Seat No.

__________

LICEO DE MASBATE
College of Arts and Business Administration
First Semester
A.Y. 2023-2024

Literature I
Philippine Literature
(Module/Handouts)

Name: ________________________________________
Year and Course:_______________________________
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Room Number:_________________________________

FELIROSE IBAÑEZ ABENIR PONSONES

Instructor
Module I. INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE
A. Concepts and Definitions
of Literature introduces us to
new worlds of experience. We
learn about books and
literature; we enjoy the
comedies and the tragedies of
poems, stories, and plays; and
we may even grow and evolve
through our literary journey
with books. According to Perez
(2015), literature, a common
term and concept in our
vocabulary, seems to defy any
simplistic, single-sentence
definition through the years. It
remains to be so even up to the
present, and whether or not
such a definition can really be
phrased to everybody’s
occurrence, only time can tell.
Doubtlessly, however,
literature has fascinated and
continues to interest not only
the literary-inclined, but so
those who may not, provided
they are properly introduced
and initiated to art. Indeed,
there should be no reason why
anybody should have any
aversion to the art which, at
close analysis, is nothing but
something that concerns her or
him for as long as he breathes-
--life. After all, “literature is life
itself”, as a rather loose
definition of it goes. What is
literature? Literature is derived
from Latin word litera which
means letters, that deals with
ideas, thoughts, and emotions
of man, thus, literature can be
said as the story of man
(Kahayon, 1998). Another
origin of literature is from a
French phrase “belles-letters”
which means beautiful writing
(Barugo, et al, 2004). Hence, it
is a faithful reproduction of
man’s manifold experiences
blended into one harmonious
expression. Broadly speaking,
"literature" is used to describe
anything from creative writing
to more technical or scientific
works, but the term is most
commonly used to refer to Brother Azurin, said that
works of the creative “literature
imagination, including works
of poetry, drama, fiction, and
nonfiction. Ang (2006)
describes literature as man’s
life story including struggles,
ideas, failures, sacrifices, and
happiness (Ang, 2006).
Literature represents a
language or a people: culture
and tradition. But, literature is
more important than just a
historical or cultural artifact.
Literature introduces us to new
worlds of experience.
Literature is an interpretation
of life. The writer of literature
is not only interested in facts,
but also in the beauty of these
facts. Deals with ideas,
thoughts and emotions of
man. Man’s loves, grieves,
thoughts, dreams, and
aspirations coached in
beautiful language is
Literature. Helps understand
the real spirit of a nation.
expresses the feelings of
people to society, to the
government, to his
surroundings, to his
fellowmen and to his Divine
Creator.” The expression of
one’s feelings, according to
him, may be through love,
sorrow, happiness, hatred,
anger, pity, contempt, or
revenge. For Webster,
literature is anything that is
printed, as long as it is related
to the ideas and feelings of
people, whether it is true, or
just a product of one’s
imagination.
In PANITIKING PILIPINO
written by Atienza, Ramos,
Salazar and Nazal, it says that
“true literature is a piece of
written work which is undying.
It expresses the feelings and
emotions of people in response
to his everyday efforts to live,
to be happy in his environment
and, after struggles, to reach
his Creator.”
B. Importance of Studying
Literature People read
literature for information, for
amusement, for higher and
keener pleasure, for cultural
upliftment and for discovery of
broader dimensions in life( .
Nuggets, 2004). According to
Gutierrez-Ang (2016), it is
important to study Philippine
literature in order to
appreciate our own literary
heritage. Also, it is for us to
realize our literary limitations
conditioned by certain
historical factors so we can
take steps to overcome them.
Moreover, Philippine
literature helps us to
understand that we have a
great and noble tradition
which can serve as means to
assimilate other culture.
Lastly, to show that as Filipinos
who truly love and take pride
in our own culture, we have to
manifest our deep concern for literature. Events that can be
our own literature and this written down are part of true
we can by studying the literature. Literature,
literature of our country. therefore, is part of history.
C. Literature and History In Literature and history,
order to know the history of a however, also have
nation’s spirit, one must read differences. Literature may be
its literature. Hence it is, that figments of the imagination or
to understand the real spirit of events devoid of truth that
a nation, one must “trace the have been written down, while
little rills as they course along history is made up of events
down the ages, broadening that really happened. Real
and deepening into the great
ocean of thought which men
of the present source are
presently exploring.”
Literature and history are
closely interrelated. In
discovering the history of a
race, the feelings, aspirations,
customs and traditions of a
people are sure to be included
. . . and these feelings,
aspirations, customs and
traditions that are written is
literature. History can also be
written and this too, is
events were recounted as
stories to teach the younger
generation wisdom or lessons
about their origins. These
stories sometimes stretched
the truth to entertain the
audience or make them reflect
further. The main difference
between history and literature
is the purpose of each: History
intends to record events as
accurately as possible, while
literature interprets historical
or everyday events in an
imaginative way.
D. Genres of Literature
Swales (1990) defined as " a
class of communicative events
that share some set of
communicative purposes." In
literature, it means a type of
art, literature, or music
characterized by a specific
form, content, and style. All of
these genres have particular
features and functions that
distinguish them from one
another. Literature could be
divided into countless genres
and subgenres, but there are
three main genres which
preside over most subgenres.
Basically, there are three major
genres in literature. These are
the prose, poetry, and drama.
The diagram below shows the
genre and sub-genres of
literature’.
I. Prose. It is the most typical
form of language, applying
ordinary grammatical structure
and natural flow of speech
rather than rhythmic structure
(as in traditional poetry). While
there are critical debates on
the construction of prose, its
simplicity and loosely defined
structure has led to its
adoption for the majority of
spoken dialogue, factual
discourse as well as topical and
fictional writing. It is
commonly used, for example,
in
literature, newspapers,
magazines, encyclopedias,
broadcasting, film, history,
philosophy, law and many
other forms of communication.
Types of Prose
1. Fiction. It is the form of any
narrative or informative work
that deals, in part or in whole,
with information or events that
are not factual, but rather,
imaginary, that is, invented by
the author. Although fiction
describes a major branch of
literary work, it may also refer
to theatrical, cinematic or
musical work. Fiction contrasts
with nonfiction, which deals
exclusively with factual (or, at
least, assumed factual) events,
descriptions, observations, etc.
(e.g., biographies, histories).
Examples of Fiction
Fairytale- It is a story about
kings, queens, princes and
princesses with a touch of
magic.
 Myth- It is a story about
gods and goddesses.
Legend- It is a story about
the origin of a place or a
thing.
Novel- It is a long narrative
with an organized plot
usually with a maximum of
500 pagese.
Novelette- It is a narrative
with an organized plot
usually with a maximum of
300 pages.
Short Story- It is a narrative
with an organized plot
usually with a maximum of
100 pages.
Fable- It is a story that uses
animals as characters and
with lesson.
Parable- It is a story used by
Jesus in teaching the Good
News.
Allegory- It is a story that
uses symbolism to
represent an idea.
2. Non-Fiction. It is a form of
any narrative, account, or
other communicative work
whose assertions and
descriptions are understood to
be factual. This presentation
may be accurate or not-that is,
it can give either a true or a
false account of the subject in
question, however, it is
generally assumed that
authors of such accounts
believe them to be truthful at
the time of their composition
or, at least, pose them to their
audience as historically or
empirically true. Note that
reporting the beliefs of others
in a non-fiction format is not
necessarily an endorsement of
the ultimate veracity of those
beliefs; it is simply saying it is
true that people believe them
(for such topics as mythology,
religion). No-fiction can also be
written about fiction, giving
information about these other
works.
Examples of Non-fiction
Autobiography- It is about the
life story of a person written by
himself.
Biography- It is about the life
story of a person written by
another person.
Newspaper- It is a collection of
news articles about various
current events.
Magazine- It is a collection of
articles regarding the lifestyle
of man.
Journal- It is a book which is
meant to keep track of
different personal things but
can be considered a little less
personal than a diary.
Diary- It is a daily record of
personal events and
experiences.
Planner- It is a daily record of
business commitments.
Anecdote- It is a brief,
revealing account of an
individual person or an
incident.
Essay- It is a short analytic,
descriptive, or interpretive
piece of literary or journalistic
prose dealing with a specific
topic. It is a short literary
composition which is
expository in nature. The
author shares some of his
thoughts, feelings, experiences,
or observations on some
aspects of life that have
interested him.
History- It is a narration of the
events which have happened
among mankind, including an
account of the rise and fall of
nations, as well as of other
great changes which have
affected the political and social
condition of the human race.
Letter- It is usually a
professional communication,
such as recommendation
letters, job cover letters,
resignation letters, legal
correspondence, and company
communications.
Speech/Oration- It is a formal
address or discourse delivered
to an audience.
II. Poetry. It is written with
rhythm and is organized in
lines and groups lines called
stanzas. It is highly imaginative
and written in condensed
language, stylized syntax, and
figures of speech not found in
ordinary communication. It
uses the aesthetic qualities of
language to evoke meanings in
addition to, or in place of, the
prosaic ostensible meaning.
Types of Poetry
1. Narrative Poetry. It is a
form of poetry which tells a
story, often making use of the
voices of a narrator and
characters as well; the entire
story is usually written in
metered verse. The poems that
make up this genre may be
short or long, and the story it
relates to maybe complex. It is
usually dramatic, with
objectives, diverse characters,
and meter. Narrative poems
include the following:
Epic- It is a narrative poem
about supernatural powers
possessed by heroes and
heroines.
Ballad- It is a narrative poem
with harmony and rhythm.
Idyll- It is a narrative poem
about rustic life. It is a short
poem of a pastoral or rural
character in which something
of the element of landscape is
depicted or suggested.
Metrical Romance- It is a
narrative poem dealing with
the emotions or phase of life
and the story is told in a
simple, straightforward and
realistic manner. It is
composed of a long rambling
love story in verse centered
around the adventure of
knights and lords and their
royal ladies during the age of
chivalry. Metrical Tales- It is
written in verse and classified
as either ballad or metrical
romance. It is a narrative poem
consisting usually of a single
series of connective events
that are simple idylls or home
tales, love tales, tales of
supernatural or tales written
for a strong moral purpose in
verse form.
2. Lyric Poetry. It is a genre
of poetry that expresses
personal and emotional
feelings. In the ancient world,
lyric poems were sung,
accompanied by a lyre. Lyric
poems do not have to rhyme,
and today do not need to be
set to music or a beat. Lyric
Poetry includes:
Haiku- It is a form of Japanese
poetry with 17 syllables in
three unrhymed lines of five,
seven, and five syllables, often
describing nature or a season.
Song- It is a lyric poem in a
regular pattern to set music
composed of twelve Syllables
(dodecasyllabic) and slowly
sung to the accompaniment of
guitar or banduria.
Corrido/Kurrido- It has a
measure of eight syllables
(octosyllabic) and recited to a
material beat.
Sonnet- It is a short poem with
14 lines, usually ten- syllable
rhyming lines, divided into
two, three, or four sections.
There are many rhyming
patterns for sonnets, and they
are usually written in iambic
pentameter (five beat poetic
line).
Ode- It is a serious lyric poetry
which commemorates
important public events. It
consists of stanzas with the
same pattern of rhythm and
rhyme.
Elegy- It is a common lyrics
that deals with life and death.
It mourns the death of a loved
one.
3. Dramatic Poetry. It tells
stories in dialogue of play
rhymes, repeating rhymes and
other poetic elements. It
includes the following:
Poetic play- It includes the
following:
Comedy- The word comedy
comes from the Greek term
“komos” meaning festivity or
revelry. This form usually is
light and written with the
purpose of amusing, and
usually has a happy ending.
Melodrama- This is usually
used in musical plays with the
opera. Today, this is related to
tragedy just as the farce is to
comedy. It arouses immediate
and intense emotion and is
usually sad but there is a happy
ending for the principal
character.
Tragedy- This involves the hero
struggling mightily against
dynamic forces; he meets
death or without success and
satisfaction obtained by the
protagonist in a comedy.
Farce- This is an exaggerated
comedy. It seeks to arouse
mirth by laughable lines;
situations are too ridiculous to
be true; the characters seem to
be caricatures and the motives
undignified and absurd.
Social Poems- This form is
either purely comic or tragic
and it pictures the life of today.
It may aim to bring about
changes in the social
conditions.
Masque- A dramatic
performance, often performed
at court as a royal
entertainment, consisting of
dancing, dialogue, pantomime
and song. It is a type of theatre
entertainment including
poetry, singing, and dancing
performed in England.
Dramatic Monologue/
Soliloquy- It refers to a type of
poetry that has a theatrical
quality; that is, the poem is
meant to be read to an
audience. To say that the poem
is a monologue means that
these are the words of one
solitary speaker with no
dialogue coming from any other
characters.
4. Minor Poetry Forms. It
includes the following:
Descriptive Poetry- It is the
poetic equivalent of a portrait
or a landscape painting. It Is
realistic and does not delve
into emotions and metaphor.
Description in most poems is
ornamentation, but in
descriptive poetry, it becomes
the center of attention. It
includes:
Pastoral- It refers to a literary television, or radio. Kinds of
work dealing with shepherds Drama
and rustic life. Pastoral poetry
is highly conventionalized; it
presents an idealized rather
than realistic view of rustic life.
Idyll- a short poem of a
pastoral or rural character in
which something of the
element of landscape is
depicted or suggested.
Didactic Poetry- It is a form of
verse the aim of which is, less
to excite the hearer by passion
or move him by pathos, than to
instruct his mind and improve
his morals.
Satiric Poetry- From the word
satire, it is “the use of humor,
irony, exaggeration, or ridicule
to expose and criticize people’s
stupidity or vices.”
III. Drama. It is an exciting,
tense, and gripping events and
actions, or an exciting, tense,
and gripping quality, either in a
work of art or in a real-life. It is
a serious play written for
performance on stage,
Tragedy- It is a play which the
leading character overcomes
trouble of some kind.
Comedy- It is a play which the
leading character overcomes
obstacles placed in his way
and wins in the conflict; Tends
happily.
Farce- It is a comedy which the
situations are too ridiculous;
situations are beyond reality.
Pantomime-The entire story is
told by action. It can be
comedy or tragedy.
Historical Play- It dramatizes
some events of history.
Puppet Play- It is a kind of
drama in which some parts
are acted by puppets or
marionettes.
Plays of Fantasy- It is a kind of
drama which actions could not
take place in real life but only
in the imagination of the
writer; full of improbable
actions.
E. Forms of Literature.
According to Darren Joe G
Follero, there are three forms
of literature. These are the oral
literature which the literary
works are transmitted from
one generation to another
verbally. Another is visual
literature which the literary
works are presented in front of
an audience. Lastly, the written
literature which the literary
works are in printed form
TIME FRAMES OF PHILIPPINE
LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
Different opinions prevail
regarding the stages that
mark the development of
Philippine literature in English.
Let us take the following time
frames for purpose of
discussion:
1. The Period of Re-
orientation: 1898-1910
2. Period of Imitation: 1910-
1925
 3. Period of Self-Discovery: They were written by
1925-1941
4. Japanese Period: 1941- Homer.
1945 4. The Mahab-harata- The
5. The Rebirth of Freedom: longest epic of the world. It
1946-1970 contains the history of
6. Period of Activism: 1970- religion in India.
1972
7. Period of New Society: 5. Canterbury Tales- It
1972-1981
8. Period of the Third depicts the religion and
Republic: 1981-1985
9. Contemporary Period: customs of the English in
1986 the early days. This
originated from England
and was written by
Chaucer.
6. Uncle Tom’s Cabin-

Written by Harriet Beecher

Stowe of the US. This
Literary Compositions that depicted the sad fate of
Have Influenced the World. slaves; this became the
Among them are: basis of democracy later
on.
7. The Divine Comedy- (by
1. The Bible or the Sacred
Dante of Italy) This shows
Writings- This has become
the religion and customs
the basis of Christianity
of the early Italians.
originating from Palestine
8. El Cid Compeador - This
and Greece.
2. Koran- The Muslim Bible
shows the cultural
originating from Arabia. characteristics of the
Spaniards and their
3. The Iliad and the
national history.
Odyssey- These have
9. The Song of Roland- This
been the source of myths
includes Doce Pares and
and legends of Greece.
Roncesvalles of France. It
 tells about the Golden
Age of Christianity in
France.
10. The Book of the Dead –
This includes the cult of
Osiris and the mythology
and theology of Egypt.
11. The Book of the Days-
This was written by
Confucius of China. This
became the basis of the
Christian religion.
12. One Thousand and One
Nights or The Arabian
Nights- from Arabia and
Persia (Iran). It shows the
ways of government, of
industries and of the
society of the Arabs and
Persians.
F. Critical Approaches to
Literature Ultimately, we may
discover meaning in literature
by looking at what the author
says and how he/she says it.
We may interpret the author's
message. In academic circles,
this decoding of the text is
often carried out through the
use of literary theory, using a
mythological, sociological,
psychological, historical, or
other approach. According to
Kaskon et al (2009), critical
approaches to literature reveal
how or why a particular work is
constructed and what its social
and cultural implications are.
Understanding critical
perspectives will help you to
see and appreciate a literary
work as a multilayered
construct of meaning. Reading
literary criticism will inspire
you to reread, rethink, and
respond. Soon you will be a full
participant in an endless and
enriching conversation about
literature.
1. Reader-Response—Focuses
on the reader (or "audience")
and his or her experience of a
literary work,
in contrast to other schools and
theories that focus attention
primarily on the author or the
content and form of the work.
2. Feminist Criticism—
Focuses on female
representation in literature,
paying attention to female
points of view, concerns, and
values. Three underlying
assumptions in this approach
are: Western Society is
pervasively patriarchal, male
centered and controlled, and is
organized in such a way as to
subordinate women; the
concept of gender is socially
constructed, not biologically
determined; and that
patriarchal ideology pervades
those writings which have
been considered “great works
of literature.”
3. Queer Theory—Combined
area of gay and lesbian studies
and criticism, including studies
of variations in biological sex,
gender identity, and sexual
desires. Emphasis on
dismantling the key binary
oppositions of Western culture:
male/ female, heterosexual/
homosexual, etc. by which the
first category is assigned
privilege, power, and centrality,
while the second is derogated,
subordinated, and
marginalized.
4. Marxist Criticism—Focuses on
how literary works are products
of the economic and ideological
determinants specific to that
era. Critics examine the
relationship of a literary
product to the actual economic
and social reality of its time and
place (Class stratification, class
relations, and dominant
ideology).
5. Historical Criticism—Focuses
on examining a text primarily in
relation to the historical and
cultural conditions of its
production, and also of its later
critical interpretations. Cultural
materialism, a mode of NHC,
argues that whatever the
“textuality” of history, a culture
and its literary products are
always conditioned by the real
material forces and relations of speech, and symbols.
production in their historical Distinctive procedure is close
era. reading and attention to
6. Psychological Criticism— recurrent images; these
Focuses on a work of literature
primarily as an expression, in
fictional form, of the state of
mind and the structure of
personality of the individual
author. In other words, a
literary text is related to its
author’s mental and emotional
traits. Furthest extension is
Psychoanalytic Criticism,
emphasis on phallic symbols,
wombs, breasts, etc. Theorists
include Lacan and Klein.
7. New Criticism—The proper

concern of literary criticism is

not with the external
circumstances or effects or
historical position of a work,
but with a detailed
consideration of the work itself
as an independent entity.
Emphasis on “the words on the
page.” Study of poetry focuses
on the “autonomy of the work
as existing for its own sake,”
analysis of words, figures of
critics delight in “tension,”
“irony,” and “paradox.”
(Similar to Formalism or Neo-
Aristotelian)
8.Deconstruction—Focuses
on the practice of reading a
text in order to “subvert”
or “undermine” the
assumption that the text can
be interpreted coherently to
have a universal determinate
meaning. Typically,
deconstructive readings
closely examine the
conflicting forces/meanings
within the text in order to
show that the text has
an indefinite array of
possible
readings/significations.
9. Archetypal/Mythic
Criticism—Focuses on
recurrent narrative designs,
patterns of action, character
types, or images which are
said to be identifiable in a wide
variety of literary works,
myths, dreams, and even
ritualized modes of behavior.
Critics tend to emphasize the
mythical patterns in literature,
such as the death-rebirth
theme and journey of the hero.
10. Cultural Criticism—This lens
examines the text from the
perspective of cultural
attitudes and often focuses on
individuals within society who
are marginalized or face
discrimination in some way.
Cultural criticism may consider
race, gender, religion,
ethnicity, sexuality or other
characteristics that separate
individuals in society and
potentially lead to one feeling
or being treated as “less than”
another. It suggests that being
included or excluded from the
dominant culture changes the
way one may view the text.
11. Modernism/Post-
Modernism—Modernism is a
rejection of traditional forms of
literature (chronological plots,
continuous narratives, closed
endings etc.) in favor of
experimental forms. They have
nostalgia for the past that they
feel is lost so Modernist texts
often include multiple character, situation, or image
allusions. Post-Modernists that evokes a deep universal
follow the same principles but response,” which entered
celebrate the new forms of literary criticism from Swiss
fragmentation rather than psychologist Carl Jung.
lamenting them. According to Jung, all
• Look for ironies within a text

• Analyze fragmentation and a

mixing of genres and forms

• Blurs the line between “high”

literature (classics) and

popular literature (NY Times
Bestsellers)
12. Mythological Criticism—
This approach emphasizes
“the recurrent universal
patterns underlying most
literary works.” Combining the
insights from anthropology,
psychology, history, and
comparative religion,
mythological criticism
“explores the artist’s common
humanity by tracing how the
individual imagination uses
myths and symbols common
to different cultures and
epochs.” One key concept in
mythological criticism is the
archetype, “a symbol,
individuals share a “‘collective
unconscious,’ a set of primal
memories common to the
human race, existing below
each person’s conscious
mind”—often deriving from
primordial phenomena such as
the sun, moon, fire, night, and
blood, archetypes according to
Jung “trigger the collective
unconscious.” Another critic,
Northrop Frye, defined
archetypes in a more limited
way as “a symbol, usually an
image, which recurs often
enough in literature to be
recognizable as an element of
one’s literary experience as a
whole.” Regardless of the
definition of archetype they
use, mythological critics tend
to view literary works in the
broader context of works
sharing a similar pattern.
13. Post-Colonialism
Criticism—Post-colonialism
literature is most commonly
written about countries that
have been previously
colonized. A post-colonial lens
would approach literature and
look for what effects
colonization has left on a
society or on individual
characters. This criticism looks
through literature with the
post-colonial theory. It shows
history and the effects that
colonization can leave on a
civilization even after they have
gained independence. The
post-colonialism critical lens
interprets the challenges and
changes of a previously
colonized nation as the effects
of colonization. The major
important symbols are
oppression and power. There is
an identity between the
colonizer and the colonized.
The goal of the critical lens is to
seek to understand the
behavior of characters or the
society. It can be analyzed by
the setting and the actions or
behaviors depicted by
characters in literature can be
attributed to their country
being previously colonized.
Characters or society can feel
torn between the identities of whether a work conveys a
their native culture and the lesson or message and whether
culture of the colonizing it can help readers lead better
country. A reader needs to lives and improve their
have a good grasp of historical understanding of the world:
knowledge in order to fully What ideas does the work
apply the post colonialism lens contain? How strongly does the
to literature. A reader has to be work bring forth its ideas?
aware of the previous or What application do the ideas
current colonial status of any have
countries or societies that are
presented in a work of
literature.
14. Moral/Ethical Criticism—
The moral/intellectual critical
approach is concerned with
content and values. The
approach is as old as literature
itself, for literature is a
traditional mode of imparting
morality, philosophy, and
religion. The concern in
moral/intellectual criticism is
not only to discover meaning
but also to determine whether
works of literature are both
true and significant. To study
literature from the
moral/intellectual perspective
is therefore to determine
to the work’s characters and
situations? How may the ideas
be evaluated intellectually?
Morally? Discussions based on
such questions do not imply
that literature is primarily a
medium of moral and
intellectual exhortation.
Ideally, moral/intellectual
criticism should differ from
sermonizing to the degree
that readers should always be
left with their own decisions
about whether to assimilate
the ideas of a work and about
whether the ideas—and
values—are personally or
morally acceptable.
Sophisticated critics have
sometimes demeaned the
moral/intellectual approach
on the grounds that “message
hunting” reduces a work’s
artistic value by treating it like
a sermon or political speech;
but the approach will be
valuable as long as readers
expect literature to be
applicable to their own lives.
Module II. HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND OF THE
PHILIPPINE LITERATURE
According to Solmerano
(2019), there had been
evidences to support that our
ancestors had already the so –
called “literature” even before
the Spanish colonizers came to
the Philippines. One example is
the discovery of the “Tabon
Caveman” in Palawan in 1962
by the archeologists. This
served as a great help in
determining the culture of the
early Filipinos. Prior to the
discovery, Westerners noted
records have existed even
before 1521. Researches and
writings about Philippine
history show that the
preservation of the indigenous
culture, part of which is oral
lore and the literature of the
Filipino ancestors were made
possible only by this people’s
living beyond the control of the
Spanish colonizers.
I. THE PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD
(Early times- 1565) Before the
Spaniards and other foreigners
landed on Philippine shores, existence of a native culture
our forefathers already had truly our own. Some of these
their own literature stamped were passed on by word of
in the history of our race. Our mouth till they reached the
ancient literature shows our hands of some publishers or
customs and traditions in printers
everyday life as trace in our
folk stories, old plays and
short stories. Our ancestors
also had their own alphabet
which was different from that
brought by the Spaniards. The
first alphabet used by our
ancestors was similar to that
of the Malayo-Polynesian
alphabet.
Whatever records our
ancestors left were either
burned by the Spanish friars in
the belief that they were
works of the devil or were
written on materials that
easily perished, like the barks
of trees, dried leaves and
bamboo cylinders which could
not have remained
undestroyed even if efforts
were made to preserve them.
Other records that remained
showed folk songs that proved
who took interest in printing one can derive lessons about
the manuscripts of the ancient life. These are useful to us
Filipinos. because they help us
The Spaniards who came to the appreciate our environment,
Philippines tried to prove that evaluate our personalities and
our ancestors were really fond improve our perspectives in
of poetry, songs, stories, life. An example of this is THE
riddles and proverbs which we MOON AND THE SUN.
still enjoy today and which Epics are long narrative poems
serve to show to generations in which a series of heroic
the true culture of our people. achievements or events,
folksongs. usually of a hero, are dealt with
Pre-Spanish Literature is at length. Nobody can
characterized by legends, determine which epics are the
folktales, epics, and folksongs. oldest because in their
translations from other
Legends are a form of prose languages, even in English and
the common theme of which is Spanish. We can only
about the origin of a thing, determine their origins from
place, location or name. The the time mentioned in the said
events are imaginary, devoid epics. Aside from the
of truth and unbelievable. Old aforementioned epics, there
Filipino customs are reflected are still other epics that can be
in these legends. Its aim is to read and studied like the
entertain. Here is an example following epics.
of a legend is THE LEGEND OF a. Bidasari-Moro epic

THE TAGALOGS. b. Biagni Lam-ang-Ilokano epic

Folk tales are made up of c. Maragtas-Visayan epic

stories about life, adventure, d. Haraya-Visayan epic

love, horror and humor where e. Lagda-Visayan epic

f. HarisaBukid-Visayan epic
g. Kumintang-Tagalog epic
h. ParangSabir-Moro epic
i. “Dagoy” at “Sudsod”-
Tagbanua epic
j. Tatuaang-Bagobo epic
k. Indarapatra at Sulayman
l. Bantugan
m. Daramoke-A-Babay – Moro
epic in “Darangan”
Folk songs are one of the
oldest forms of Philippine
literature that emerged in the
pre-Spanish period. These
songs mirrored the early forms
of culture. Many of these have
12 syllables. Examples of these
folksongs are Kundiman,
Kumintang o Tagumpay, Ang
Dalit o Imno, AngOyayi o Hele,
Diana, Soliraning, Talindaw.
Epigrams, Riddles, Chants,
Maxims, Proverbs or Sayings
were other forms of pre-
colonial poetry.
Epigrams (Salawikain) have
been customarily used and
served as laws or rules on good
behavior by our ancestors. To
others, these are like allegories
or parables that impart lessons
for the young.
Riddles (Bugtong) or
Palaisipan are made up of one
or more measured lines with
rhyme and may consist of four
to 12 syllables.
Chant (Bulong) are used in
witchcraft or enchantment.
Maxims are rhyming couplets
with verses of 5, 6 or 8
syllables, each line having the
same number of syllables.
Sayings (Kasabihan) are often
used in teasing or to
comment on a person’s
actuations. Idioms (Sawikain)
are sayings with no hidden
meanings.
II. THE SPANISH PERIOD (1565-
1898) It is an accepted
belief that the Spanish
colonization of the Philippines
started in 1565 during the
time of Miguel Lopez de
Legazpi, the first Spanish
governor-general in the
Philippines. Literature started
to flourish during his time. This
spurt continued unabated
until the Cavite Revolt in 1872.
The Spaniards colonized the
Philippines for more than
three centuries. During these
times, many changes occurred
in the lives of Filipinos. They
embraced the Catholic
religion, changed their names,
and were baptized. Their
lifestyles changed too. They
built houses mad of stones and
bricks, used beautiful furniture
like the piano and used kitchen
utensils. Carriages, trains and
boats were used as means of
travel. They held fiestas to
honor the saints, the pope and
the governors. They had
cockfights, horse races and the
theater as means of recreation.
This gave rise to the formation
of the different classes of
society like the rich and the
landlords. Some Filipinos
finished courses like medicine,
law, agriculture and teaching.
Many Filipinos finished their
schooling already had been
established.
A. SPANISH INFLUENCES ON
PHILIPPINE LITERATURE
Due to the long period of
colonization of the Philippines
by the Spaniards, they have
exerted a strong influence on
our literature. The literary
scene during this era was
focused on religious themes
due to the Christianization of
the Philippines by the
Spaniards. The first Filipino
alphabet called Baybayin
(Alibata) was replaced by the
Roman alphabet. The teaching
of the Christian Doctrine
became the basis of religious
practices. The Spanish
language which became the
literary language during this
time lent many of its words to
our language. European
legends and traditions brought
here became assimilated in
our songs, corridos, and moro-
moros. Ancient literature was
collected and translated to
Tagalog and
other dialects. Many grammar
books were printed in Filipino,
like Tagalog, Ilocano and
Visayan. Periodicals during
these times gained a religious
tone.
B. THE FIRST BOOKS
1. ANG DOCTRINA
CRISTIANA (THE
CHRISTIAN
DOCTRINE). This was the first
book printed in the Philippines
in 1593 in xylography. It was
written by Fr. Juan de Placentia
and Fr. Domingo Neiva, in
Tagalong and Spanish. It
contained the Pater Noster
(Out Father), Ave Maria (Hail
Mary), Regina Coeli (Hail Holy
Queen), and the Ten
Commandments of God, the
Commandments of the
Catholic Church, the Seven
Mortal Sins, How to confess,
and the Cathecism. Three old
original copies of this book can
still be found at the Vatican, at
the Madrid Museum and at the
US Congress. It contains only
87 pages but costs $5,000.0.
2. Nuestra Señora Del
Rosario. The second book
printed in the Philippines was
written by Fr. Blancas de San
Jose in 1602, and printed at the
UST Printing Press with the help
of Juan de Vera, a Chinese
mestizo. It contains the
biographies of saints, novenas,
and questions and answers on
religion.
3.Libro de los
CuatroPostprimeras de
Hombre(in Spanish and
Tagalog). This is the first book
printed in typography.
4. Ang Barlaan at Josephat.
This is a Biblical story printed in
the Philippines and translated
to Tagalog from Greek by Fr.
Antonio de Borja. It is believed
to be the first Tagalog novel
published in the Philippines
even if it is only a translation.
The printed translation has only
556 pages. The Ilocano
translation in poetry was done
by Fr. Agustin Mejia.
5. The Pasion. This is the book
about the life and sufferings of
Jesus Christ. It is read only Mary. Fr. Mariano Sevilla, a
during Lent. There were 4 Filipino priest, wrote this in
versions of this in Tagalog and 1865 and it was
each version is according to the
name of the writer. These are
the Pilapil version (by Mariano
Pilapil of Bulacan, 1814), the de
Belen version (by Gaspar
Aquino de Belen of Bat. in
1704), the de la Merced (by
Aniceto de la Merced of
Norzagaray, Bulacan in 1856)
and the de Guia version (by
Luis de Guia in 1750). Critics
are not agreed whether it is the
Pilapil or the de la Merced
version which is the most
popular.
6. Urbana at Felisa. A book by
Modesto de Castro, the so
called Father of Classic Prose in
Tagalog. These are letters
between two sisters Urbana at
Felisa and have influenced
greatly the behavior of people
in society because the letters
dealt with good behavior.
7. Ang Mga Dalit kay Maria
(Psalms for Mary). A collection
of songs praising the Virgin
popular especially during the
Maytime “Flores de Mayo”
festival.
C.LITERARY COMPOSITIONS
1. Arte y Reglas de la
LenguaTagala (Art and rules
of the Tagalog language)-
written by Fr. Blancas de San
Jose and translated to Tagalog
by Tomas Pinpin in1610.
2. Compendio de la
LenguaTagala (Understanding
the Tagalog language)-written
by Fr. Gaspar de San Agustin in
1703.
3. Vocabulario de la
LenguaTagala (Tagalog
vocabulary)-the first Tagalog
dictionary written by Fr. Pedro
de San Buenaventura in 1613.
4. Vocabulario de la Lengua
Pampanga (Pampanga
vocabulary)-the first book in
Pampanga written by Fr. Diego
in 1732.
5. Vocabulario de la
LenguaBisaya (Bisayan
vocabulary)-the best language
book in Visayan by Mateo
Sanchez in 1711.
6. Arte de la LenguaIlokana
(The Art of the Ilocano
language)-the first Ilocano
grammar book by Francisco
Lopez.
7. Arte de la LenguaBicolana
(The Art of the Bicol
language)-the first book in the
Bicol language and written by
Fr. Marcos Lisbon in 1754.
D.FOLK SONGS Folk songs
became widespread in the
Philippines. Each region had its
national song from the
lowlands to the mountains of
Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
Folk songs truly manifest the
artistic feelings of the Filipinos.
They show the Filipinos’ innate
appreciation for and love of
beauty. The examples are
Leron-LeronSinta,
Pamulinawen, Dandansoy,
Sarong Banggi and Atin Cu
PungSingsing.
RECEREATIONAL
E. PLAYS
There are many recreational
plays performed by Filipinos
during the Spanish times.
Almost all of them were in
poetic form. Here are
examples:
1. Tibag – the word tibag
means to excavate. This ritual
was brought here by the
Spaniard to remind the people
about the search of St. Helena
for the Cross on which Jesus
died.
2. Lagaylay – this is a special
occasion for the Pilareños of
Sorsogon during Maytime to
get together. As early as April,
the participating ladies are
chosen and sometimes,
mothers volunteer their girls
in order to fulfill a vowmade
during an illness or for a favor
received. In some parts of
Bicol, a different presentation
is made but the objective is
the same – praise, respect
and offering of love to the
Blessed Cross by St. Helen on
the mound she had dug in.
3. The Cenaculo – this is a
dramatic performance to
commemorate the passion and
death of Jesus Christ. There are
two kinds: the Cantadaand
Hablada. In the Hablada the
lines are spoken in a more
deliberate manner showing
the rhythmic measure of each
verse and the rhyming in each
stanza and is more dignified in
theme; the Cantada is chanted
like the Pasion. The Cenaculo is
written in octosyllabic verse,
with 8 verses to the stanza. The
full length versions take about
3 nights of staging. Performers
come in costumes with wigs
and performers are carefully
chosen for their virtuous life.
One performs the role of Jesus
Christ and another the role of
the Virgin Mary. Many famous
Cenaculo players come from
the Tagalog regions although
there are also those from
Ilocos, Pampanga, Bicol and
both Sibulanon and Hiligaynon.
4. Panunuluyan – this is
presented before 12:00 on
Christmas Eve. This is a
presentation of the search of
the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph
for an inn wherein to deliver
the baby Jesus.
5. The Salubong (or
Panubong) - The Salubong is an
Easter play that dramatizes the
meeting of the Risen Christ and
his Mother. It is still presented
in many Philippine towns.
6. Carillo (Shadow Play) – this
is a form of dramatic
entertainment performed on a
moonless night during a town
fiesta or on dark nights after a
harvest. This shadow play is
made by projecting cardboard
figures before a lamp against a
white sheet. The figures are
moved like marionettes whose
dialogues are produced by
some experts. The dialogues
are drawn from a Corrido or
Awit or some religious play
interspersed with songs. These
are called by various names in
different places: Carillo in town fiestas to entertain the
Manila, Rizal and Batangas and people and to
Laguan; TITRES in Ilocos Norte,
Pangasinan, Bataa, Capiz and
Negros; TITIRI in Zambales;
GAGALO or KIKIMUT in
Pampanga and Tarlac; and
ALIALA in La Union.
7. The Zarzuela – considered
the father of the drama; it is a
musical comedy or melodrama
three acts which dealt with
man’s passions and emotions
like love, hate, revenge,
cruelty, avarice or some social
or political problem.
8. The Sainete – this was a
short musical comedy popular
during the 18th century. They
were exaggerated comedies
shown between acts of long
plays and were mostly
performed by characters from
the lower classes. Themes
were taken from everyday life
scenarios.
F. THE MORO-MORO Like the

Cenaculo, the Moro-moro is

presented also on a special
stage. This is performed during
remind them of their Christian
religion. The plot is usually the
same that of a Christian
princess or a nobleman’s
daughter who is captured by
the Mohammedans. The
father organizes a rescue
party where fighting between
the Moros and the Christians
ensue. The Mohammedans
are defeated by some miracle
or Divine Intercession and the
Mohammedans are converted
to Christianity. In some
instances, the whole kingdom
is baptized and converted.
One example of this is Prinsipe
Rodante.
G. KARAGATAN This is a poetic
vehicle of a socio- religious
nature celebrated during the
death of a person. In this
contest, more or less formal, a
ritual is performed based on a
legend about a princess who
dropped her ring into the
middle of the sea and who
offered here hand in marriage
to anyone who can retrieve it.
A leader starts off with an
extemporaneous poem
announcing the purpose. He
then spins a “lumbo” o “tabo”
marked with a white line.
Whoever comes in the
direction of the white line
when the spinning stops gets
his turn to “go into the sea to
look for the ring.” This means a
girl will ask him a riddle and if
he is able to answer, he will
offer the ring to the girl.
H. DUPLO The Duplo replace
the Karagatan. This is a poetic
joust in speaking and
reasoning. The roles are taken
from the Bible and from
proverbs and saying. It is
usually played during wakes
for the dead.
I. THE BALAGTASAN This is a
poetic joust or a contest of
skills in debate on a particular
topic or issue. This is replaced
the DUPLO and is held to honor
Francisco “Balagtas” Baltazar.
J. THE DUNG-AW This is a chant
in free verse by a bereaved
person or his representative
beside the corpse of the dead.
No definite meter or rhyming distinguished from the korido
scheme is used. The person basically by the number of
chanting it freely recites in syllables in each line. The
poetic rhythm according to his korido refers to metrical
feelings, emotions and romances in octosyllabic (8
thoughts. It is personalized
and usually deals with the life,
sufferings and sacrifices of the
dead and includes apologies
for his misdeeds.
K. THE AWIT and the CORRIDO

Some use these two

interchangeably because
distinction is not clear. The
terms 'awit' and 'corrido' are
both related to music. 'Awit' is
the Tagalog word for song
while the Spanish word
'corrido' means a metrical
story, usually sung to the
accompaniment of a guitar, in
fandango style. Pardo de
Tavera, an imminent Filipino
scholar, believes that the word
'corrido' was derived from the
Spanish 'occurido,'
meaning;events happenings.
Korido is the generic name for
Philippine romances. In
Tagalog literature, an awit is
syllables) verse called 'hakira'
while the awit is in
dodecasyllabic (12 syllables)
verse called 'plosa.' Among all
the Filipinos the word corrido
means an extended narrative
of the life and adventures of
some person.