INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

Jacob Genobiagon
Learning objectives:
a. to know the basic tenets of literature;
b. to appreciate our literary heritage;
c. to differentiate prose from poetry
DEFINITION
Latin word litera---printed matter

Artistic and imaginative reproduction of man’s manifold

experiences, thoughts, ideas feelings, visions, and
dreams expressed in various literary forms and styles
Story of man, adorned with lasting, universal values
and told in a beautiful language

Ideas and feelings of people, whether it is true, or

just a product of one’s imagination
A piece of written work which is undying. It
expresses the feelings and emotions of people
in response to their every day efforts to live, to
be happy in their environment, and after
struggles, to reach their creator. -Atienza, et. al.
Expresses the feelings of people to society , to
the government, to his surroundings, to his
fellowmen, and to his Divine Creator
Literature and history
They are closely interrelated., in discovering
the history of a race, the feelings, aspirations,
customs, and traditions of people are to be
included… and these feelings, aspirations,
customs, and traditions that are written is
literature
However, they differ in such a way that
literature may be figments of the imagination
or events devoid of truth that have always
been written down, while history is made up of
events that really happened
Literary compositions that have influenced the
world.
1.Bible
2.Koran
3.The Iliad and Odyssey
4.The Mahabharata
5.Canterbury tales
6.The Divine Comedy
7.El Cid Compeador
8.The Song of Roland
9.One Thousand and One Nights or the
Arabian Nights
10. Noli Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo
Types of Literature-PROSE AND
POETRY
Prose

Consists of those written within the common

flow of conversation, in sentence and in
paragraphs

The following are the types of prose:

a. Novels

A long narrative divided into chapters and

events resembling true-to-life stories
Without seeing the dawn by Steven Javellana
b. Short story

This is a narrative involving one or more

characters , one plot and one single
impression
The Laughter of my Father by Carlos Bulusan
c. Plays

Presented on stage; divided into acts which

contain many scenes
Thirteen Plays by Wilfredo Guerero
d. Legends

Fictitious narratives, usually about origins

The Bikol Legend by Pio Duran
e. Fables

Fictitious stories that deal with animals and

inanimate things that speak and act like
people and their purpose is to enlighten the
minds of children to events that can mold their
ways and attitudes
The Monkey and the Turtle
f. Anecdotes

Merely product of writer’s imagination and the

main aim is to bring out lessons to the reader
The Moth and the Lamp
g.Essay

Expresses the viewpoint or opinion of the

writer about a particular problem or event
Editorial
h. Biography

Deals with the life of a person

Cayetano Arellano by Soccoro Albert
i. News

Report of every day events in society,

government, science, and industry happening
either locally, nationally, or internationally
j. Oration

Formal treatment of subject and is intended to

be spoken in public. It appeals to the intellect,
to the will, or to the emotions of the audience
Poetry

Refers to those expressions, in verse, with

measure, and rhyme, line and stanza and has
a more melodious tone

it has three different types:

1. Epic

Extended narrative about heroic exploits often

under supernatural control
The Harvest Song of Aliguyon by Amador
Daguio
2. Metrical Tale

Narrative which is written in verse and can be classified either as a ballad or metrical romance
Bayani ng Bukid by Al Perez
3. Ballads
Considered as shortest and simplest narrative
poem; it has a simple structure and tells of a
single incident. This comprises of love ballads,
war ballads, sea ballads, humorous, mora,
and historical or mythical ballads
B. Lyric poetry-A lyric poem is short, highly musical verse that conveys powerful
feelings. The poet may use rhyme, meter, or other literary devices to create a song-
like quality.
1. Folksongs
These are short poems intended to be sung
with the themes of love, despair, grief, doubt,
joy, and sorrow.
Chit-chirit-chit
2. Sonnets

A lyric poem of 14 lines dealing with an

emotion, a feeling, or an idea; it may be
Shakespearean or Italian sonnets
Santang buds by Alfonso Santos
3. Elegy

A lyric poem which expresses feelings of grief

and melancholy, and whose theme is death
The Lover’s death by Ricardo Demetillo
4.Ode

A poem of noble feeling, expressed with

dignity, with no definite number of syllables or
definite number of lines in a stanza
5. Psalms (dalit)

A song praising to God or other deities and

containing a philosophy of life
Psalm 23
6. Songs (awit)

A type of Filipino poem, consisting of 12-

syllable quatrains. It follows the pattern of
rhyming stanzas established in the Philippine
epic pasyon, similar in the form of corrido
Florante at Laura by Francisco Balagtas
7. Corridos

Means an extended narrative of the life and

adventures of some people. In tagalog, this is
applied only to poems written in octosyllabic lines
Ibong Adarna by Franciscob Balagtas
C. Dramatic poetry-
Dramatic poetry encompasses a highly emotional story that's written in verse and meant to be recited. It usually tells a
story or refers to a specific situation. This would include closet drama, dramatic monologues, and rhyme verse.
1. Comedy

Comes from the Greek term komos meaning

festivity or revelry. This form usually is light
and written with the purpose of amusing
readers, usually with a happy ending
2. Melodrama

Usually used in musical plays with the opera;

today, this is related to tragedy just as the
farce is comedy. It arouses immediate and
intense emotion and is usually sad but there is
a happy ending for the principal characters
3. Tragedy

Involves the hero struggling mightily against

dynamic forces, meets death or ruin without
success and satisfaction obtained by the
protagonist in comedy
4. Farce
An exaggerated comedy which seeks to arouse
mirth and laughable lines; situations are too
ridiculous to be true, characters seem to be
caricatures and the motives undignified and
absurd

Ang babae sa septic tank poverty film farce

5. Social poems

Either purely comic or tragic and pictures the

life of today. It may aim to bring about
changes in social condition.