PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

Beverlie A. Pajo, MAEd, LPT

Chapter 1:

Introduction to the
Study of Literature
Literature
• Body of written works of a language, period or
culture.
• A method of recording, preserving, and
transmitting knowledge and entertainment, and
can also have a social, psychological, spiritual, or
political role.
Literature
• Imaginative or creative writing, especially of
recognized artistic value.
• Is classified according to whether it is poetry,
prose or drama, and such works are categorized
according to historical periods, or their
adherence to certain aesthetic features, or genre.
Literature
• A faithful reproduction of man’s manifold
experiences blended into one harmonious
expression.
• Because it deals with ideas, thoughts and
emotions of man, literature can be said to be the
story of man.
Etymology
Literature derives from the Latin word
literatura/litteratura "learning, a writing,
grammar," originally "writing formed with letters,"
from litera/littera "letter".
In order to know the history of a
nation’s spirit, one must read its
literature. Hence, 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 are presently
exploring.”
Brother Azurin

- He said that, “Literature

expresses the feelings of
people to society, to the
government, to his
surroundings, to his
fellowmen, and to his Divine
Creator.”
Panitikang Pilipino
by Atienza, Ramos, Salazar and Nazal

- 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.”
Why do we need to
study Philippine
Literature?
Here is one of the MANY reasons:
• To 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.
Time Frames of Philippine Literature
 PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD (--1564)
- This period was the beginning of literary forms
such as oral literature, folk songs, folktales and
epics. Many of the folk songs featured simple
rhythms, while narrative songs were used to
tell historical stories. Philippine epics from the
pre-colonial era told mythological stories, and
often reflected on community ethics.
 SPANISH COLONIZATION PERIOD
(1565-1863)
- During this time, Spanish explorers attempted
to teach their language to indigenous people,
which meant religious songs and poetry found their
place in society. The introduction of prose took a
similar approach by attempting to influence social
behaviors. By the 19th century, Philippine writers
were using prose to their own benefit by
writing about the negative effects of colonization.
 PROPAGANDA AND REVOLUTIONARY
PERIOD (1864 - 1896)
- These period, it planted seeds of nationalism to
the Filipinos and the language shifted from
Spanish to Tagalog. Popular literary forms
were the propaganda literature such as political
essays and political novels and revolutionary
literature.
 AMERICAN COLONIAL PERIOD
(1910-1945)
- English was introduced to mainstream
schools throughout the country. This meant
some American literary influences had an
impact on Philippine literature, including the
introduction of free verse poetry. Short story
telling also became popular, and as romantic movie
traditions intersected with Philippine culture,
so did romantic novels.
 JAPANESE OCCUPATION
(1942-1960)
- During this period, Philippine Literature in English
was stopped and writers turned to writing in Filipino.
The Japanese authorities, with extreme hate to the
Americans, did their best to turn the Filipinos’
sympathy away from them. They rewarded
handsomely the Filipinos who are faithful to them.
 CONTEMPORARY/MODERN PERIOD
(1960- PRESENT)
- Following military rule in the 1960s, the
contemporary period emerged. Poetry, prose
and short stories remain popular, but writing has
become more competitive and professional
throughout the country. Writers are encouraged
to attend workshops, and literary awards
ceremonies are held each year.
 Literature and History are
closely interrelated. In
discovering the history of a
race, the feelings,
aspirations, customs and
traditions of people are sure
to be included, and these
when written is considered
literature.
However, Literature and
History 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.
CLASSIFICATION OF LITERATURE
 PROSE
• An ordinary writing that flows regular
grammatical conventions and does not contain a
formal metrical structure.
• It begins with sentences to paragraphs.

The following are some of the most common types

of prose in literature:
 PROSE
Novel – is an invented prose narrative of
considerable length and a certain complexity that
deals imaginatively with human experience, usually
through connected sequence of events involving
group of people in a specific setting.
- is composed of an average word count in
between 60,000 and 90,000 for most genres, but
numbers may vary depending on the type of genre.
 PROSE
Novellete – an extended prose narrative story or
short novel. It is longer than a short story and
shorter than a novel. It is regarded as being slight,
trivial, or sentimental.
- its word count is between 7,500 to 17,499
words.
 PROSE
Short Story - a brief fictional prose narrative that is
shorter than a novel and that usually deals with
only few characters.
- Word counts of a short story is much
flexible depending on the artistic style of the writer,
some used to write it in 1,412 words, but generally
most are in 7,500 words. The word limit guarantees
readers to continually read the text by single sitting.
 PROSE
Biography – another form of literature, commonly
considered non-fictional, the subject of which is the
life of an individual written by someone else.
- one of the oldest forms of literary
expression, it seeks to re-create in words the life of
a human being by drawing upon all available
evidence, including those retained in memory as
well as written, oral, and pictorial material.
 PROSE

Autobiography – is an account of a person’s life

written or otherwise recorded by himself/herself.
- it usually follows the person’s life event
and significant bio.
 PROSE
Essay - a short piece of writing on a particular
subject, often expressing personal views.
- is a written answer that includes information
and discussion, usually to test comprehension.
- word lengths depend upon the person who
writes on how he expresses his viewpoint on a
particular subject matter.
 PROSE
Plays – this is presented on a stage and is divided
into acts and each act has many scenes.

Legends – are fictitious narratives, usually about

origins.
 PROSE
Fables – also fictitious and they deal with animals
and inanimate things who speak and act like
people. Its purpose is to enlighten the minds of
children to events that can mold their ways and
attitudes.

Example: The Monkey and the Turtle

 POETRY
• Expression of feelings and ideas is given intensity
by the use of distinctive style and rhythm.
• It is divided into lines, stanzas; it often follows a
repeating measure and has rhythm and
harmony.
 POETRY
There are three types of poetry and these are the
following:

A. Narrative Poetry
B. Lyric Poetry
C. Dramatic Poetry
A. NARRATIVE POETRY
- This form describes important events in life
either real or imaginary.
- A form of poetry that tells a story, often using
the voices of both a narrator and characters; the
entire story is usually written in metered verse.

The different varieties are …

A. NARRATIVE POETRY
1. Epic – This is an extended narrative about heroic
exploits often under supernatural control.

Examples. The Harvest Song of Aliguyon

Biag ni Lam-ang
A. NARRATIVE POETRY
2. Metrical Tale – Written in verse and can be
classified either as a ballad or a metrical romance.

Examples. Bayani ng Bukid/Hero of the Fields

by Al Perez
A. NARRATIVE POETRY
3. Ballad – takes a narrative form to tell us stories.
They are often arranged in quatrains, but the form
is loose enough that writers can easily modify it. It
has a simple structure and tells a single incident.
B. LYRIC POETRY
- Originally, this refers to that kind of poetry
meant to be sung to the accompaniment of a
lyre, but now, this applies to any type of poetry
that expresses emotions and feelings of the poet.
They are usually short, simple and easy to
understand.
B. LYRIC POETRY
1. Folk Song (Awiting Bayan) – short poems intended to
be sung. The common themes are love, despair, grief,
doubt, joy, hope, and sorrow.

Examples. Bahay Kubo, Leron-Leron Sinta,

Magtanim Ay Di Biro, Paru-Parong Bukid etc.
B. LYRIC POETRY
2. Sonnets - usually deals with love and has two
common forms: Petrarchan (named after the poet,
Petrarch) and Shakesperean (also known as the
English sonnet). Each type contains 14 lines but
comes with its own set of rules.

Example. Santang Buds by Alfonso P. Santos

B. LYRIC POETRY
3. Elegy - another type of poem that lacks
particular rules, but it usually is written in mourning
following a death. They can be written for a
particular person, or treat the subject of loss more
generally.

Example. The Lover’s Death by Ricaredo Demetillo

B. LYRIC POETRY
4. Ode - addresses a specific person, thing, or event
expressing noble feeling with dignity.
- believed to have been invented by the
ancient Greeks, who would sing their odes.
- modern odes follow an irregular pattern
and are not required to rhyme.
B. LYRIC POETRY
5. Psalms (Dalit) – a song praising God or the
Virgin Mary and containing a philosophy of life.

6. Song (Awit) – these have measures of twelve

syllables (dodecasyllabic) and slowly sung to the
accompaniment of a guitar or banduria.
Example. Florante at Laura by Francisco Balagtas
B. LYRIC POETRY
7. Corridos (Kuridos) – have measures of eight
syllables (octosyllabic) and recited to a martial beat.

Example. Ibong Adarna by Jose Dela Cruz

C. DRAMATIC POETRY
1. 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.
C. DRAMATIC POETRY
2. Melodrama – usually used in musical plays with
the opera. Today, this is related to tragedy such 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.
C. DRAMATIC POETRY
3. Tragedy – involves the hero struggling mightily
against dynamic forces; he meets death or ruin
without success and satisfaction obtained by the
protagonist in a comedy.
C. DRAMATIC POETRY
4. Farce – 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 are undignified and
absurd.
C. DRAMATIC POETRY
5. 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
Chapter 2:
The Pre-Spanish Period
Historical Background
Long before the Spaniard and other foreigners
landed on Philippine shores, our forefathers already
had their own literature stamped on the history of
our race.
Our ancient literature shows our customs and
traditions in everyday life as trace in our folk stories,
old plays, and short stories.
Historical Background

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.
Historical Background

Whatever record 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 which could not have remained
undestroyed even if efforts were made to preserve
them.
Historical Background
Other records that remained showed folk songs
that proved existence of a native culture truly our
own. Some of these were passed on by word of
mouth till they reached the hands of some
publishers or printers who took interest in printing
the manuscripts of the ancient Filipinos.
Historical Background
The Spaniards who came to the Philippines tried
to prove that our ancestors were really fond of
poetry, songs, stories, riddles and proverbs which we
still enjoy today and which serve to show to
generations the true culture of our people

Pre-Spanish Literature is characterized by: (…)

A. Legends
- Form of prose that usually uses a common theme
of which is about the origin of a thing, place,
location or name.
- The events are imaginary, devoid of truth and
unbelievable.
- Old Filipino customs are reflected.
- Its aim is to entertain.
B. Folk Tales
- Made up of stories about life, adventure, love,
horror and humor where one can derive lessons
about life.
- These are useful to us because they help us
appreciate our environment, evaluate our
personalities and improve our perspectives in life.
Examples. The Monkey and the Turtle by Dr. Jose Rizal
and The Man with the Coconuts by Mabel Cole
C. The Epic Age
- Long narrative poems in which a series of heroic
achievements or events, usually of a hero, are
dealt with at length.
- Nobody can determine which epics are the oldest
because of their translations from other
languages. We can only determine their origins
from the time mentioned in the said epic/s.
C. The Epic Age
The following are epics that can be read and studied:

a. Bidasari – Moro Epic

b. Biag ni Lam-ang – Ilocano Epic
c. Maragtas – Visayan Epic
d. Haraya – Visayan Epic
e. Lagda – Visayan Epic
f. Hari sa Bukid – Visayan Epic
(…)
C. The Epic Age
g. Kumintang – Tagalog Epic
h. Parang Sabir – 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 “Daragan”
D. Folk Songs
- One of the oldest forms of Philippine Literature
that emerged during the Pre-Spanish period.
These songs mirrored the early forms of culture.
Many of these have 12 syllables. Here are the
examples:
a. Kundiman e. Diana
b. Kumintang o Tagumpay f. Soliraning
c. Ang Dalit o Imno g. Talindaw
d. Ang Oyayi o Hele