to reading and writing, and there is hardly a man, and much less a woman,
who does not read and write.”

The written characters employed by the early Filipinos were altogether different from those used today.
The alphabet according to Chirino and Pigafetta, contained three vowels, which served in use as five, and
twelve consonants - ba, ca, da, ga, ha, la, ma, na, pa, sa, ta, and ya. Points or accents placed above or
below the letters gave them a definite sound and a distinct meaning. They wrote downward from top to
bottom like the Chinese and read from right to left.

Although the early Filipinos had an alphabet of their own and a sufficiently flexible language for the
development of a native literature, they unfortunately had no printing facilities. Nevertheless, they
managed to preserve their laws, legends, songs and epics by inscribing them on palm leaves, bamboos,
and on the bark of trees. Finally, oral tradition and singers passed them from generation to generation.

Historical Literary Divisions. In the light of the foregoing facts, let us clarify rather briefly the framework
of our literary history. Divisions of the literary history of the Philippines is not
proposed here, for, as John Macy, a contemporary American literary historian says, it is better to
disregard literary periods because the term period implies distinct beginnings and ends.

The Filipinos have not the good fortune of ever having had sharply definable movements in their literary
history, characterized as in other bodies of literature by the impress of towering geniuses. It is but a
historical fact that the supreme genius in all races overcomes artificial sections of Time, because that
genius is a universal spirit and the reason for his being born at some particular moment in the stream of
Life has never been clarified and can never be. Furthermore, the literature that records human life - to
borrow again the metaphor of Macy -flows naturally, sometimes rapidly, as in steep cliffs and hills,
sometimes meanderingly as in rivulets and streams, and then disappears in some subterranean passages.

Chronological divisions are, therefore, resorted to merely to mark approximately where we are drifting.
They actually do not help us in "our literary navigation”. “In the voracious history of literature”, wrote
John Macy, “it is the spirit and not the calendar that counts”. Hence, the broad classification we have
adopted.

Ancient Literature is the literature of a formative past possessed by the various groups of people who
once inhabited our Archipelago. It is also a literature or varying human interests. Fortunately, some of
these literary forms managed to survive war and tropical disasters because they were etched in communal
minds, and later on, reduced into permanent forms.

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Literature of Enlightenment covers the period of Spanish influence. Literature of Nationalism involves
the writings of Filipinos in Spanish and the vernacular during the later days ofSpanish regime and the
early days of American occupation as well. Contemporary Literature embraces the works of our people in
three media-Tagalog, Spanish, and English - from the commencement of the 20th century up to our own
time.

C. Learning Activities
Short Answer Questions (25 points)
Make sure you are logged in to your pcc.edu.ph account.
If you have understood already your learning content then you may proceed to the first
learning activity posted or assigned in your Google Classroom.
Do not forget to submit or turn-in your answers.
Do not forget also to mark your activity as done.

NOTE: Answer briefly the questions posted on your Google Classroom as learning
activity 1. Use only one or two paragraphs in answering.

D. Resources

Castillo y Tuazon, Teofilo del. & Medina, Buenaventura S., (1964).  Philippine Literature from
Ancient Times to the Present.  Quezon City, Philippines

E. Assessment
True or False Questions
Make sure you are still logged in to your pcc.edu.ph account.
If you are done already with your learning activity then you may now proceed your
assessment posted or assigned in your Google Classroom.
Do not forget to submit or turn-in your answers.
Do not forget also to mark your assessment as done.

NOTE: Answer to the questions are not found on Google. They are found on your
learning content which is the first part of this module. Please READ first before you
answer your assessment.

F. References

Castillo y Tuazon, Teofilo del. & Medina, Buenaventura S., (1964).  Philippine

Literature from Ancient Times to the Present.  Quezon City, Philippines

Prepared by: Noted by:

Cherry Cawis Engr. Cecilia L. Cabanilla

Department Head