Lesson 1 Philippine Literary

Genres: 21st Century

Literature, Contemporary
and Precolonial Literature
with Emphasis on the
Elements, Structures, and
Traditions
 OBJECTIVES
• identify the different genres, elements, structures, and
traditions in literature in the 21st century, contemporary
and pre-colonial periods;

• compare and contrast the various 21st-century literary

genres and the ones during the earlier time with their
elements, structures, and traditions;

• distinguish the distinct features of the 21st-century

literature from the earlier literature.
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What is the literary genre?

A literary genre is a type of literature. The basic types of

literature are fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama. But
these basic types of literature have sub-types:

Fiction: a novel, short story

Nonfiction: essay, editorial, news story, feature story
Poetry: verse, narrative poetry, epic poetry, free verse
Drama: classical, tragedy, comedy

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Literary Forms Based on Philippine
Historical Period

1. ANCIENT LITERATURE/FOLK LITERATURE

A. Myth -a traditional story in prose concerning details of

gods and demigods and the creation of the world and its
inhabitants occurring in timeless past. It describes and
portrays in symbolic language the origin of the basic
elements and assumptions of a culture.
Example: The Gods and Goddesses (Ilocos)
Mag-asawang Tubig (Tagalog)
Why is there a High Tide during Full Moon (Ibanag) 4
B. Heroic Narrative or Epic -folk epics that narrate the
adventures of tribal heroes who embody in themselves the
ideas and values of the tribe.

Example: Indarapatra at Sulayman

C. Ethnological Legends -are traditional narratives or

collection of related narratives, popularly regarded are
historically factual but a mixture of fact and fiction. They
explain how things came to be, why things are as they are.

Example: Legend of Mayon Volcano Legend of the Dama de

Noche Legend of Banana Plant

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D. Folk Tale -a prose narrative regarded as:
1. Animal Tale – a folk tale using animals as characters Example: The
Monkey and the Turtle
2. Folk Speech -the simplest form of oral literature
a. Riddles – description of objects in terms intended to suggest
something entirely different
Example: Dalawang batong maitim, malayo ang dinarating. (Two black
stones that reach far.) - mouth
b. Proverbs – short popular sayings that express effectively some
commonplace truth or useful thought. They generally express codes of
conduct, community beliefs, etc.
Example: Ang hindi lumingun sa pinanggalingan, hindi makararating sa
paroroonan.
3. Folk Songs – verses set into music by the members
Examples: Manang Biday
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II. CONTEMPORARY LITERARY FORMS

A. Poetry
Poems are literary attempts to share
personal experiences and feelings. In
general, poetry is about significant human
experiences. Its subject matter is about the
poet’s personal life or the lives of those
around him.

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The following elements of poetry will help a reader understand
a poem

1. The poetic Line. It is the basic unit of composition in poems, an idea or

feeling which is expressed in one line and is frequently continued into the
next line. This is called enjambment or run-on lines.
2. The Sound Words. A poet conveys his ideas through a pattern of sounds
that is a part of the total meaning. These sound effects are the products of
organized repetition.
a. Rhyme repeats similar or corresponding sounds in some apparent scheme.
b. Rhythm is the result of systematically stressing or accenting words and
syllables attained through patterns in the tuning, spacing, and repetition of
the elements

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c. Alliteration means the repetition for the effect of initial vowels or consonants (e.g.,
He clasps the crags with crooked hands- Tennyson)

d. Assonance refers to a partial change in which vowels are alike but the consonant
sounds are unlike (e.g., Maiden crowned with glossy blackness -George Eliot).

e. Onomatopoeia refers to a word that phonetically mimics or resembles the sound of

the thing it describes. (e.g., dog’s “bark,” a cat’s “meow,” or a coo’s “moo”).

3. The meter is a regularized and patterned rhythm. There are four conventional types
of meter in English poetry, each being distinguished from the others by the number and
accent of syllables. They are the Iambic meter, Trochaic meter, Anapestic meter, and
Dactylic meter
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4. Imagery is a vivid and vibrant form of description that appeals
to readers' senses and imagination. This includes sounds, textures,
odors, feel, and sometimes tastes.
5. Tone. This reveals the attitude toward the subject and in some
cases the attitude of the persona or implied speaker of the poem
as well. (e.g., cheerful, sad, reflective, serious, angry, anxious,
happy, etc.)
6. Figures of Speech. A word or phrase that possesses a separate
meaning from its literal definition. It can be a metaphor or simile,
designed to make a comparison. It can be the repetition of
alliteration or the exaggeration of hyperbole to provide a dramatic
effect.
 Types of Figures of Speech. Their meaning and
examples
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B. Short Stories
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in
a narrative format. The important elements of the short story
are:
1. Setting – the time and location in which a story takes
place.
2. Plot – the sequence of events in a story.

The following are the elements of a plot:

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3. Conflict – is essential to the plot; without conflict, there
is no plot. It is the opposition of forces which ties one
incident to another and makes the plot move. Conflict is
not merely limited to open arguments; rather, it is any form
of opposition that the main character faces.
4. Character – may refer to the person in a work of fiction
or the characteristics of a person.
5. Theme – the central idea or insight that comments
human condition; a truth in life which the heart of the
story.

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III. 21st Century Literature: Forms, Modes, and
Genres
A. What is 21st Century Literature?
21st Century Literature refers to the world literature
produced during the 21st century roughly from 2001 up to the
present. 21st-century literature is the new form of literary
work created within the last decade and written by
contemporary authors. It deals with current themes or issues
and reflects a technological culture.

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B. 21st Century Literary Genres
1. ILLUSTRATED NOVEL – The story is through text and illustrated
images. I illustrate, the novel 50 % of the narrative is presented
without words. The reader must interpret the images to
comprehend completely the story. The textual portions are
presented in the traditional form but some illustrated novels may
contain no text at all.
Example: The Arrival by Shaun Ta
2. DIGI-FICTION – is called triple media literature as it combines the
three media: book, movie/video, and Internet website. To get the full
story, one must engage in navigation, reading, viewing, in all three
formats.
Example: Level 26 by Anthony E. Zuiker
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3. GRAPHIC NOVELS – the narratives are in comic book
formats and the story is conveyed to the reader using the
comic form.
Example: Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke
4. MANGA – is used in the English-speaking world as a
generic term for all comic books and graphic novels originally
published in Japan. This is considered as an artistic and
storytelling style.
Example: Sonen – Boy’s Manga (Naruto

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5. DOODLE FICTION – a literary presentation where the author
incorporates doodle writing and drawings, and handwritten graphics
in place of the traditional font. The drawings tend to enhance the
story, often by adding humorous elements that would be missing if
the illustrations were omitted.
Example: The Diary of the Wimpy Kid
6. TEXT-TALK NOVELS – This refers to the blog, email, and IM format
narratives. The stories told are almost completely in dialogue
simulating social network exchanges.
Example: Girl Online by Zoe Sugg
7. FLASH FICTION – is a style of fictional literature of extreme brevity.
It could range from a single word to a thousand.
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8. SIX-WORD FLASH FICTION – an expression consisting of six-words
only with explicit and underlying meaning.
Example: For sale: Baby Socks; Never Worn (Ernest Hemingway)

9. SCIENCE FICTION – a genre of speculative fiction dealing with

imaginative concepts such as futuristic science and technology, space
travel, parallel universe, etc.
Example: Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

10. BLOG – a website containing short articles called posts that

change regularly. It can be written by one person containing his own
opinions, interests, and experiences; but some are written by many
different people.

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11. CREATIVE NON-FICTION – This is also known as literary
non-fiction or narrative non-fiction. It uses literary styles and
techniques to create factually accurate narratives.

12. HYPER POETRY – digital poetry that uses links using

hypertext mark-up. This can involve either set of words,
phrases, lines, etc. that are presented in variable order but sit
on the page much as traditional poetry does.

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