MUSEUM OF

Philippine Literary History

The Pre-Colonial Period

The first period of the Philippine literary history is the longest. Long time

before the Spaniards and other foreigners landed on Philippine shores, our

forefathers already had their own literature stamped in the history of our race.

RIDDLES (bugtong)
PROVERBS
TANAGA – one
FOLK SONGS – one

– battle of wits
(salawikain) – wise
stanza poems
of the oldest forms

among participants.
sayings that contain
consisted usually of
of Philippine

It is called Tigmo in
a metaphor used to
four lines with
literature that

Cebu, Paktakon in
teach as a food for
seven syllables, all
emerged in the Pre-

Ilonggo and
thought. lines rhyming. Spanish period.
Patotdon in Bicol.

e. Kanogan
d. Tagay
c. Kalusan
b. Ambahan
a. Hele or

(Cebuano) –
(Cebuano
(Ivatan) –
(Mangyan) –
Oyayi -

song of
and
about human
lullaby
work

lamentation
Waray) –
relationships

songs and social

for the dead drinking

entertainment

song

FOLK TALES made up of stories about life, adventure, love, horror and

humor where one can derive lessons about life.

Myths Fables Epics

explain how the
Legends Fantasy
these are

world was created,

use animal

Stories narratives of

how certain animals

explain the
characters
deal with
sustained length

possess certain
underworld
based on oral

characteristics, why
origin of
and

characters such
tradition revolving

some places have

things. allegory. around

waterfalls,
as tiyanak,

supernatural

volcanoes,
aswang, kapre

mountains, flora and

events or heroic

and so on. deeds.

fauna.
 MUSEUM OF
Philippine Literary History
Spanish Colonization Period
Spanish occupied Philippines in early 15th century. The Spanish

colonization period has two distinct classifications – religious and

secular.

Religious Literature Secular Literature OralLiterature

a. Pasyon – long narrative poem
about the passion and death of
Christ.
b. Senakulo – dramatization of
the pasyon, it shows the passion
and death of Christ.
a. Awit – colorful tales of
chivalry made for singing and
chanting.
b. Korido – metrical tale written
in octosyllabic quatrains.
c. Prose Narratives - written to
prescribe proper decorum.
SONGS – a composition for voice and
voices performed by singing.
a. Leron Leron Sinta – this song depicts
humbleness.
b. Sarung banggi – a Kundiman which
means “one night” or “one evening” in
Bicol.
RELIGIOUS DRAMA – setting forth
events recorded in the Bible or moral

Written Literature
lessons to be drawn from religious
Notable Filipinos During The
teaching.
SHORT STORIES – a brief work of Spanish Colonization Period
a. Panunuluyan – a Philippine
Christmas dramatic ritual.
literature In Philippine Literature DRAMA –enacted in front of live
POETRY – an imaginative audiences. It is also known as play.
awareness of experience a. Why Woman Wash the Dishes – this
JOSE DELA CRUZ (1746-1829)
expressed through meaning, is filled with humor and antiques.
sound, and rhythmic language.
FRANCISO BALTAZAR (1788-1862)

NATIONALISTIC/PROPAGANDA

AND REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD

PROPAGANDA LITERATURE
a. POLITICAL ESSAYS –
satires, editorials and
news articles were
REVOLUTIONARY LITERATURE RIZALIST AGE
written to attack and 1896 - NOLI ME TANGERE AND EL

expose the evils of a. POLITICAL ESSAYS – FILIBUSTERISMO SPARKED THE

Spanish rule. helped inflame the REVOLUTION OF 1896.

b. POLITICAL NOVELS spirit of revolution RIZAL AND HIS

i. 1887 – Noli Me b. POETRY CONTEMPORARIES
JOSE RIZAL - PHILIPPINE
Tangere 1896 – Hibik ng
NATIONAL HERO OF THE
ii. 1891 – El Pilipinas – Andres PHILIPPINES.
Filibusterismo Bonifacio MARCELO H. DEL PILAR -
POPULARLY KNOWN AS
1896 – Liwanag at
PLARIDEL, HE WAS THE
Dilim – Emilio Jacinto EDITOR AND CO-
1898 – True Decalogue PUBLISHER OF LA
SOLIDARIDAD.
– Apolinario Mabini
ANDRES BONIFACIO - HE
WAS THE “FATHER OF THE
PHILIPPINE REVOLUTION”.
 MUSEUM OF

Philippine Literary History

American Colonization

Period
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.

A. PERIOD OF APPRENTICESHIP (1910-1930)

B. PERIOD O
F EMERGENC
a. TAGALOG NOVELS 1930) E (1920-
1906 – Banaag at Sikat – by Lope K. Santos
SHORT STOR
IES – most p
b. ROMANTIC POETRY literary form. revalent
Pag-ibig – by Jose Corazon de Jesus. i. Jose Garci
a Villa – earn
international ed the
title “Poet
c. SHORT STORIES Century”. of the
i. 1925 – Dead Stars – by Paz Marquez Benitez.
ii. 1927 – The Small Key – by Paz Latorena

d. NOVEL
1930 – Childe of Sorrow –first novel in English
by Zoilo Galang.

During this period, writers were given the

chance to write in newspapers. Some of these

newspapers were:
1902 – Ang Kaluwasan (Cebuano)
1903 – Muling Pagsilang (Tagalog)
1913 – Makinaugalingon (Ilonggo)
1908 – Nueva Era (Ilokano)
The best-known magazines that capitalized on

short stories and poems were:

1922 – Liwayway (Tagalog)
1930 – Bisaya (Cebuano)
1934 – Hiligaynon (Ilonggo)
1934 – Bannawag (Ilokano)

Japanese
Colonization Period
War Years (1942-1944)
Tagalog poets broke away from
the Balagtas tradition and
instead wrote in simple language
and free verse.
Fiction prevailed over poetry
a. 25 Pinakamabuting Maikling
KAthang Pilipino (1943)
– compilation of the short story
contest by the military government.
i. Suyuan sa Tubigan – Macario Pineda
ii. Lupang Tinubuan – Narciso Reyes
iii. Uhaw ang Tigang na Lupa –
Liwayway Arceo
MUSEUM OF
Philippine Literary History
Period of Maturity and
Originality (1945-1960)
Bountiful harvest in poetry,
fiction, drama and essay
Filipino writers mastered English
and familiarized themselves with
diverse techniques
Literary “giants” appeared
a. Palanca Awards for Literature
i. Jose Garcia Villa
ii. Nick Joaquin
iii. NVM Gonzales
iv. Bienvenido Santos
v. Gregorio Brillantes
vi. Gilda Cordero Fernando
b. National Artist Awards
i. Jose Garcia Villa
ii. Nick Joaquin
 MUSEUM OF
Philippine Literary History
Republic Period
1967 – Horizons Least – a collection of
works by Artemio Patacsil and Silverio
Baltazar
1970s
The government took part in reviving
old plays like the Cenaculo, the Zarzuela
and the Embayoka of the Muslims.
1972 – Kerima Polotan Tuvera’s novel
The Hand of the Enemy
Radio and Television – Radio continued
to be patronized during this period. The
play series like SI MATAR, DAHLIA, ITO
AND PALAD KO, and MR. LONELY were
the forms of recreation of those without
television.
Filipino Films - A yearly Pista ng mga
Pelikulng Pilipino (Yearly Filipino Film
Festival) was held during this time.
Maynila… sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag –
Bembol Roco was the lead role.
Minsa’y Isang Gamu-Gamo; Nora Aunor
was the principal performer here.
Aguila: led by Fernando Poe Jr., Jay
Ilagan and Christopher de Leon
Comics, Magazines and other
Publications - News on economic
progress, discipline, culture, tourism and
the like were favored more than the
sensationalized reporting of killings,
rape and robberies.
Filipino Poetry – Poems during this
period were romantic and
revolutionary.
Filipino Songs – Many Filipino songs
dealt with themes that were really
true-to-life like those of grief, poverty,
aspirations for freedom, love of God, of
country and of fellowmen.
contemporary/
modern Period
Onomatopoeia – the use of words that
imitate the sounds associated with the
objects or actions they refer to.
Messages in Poetry – the idea about life
that a poet writes about is called the
theme or message of the poem.
Free Verse – a poem that has no regular
rhyme or rhythm.
Using Adjectives – is a word that
describes, limits, or points out a noun.
Making Clear and Correct Comparison
1986 - The action of martial rule by
President 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.
1997 – sa Ngalan Ng Ina, by prize-
winning poet-critic Lilia Quindoza
Santiago, is, to date, the most
comprehensive compilation of feminist
writing in the Philippines.
1998 – Many are writing novels. As
fictionist Rony Diaz noted as judge, he
had to read 350 novel entries for the
Philippine centennial literary contest in
1998.
2000s - Many novels in English seem to
have been written for literary contests
like Palanca and Asia Man.
2010s - The debate over textual and
contextual criticism, balagtasismo and
modernism, formalism and historical
criticism has persisted to this day in the
academe. The more popular but banal
issue is called “literature (art) and
propaganda.”