NOLI ME TANGERE:

CONTEXT AND THE CONTENT

Lesson 9
OBJECTIVES:

▪At the end of this section, you should be able to:

▪1. Discuss the events leading to the publication of
the Noli Me Tangere
▪2. Describe the context of the novel with Rizal’s
fight against Spain;
▪3. Associate the characters in the novel into the
colonial Philippine society.
THE PUBLICATION OF THE NOLI

▪ Rizal joined in the movement of the ilustrados to use propaganda to push for
reforms in the Philippines while a sojourner in Europe.
▪ The ilustrados used their intellectual prowess to produce various literary
works, ranging from news clips to feature articles and commentary.
▪ They have created works ranging from satirical works to world-class
masterpieces.
▪ Rizal’s excellent mastery of words was obvious in one of his most
recognized works, his first novel, Noli Me Tangere, which was included in
this artistic and literary collection.
▪Rizal was not unfamiliar with the concept of publishing a
book.
▪In a conference of the ilustrados in 1884, he proposed
collaborating on a book project with his fellow writers.
▪The project, unfortunately, did not come to fruition.
▪He eventually decided to self-publish a novel.
▪In 1884, he began work on the project and finished it in
1887.
▪Several works affected Rizal in the drafting of the
Noli, according to his biographers.
▪One of these is Juan Luna’s Spoliarium, a painting
that highlighted humanity’s sorrows in the face of
inequities.
▪Another is Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s
Cabin, a novel about slavery in America.
▪According to legend, Rizal finished the first half of the novel in
Spain and the second half in France before finishing the text in
1886.
▪The work was published in Germany the following year.
▪Due to a lack of cash, the book’s publication was delayed until a
fellow ilustrado, Maximo Viola, agreed to lend him 300 pesos to
produce the first 2,000 copies.
▪Rizal was already giving copies of the Noli to his acquaintances
by 1887, and the book was taking off.
MOTIVATIONS BEHIND
WRITING THE NOLI
▪Noli Me Tangere had a biblical reference in John’s
Gospel in which Jesus came to Mary Magdalene
and said to her, “Touch me not, for I have not yet
ascended to my Father.”
▪According to Rizal, the title was appropriate
because he meant to write about topics forbidden
in the Philippines for decades, things that no one
dared to touch.
▪According to his biographers, Rizal intended to write his novel in
French, which was considered the language of intellectuals in
Europe.
▪He switched to Spanish, though, to communicate with his Filipino
compatriots.
▪Rizal elaborated: “I must reawaken the spirit of my country from
its slumber... I must first set an example for my compatriots to
follow in combating their negative characteristics. Then, once
they have reformed, many writers will come up to present my
country to a proud Europe.” (Schumacher, 1991, p. 93).
PLOT
▪Want to know the plot of Noli Me Tangere?
Check out this fan-based wiki page of the
Noli Me Tangere, which gives detailed
information about the story and its characters.
▪https://noli-me-tangere.fandom.com/wiki/Noli
_Me_Tangere