LESSON 4.

7
PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE
Philippine Literature
- a diverse and rich group of works that has
evolved side-by-side with the country’s
history
- literature associated with the Philippines
from prehistory, through its colonial
legacies, and on to the present
- had started with fables and legends made
by the ancient Filipinos long before the
arrival of Spanish influence
- The main themes of Philippine literature
focus on the country’s pre-colonial cultural
traditions and the socio-political histories
of its colonial and contemporary
traditions.
 PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE IN
DIFFERENT PERIODS
1. Pre-Colonial Times
– was marked by our ancestors' daily observations
about life, explanations for natural phenomena, and
beginnings of rituals. These also function as an
explanation for society and culture as they know it
to be.
- showcases a rich past through their folk
speeches, folk songs, folk narratives and
indigenous rituals and mimetic dances that affirm
our ties with our Southeast Asian neighbors.
Examples:
- riddles (bugtong)
- epigrams/proverbs (salawikain &
sawikain)
- myths
CHANTS
- much shorter than a cheer
- 2 – 4 lines repeated over and over.

Examples:
• Hornets got the buzz.We ain't full of fuzz.
• Knock 'em down. Turn it around. C'mon
defense work
• Swish! Two points. Swish! Two points.
2.The Spanish Colonial Period
- centered on the Christian faith, and the
stories about natural phenomena suddenly
became all about the lives of saints and
other religious hymns
- literature in this period may be classified
as religious prose and poetry and secular
prose and poetry
CORRIDO
- octosyllabic verse (8 syllables per line)
- were usually on legends or stories from
European countries (France, Spain, Italy,
Greece)
- refers to narration

Example:
Ibong Adarna
CORRIDO
AWIT
- means “song”
- dodecasyllabic verse (12 syllables per line;
pause after the 6th)
- Each stanza rhymes AAAA BBBB, etc. (with
grammatically correct sentences)
- tells a story

Example:
Florante at Laura
CORRIDO
PASYON
- a narrative poem about the life of Christ was
chanted during Lenten season
CENACULO
- Lenten play that depicts events from the Old and New
Testaments related to the life, sufferings, and death of Jesus
Christ.
ZARZUELA
- a musical thetre genre with alternating sung &
spoken text
3.The American Colonial Period
- introduced the new literary forms such as
free verse [in poetry], the modern short story
and the critical essay
 Manuel Arguilla’s
short story,
“How My
Brother Leon Brought
Home a Wife”
weekly magazines
like Liwayway,
Bisaya, Hiligaynon
4.The Contemporary Period
– saw Filipino writers continue to write
poetry, short stories, novellas, novels and
essays whether these are socially committed,
gender/ethnic related or are personal in
intention or not
 “Darna”
by
Mars Ravelo
“Babangon Ako’t Dudurugin Kita” by Gilda Olvidado
“Panday” by Carlo J. Caparas
“ABNKKBSNPLAko?!” by Bob Ong