Contemporary

Philippine Literature
Literature

The word literature is

derived from the Latin
term litera which
means letter.
An Introduction to the Study of Literature

Literature

It is considered
to be a whole bulk
of written works.
Literature

“the best that

has been thought
and said”
In order to know the history of a nation’s spirit, one
must read its literature. Hence it is, that to understand
the real spirit of a nation, one must “trace the little rills as
they course along down the ages, broadening and deepening into the
great ocean of thought which men of the present source are
presently exploring.” Brother Azurin, said that “literature
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.
“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 n his environment
and, after struggles, to reach his Creator.”
Atienza, Ramos, Salazar and Nazal,
PANITIKANG PILIPINO.
Questions:

•Why do we need to study

literature?
•What is its role in the society?
Reasons!
• We study literature so that we can better appreciate
our literary heritage. We cannot appreciate
something that we do not understand. Through a
study of our literature, we can trace the rich
heritage of ideas handed down to us from our
forefathers. Then we can understand ourselves
better and take pride in being a Filipino.
Reasons!
• Like other races of the world, we need to understand
that we have a great and noble tradition which can serve
as the means to assimilate other cultures. Through such
a study, we will realize our literary limitations
conditioned by certain historical factors and we can take
steps to overcome them. Above all, as Filipinos, who
truly love and take pride in our own culture, we have to
manifest our deep concern for our own literature and
this we can do by studying the literature of our
country.
Questions:
• Do you think literature and history
are closely interrelated? Why or why
not?
• 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 literature.
Events that can be written down are part of true
literature. Literature, therefore, is part of history.
Literature and history, however, also
have differences. Literature may be
figments of the imagination or events
devoid of truth that have been written
down, while history is made up of
events that really happened.
Literary Compositions that Have Influenced
the World
Among them are:
1. The Bible or the Sacred Writings
2. Koran
3. The Iliad and the Odyssey
4. The Mahab-harata
5. Canterbury Tales
6. The Divine Comedy
7. The Book of the Dead
8. The Book of the Days
9. One Thousand and One Nights
Types and Elements of Literature

•These creative works

can be divided into
two: POETRY and
PROSE
Poetry

•Refers to expressing a
feeling or an idea
using figurative or
symbolic language in
verse.
A writer can use the following in order to
express his or her feelings of ideas:
• Technical terms
• Idioms
• Dialect
• New words
• Allusions, and
• Connotations
Elements of Poetry

•Figurative language
This mainly consists of simile, metaphor,
and other figures of speech that can be used
in order to express something in different
way aside.
 “An elephant, a ponderous house
A melon strolling on two tendrils.”

“I've eaten a bag of green apples,

Boarded the train there's no getting off.”
Elements of Poetry

•Imagery
This consists of descriptions and details
that can trigger the readers senses (sight,
hearing, smell, etc.)
Why would a poet use it?

•Transport the readers

•Reader experiences the poem’s action
•Reader experiences emotional reaction
Preludes by T.S. Eliot
The winter evening settles down
With smell of steaks in passageways. Six o'clock.
The burnt-out ends of smoky days.
And now a gusty shower wraps
The grimy scraps
Of withered leaves about your feet
And newspapers from vacant lots;
The showers beat
On broken blinds and chimney-pots,
And at the corner of the street
A lonely cab-horse steams and stamps.
And then the lighting of the lamps.
Elements of Poetry

•Sound and rhythm

This elements make use of the spoken
nature of poetry. Sound can refer to the
emphasis on certain words or rhymes.
Rhythm is just the position of beats or the
sound pattern of the work.
Elements of Prose

•Theme or content
This pertains to the general thought or
idea of the whole composition. In addition
the motive and goal of the writer is reflected
on the theme.
Elements of Prose

•Style
This refers to the choices of words and
sentence structures used to convey the
message and hold the attention of the
reader.
Elements of Prose

•Form and structure

The sequence of the topic and
transitions that make up the whole
essays reflect the form.
Elements of Prose

•Plot or story line

The sequence of events that build up
the whole story. This gives the flow of the
narrative.
Elements of Prose

•Characters
It can be a person, animal or even
thing who takes part in the narrative of
the story.
Elements of Prose

•Setting
Time and place in which the story
happened.
Elements of Prose

•Theme
This is the central thought or idea of
the whole story.
Elements of Prose

•Language and style

This pertains to the choice of words
the writer uses. This includes the
sentence structures and figurative
language that affect the mood or tone of
the story.
Elements of Prose

•Point of view
This may be presented using the
third-person point of view, which means
the narrator may represent the author
himself or herself.
Traditions and
Forms of
Philippine
Poetry
Ethnic Traditions

• Epic
• Folk song
• Proverbs
• Riddles
• Short poems
Ethnic Traditions

•Epic
This epic narrative relates adventures
of a hero with supernatural powers.
Ethnic Traditions

•Folk song
This refers to a song that is
transmitted orally from one generation to
another. (awiting bayan in Tagalog,
ambahan/biyao in Cebuano, badio in Ibaloy,
susunan in Manobo, and also in Bukidnon, leleng in
Samal, and balikatan in Tiruray)
Ethnic Traditions

•Proverbs
These are concise statements that
teach ideas on morality and tradition.
Ethnic Traditions

•Riddles
They describe an object in an entirely
different manner or in a way it is not
easily understood. It may also be a
question intended for someone to
discover its meaning or to answer it.
Ethnic Traditions

•Short poems
It usually has four lines, with 5-12
syllables per line. Examples of short poetry
are children’s rhymes; Tagalog tanaga and the
dalit; Mangyan ambahan; Ivatan laji; the Bukidnon
idangdang and extended basahan; the Palawan
karang; and the Tausug pintasan.
Spanish Colonial Tradition

•Metrical romances
•Pasyon
Spanish Colonial Traditions

•Metrical Romances
Popularly known as biag or panagbiag in
Ilocano, impanbilay in Pangasinan, kuriru in
Pampanga, corrido in Cebuano, Ilongo and
Bicol, and awit or korido in Tagalog.
Spanish Colonial Traditions

•Pasyon
Written in stanza with 5 lines with 8
syllables per line, recounts the life of
Jesus Christ.
 Forms of
Contemporary
Prose in the
Philippine
Forms of Contemporary Prose

•Folk narrative
•Essay
•Novel
I. Folk Narrative

•Myth
This refers to a story that explains the
origin of the world and its first
inhabitants. Typically associated with
theology and ritual, the myth features
supernatural beings, spirits, and human
beings as characters.
Forms of Contemporary Prose

•Legend
-Heroic and historical. Tackles
episodes in the lives of great men and
women.
-Religious. Narrates display of
miracles of God and of the saints.
Forms of Contemporary Prose

•Legend
-Supernatural. Focuses on the
existence of beings from the underworld.
-Toponymic. Explains why a certain
place has this name.
Forms of Contemporary Prose

•Folktales
These are classified into animal tales
or fables, magic tales, humorous tales,
novelistic tales, religious and didactic
tales.
II. Essay

•Formal essay
It discusses crucial topics based on
research in a serious manner: The
conclusion of this type of essay exhibits
how the writer analysed and summarized
data.
Essay

•Informal essay
The informal essay is a narrative that
enables the writer to express his or her
experiences, insights, and observation in
a creative manner.
III. Novel

•The novel may be defined as a

lengthy and complex narrative of
events based on the author’s
imagination.
Novel

•Didactic tradition. Novels in this

tradition were written to guide the
people in the Roman Catholic faith.
Novel

•Romantic tradition. Novels in this

tradition pattern their stories from
metrical romances. (love, magic,
religious didacticism)
Novel

•Short story. It is as defined as a

concise secular narrative.
Novel

•Komiks. This involves drawing

frames showing a set of characters
with their actions read from left to
right. The komiks also contain
balloons which enclose words or
dialogue of characters.